There is a saying that goes: “The most basic of all human needs
is the need to understand and be understood.”
Good Evening President and fellow toastmasters.
Today I would like to touch on a topic that is close to the
hearts of each of us – To understand and be understood. In my profession as a
human resource practitioner, I had the opportunity to be exposed to various
personality tools that would help me to understand a person’s character and
work style very quickly. Such tools are commonly used as a quick snapshot of a
person’s complex personality. DISC profiling tool is one of them. It is a tool
which I use quite frequently when conducting interviews. I find it useful in
helping me to size up a person’s working style quickly, so that I can determine
if the candidate is suitable for the position he is applying for. Tonight, I
would like to share this tool with you and also a few tips on how to read a
person.
In 1928, Dr William
Marston, the inventor of this DISC personality profiling tool, advocated 4
typical patterns of human interaction – Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and
Compliance, hence the acronym DISC. The first pattern – Dominance, demonstrates
a personality that loves a challenge and is what we call a high D person. Such
a person is always ready for competition, has respect for authority and
responsibility, probably because this person is also in a position of
authority. In our daily interaction with people, how would we know if a person
is high D, you might ask? Observe the handshake and the eye contact. High D
people has very firm handshake, even to the point of being crushing; and they
have very steady eye contact, probably because of the confidence and pride,
coupled with a forceful and direct personality.
In contrast, the second behavioral pattern – Influence,
demonstrates a more outgoing, persuasive, warm temperament as compared to the
high D pattern; what we call a high I personality. If I am a high I person, my
handshake would not be as overpowering as what I did just now. Instead, it
would be a more friendly and warm one. High “I”s are predominantly interested
in people, and can sometimes become a little too intimate on a first-name basis
at the first meeting. So if you introduce yourself as “Richard”, in the next
instant, he may call you Dick, and starts to put his arms around your shoulders
as a friendly gesture. Such is the nature of a high I person, as it is natural
for them to make friends very easily. As they are usually crowd pleasers, they
can quickly become the center of attention in a party. Could anyone make a
guess at what profession would a high I person excel in? Sales!
Moving on from a social butterfly to a sentimentalist, we have
the third behavioral pattern, Steadiness. A high S person is undemonstrative
because he is very reserved and controlled. Instead of hordes of acquaintance,
such a person likes to build a close relationship with a relatively small group
of intimate friends. A high S person gives people a warm feeling, a sense of
security and will lend you his listening ears anytime. In fact, he can spend
the whole day listening to you speak and may not talk a lot. You may have to
poke him a bit if you want a response to your chatting! Among your colleagues,
family members and friends, how could you identify such a personality? Look for
something that he frequently uses – a pen, for example, and see if there is a
label with his name neatly written on it. Chances are you will find it. High S
people are sentimentalist; they take care of each and every one of their
possessions and can be extremely protective of it. So the next time you find a pen with a name
written on it, please return it to the owner, for all you know, the owner may
just have sleepless nights thinking of this lost pen of his.
Coming to our last, but not least, behavioral pattern –
Compliance, we see that a high C person iloves details, facts and guess what?
Rules! A high C person is methodical, has an eye for details and is probably
your most humble, loyal and hardworking employee in the company. Stable and
order, rules and procedures, theories and facts are the guiding principles of a
high C person. A very good example of a high C person is.. me! I live by
demonstrated facts, proven theories and precise details, and at work, I need a
To-Do list to start my day, without which I will feel directionless and be at a
loss. I cannot do anything else unless I have this list on hand.
Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I hope I have given you a flavor
of 4 major patterns of human behavior. From a dictator; high D, to a
motivational speaker; high I; to a childcare teacher; high S and finally to a
CFO; high C – DISC. We see the differences in people and hopefully will start
to understand the people around us a little bit better. It is also such
diversities that made our world interesting. So let’s get into the
Christmas spirit today and make an effort to understand the people around us,
and we will in turn be better appreciated as well.
Over to you - Toastmaster of the Evening.
This is my speech for the P2 - Organize Your Speech, the Competent Communicator program delivered in the December meeting. As usual, I was not well prepared in terms of memorizing the speech. In addition, I was not mentally prepared to start, which resulted in a weak opening.
Areas for improvement -
1. There is too much content for a 7 min speech, which could not sustain the interest of the audience.
2. I was pacing the stage and I don't even realize it!
3. The opening can be improved, and forget about a cliche quotation! Need something that will create an impact!
4. My closing is also weak and needs to be more compact.
Ah Counter - 16!! (This is a result of lack of preparation)
Ah Counter - 16!! (This is a result of lack of preparation)
Right... I need a break from the next speech.
