Personality: Understanding Different People

This lesson looks at how we communication and how breakdowns in communication can occur. 

When communicating, a lot of information is transmitted non-verbally.  This lesson covers the non-verbal communication within body language. 

Incongruence is when the words used don't match the body language.

Metaphors and associations come from our experience and we apply them to the life that we know.  This lesson explores metaphors and associations in communication.

This lesson looks at what rapport is and why it is important.

The art of listening is about finding out what the speaker thinks about something at a deep level.   When people listen to one another, they learn from one another.  A free flow of ideas that are truly listened to can lead to relationships where people respect each other and are constantly learning from each other.

There are five levels of listening: ignoring, pretend listening, selective listening, attentive listening, and empathetic listening.  Each level represents the degree to which someone is listening to another person during a conversation.

Listening is a key component of good communication.  This lesson covers effective listening and poor listening skills.  

This video investigates what hinders people's inability to listen and the detrimental impact of poor listening skills can have on effective communication.

This video considers the ways that you can develop your active listening skills and so become more empathetic.

Conflict is inevitable in your interactions with other people.  How you manage conflict is key to developing good interpersonal relationships. 

The most important emotional and social competence in managing conflict is empathy.  This lesson looks at ways that you can use empathy effectively. 

This video explores some of the issues faced when leading and managing awkward people and covers some hints and tips to get the best for them and for the organisation.

Social interaction styles consider your preferred pattern of behaviour for a large number of situations.  This section looks at the four styles based on assertiveness and emotional control.

Before you continue any further with this course, please complete this short interactive questionnaire.  It is designed to give you some insights around your preferred Social Interaction Style.

Full instructions and scoring details are given within the booklet.

The Driver Social Interaction Style has a clear idea of their ambitions and goals, as well as the directness and forcefulness to achieve those goals. It also means that people with this Interaction Style will tend to have a competitive attitude, and they will generally follow their own ideas rather than work cooperatively with others.

People with the Expressive Social Interaction Style are enthusiastic and good motivators and are highly creative.  People like this desire acceptance and social esteem. They enjoy being recognised for their creativeness, ability to motivate and influence, and especially for their sense of humour when possible. They want to be around others and desire for environments to be positive and even fun, both at work and socially. 

People with the Amiable Social Interaction Style show patience, calmness and gentle openness. They are generally amiable and warm-hearted, being sympathetic to others' points of view, and valuing positive interaction with others. 

People with the Analytical Social Interaction Style often appear reticent and aloof, as they are reluctant to reveal information about themselves or their ideas unless absolutely necessary. They will tend to use existing structures and rules to accomplish their aims and adhere to rules, authority and logical argument to influence the actions of others. 

Each style has a unique set of priorities and preferences regarding relationships and tasks, and each prefers to work at its own pace.  These can lead to tension. 

Each Social Interaction Style reacts to increasing pressure in its own way around using their assertiveness and working with their emotions. 

In conflict, the Driver Style will become autocratic.  This lesson looks at why and how to work with this style in conflict.

In conflict, the Expressive Style will attack.  This lesson looks at why and how to work with this style in conflict. 

In conflict, the Amiable Style will acquiesce.  This lesson looks at why and how to work with this style in conflict. 

In conflict, the Analytical Style will avoid.  This lesson looks at why and how to work with this style in conflict. 

This lesson covers what happens with the Social Interaction Styles if the pressure continues to increase. 

When the sources of stress don't go away, each style moves in a predictable pattern expressing their assertiveness and emotions in unfamiliar ways.  This lessons looks at the behaviours of each style under stress. 

The stress response of the Driver Style is autocratic - avoid - attack - acquiesce.  

This lesson looks at how and why these behaviours play out with this style under stress. 

The stress response of the Expressive Style is attack - acquiesce - autocratic - avoid.  

This lesson looks at how and why these behaviours play out with this style under stress. 

The stress response of the Amiable Style is acquiesce - attack - avoid - autocratic.  

This lesson looks at how and why these behaviours play out with this style under stress. 

The stress response of the Analytical Style is avoid - autocratic - acquiesce - attack.  

This lesson looks at how and why these behaviours play out with this style under stress. 

This lesson contains a downloadable crib-sheet.  You can print as many copies as you like.  You are not going to be able to get people that you interact with to complete a questionnaire to determine their Social Interaction Style!  This short assessment gives you a way to determine a person's Social Interaction Style by observing various aspects of their body language and the way they talk.

Using this will help you to become more familiar with the Social Interaction Styles in the real world and will give you a strong indicator of this person’s leading Social Interaction Style.

This lesson contains a set of hints and tips that are useful behaviours for any interaction that are irrespective of your Social Interaction Style.

This lesson covers ways to become more emotionally and socially intelligent in your interactions with other people.  It takes a lot of hard work and effort!

Now that you have some knowledge of the Social Interaction Styles, this lecture explores the question, "What now?".

This lecture investigates some ways that you can become more flexible with the Social Interaction Styles.

A few final words to conclude the course.  In this lesson, we look at how each Social Interaction Style works with their emotional intelligence. 

This video explores how artificial intelligence intersects with personality and human behaviour, shaping the way we connect, learn, and lead.

This is a practical activity to conclude this personality course.  It requires you to consider your goals and objectives for taking the course that you set for yourself at the beginning of the course.

A series of Lightbulb Moments resource cards that can be used as an aide-memoir. 

This video will help you if you are having issues accessing your Certificate of Completion.