People Skills Franklin University Developed by Robert and Dorothy Bolton to help people assess the styles of themselves and others. People Skills can be found in two books: People Styles at Work: Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better People Skills

Objective Identify your people skills style to create effective teams. One of the key elements of a successful team is understanding the different styles people have when working and communicating. It has an impact on the team and how things are done in a team.

What Does Your Style Mean? Your style influences: the way you relate to others your use of time your approach to decision making You can be more effective if you: build on the strengths each individual brings to the team Recognize the weaknesses associated with your own style Self explanatory slide

Finding Your People Style Have other people complete the survey about you Casual conversation with a stranger will be as accurate as having people you know fill out the survey Results can be collected from many surveys How do you know your style as well as the styles in the group? The Boltons developed a simple survey that you can use several ways: Ask people who know you well to fill it out. Fill it out on people you know to find their style. Ask a newly formed team to fill it out on each other – even though they don’t know each other well. You can keep track over time of some people (boss, spouse, kids, mother in law) so that you can alter your style to be effective in your communication. Have the students engage in a casual conversation with someone they don’t know in the class. (Introductions are good) Have each student write the name of the person they spoke to on the social skills sheet in the slot provided. Have the students fill out the sheet based on their conversation. Have the student give the sheet to the person whose name is on it. Have the students add up the matches from column A and column B. Emphasize that the results are almost always accurate and that if they don’t like the results, they can choose to select the one they feel they are.

The Matrix A=Orange B=Blue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Analytical Driver Amiable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Amiable Expressive Explain how to find their style. Find the intersection of A and B and put a check in that box.

Characteristics Think ANALYTICS DRIVERS Logical Serious Thorough Systematic Prudent Independent Candid Decisive Pragmatic Efficient Tell Ask AMIABLES EXPRESSIVES Cooperative Supportive Diplomatic Patient Loyal Outgoing Enthusiastic Persuasive Fun Loving Spontaneous Explain the positive characteristics – the Ask Think Tell Feel can be related to Meyers Briggs, etc Feel

Negatives Think ANALYTICS DRIVERS Nit-picking Inflexible Indecisive Critical Moralistic Domineering Unfeeling Pushy Severe Tough Tell Ask AMIABLES EXPRESSIVES Conforming Unsure Pliable Dependent Awkward Manipulative Excitable Undisciplined Egotistical Reacting Talk a little about the negatives – give an example – this is what we need to know about ourselves and what we should try to avoid. Feel

Under Stress... Think Avoiding Autocratic DRIVERS ANALYTICS Tell Ask Talk about stress on a team (four ovals) Give an example EXPRESSIVES AMIABLES Acquiescing Attacking Feel

Growth Actions Think ANALYTICS Decide DRIVERS Listen Tell Ask AMIABLES What one can do to alter their social style and head towards the middle when working with others AMIABLES Initiate EXPRESSIVES Restrain Feel

Versatility “Flexing” your style to deal effectively with others. Four steps: Recognize your own style Protect yourself from style-based weaknesses Recognize the style of others “Flex” your style to improve relationships Flexing is learning to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your own characteristics This is the last slide: Answer questions about the process Stress again that you want to try and flex towards the middle.