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Personality Style Activities

TOOLS AND ACTIVITIES FOR ASSESSMENT LEARNING EVENTS

The ATD Community delivered when I asked about their favorite activities to complement personality assessments. I’ve since seen additional inquiries, asking for activities to follow a personality styles assessment. I find that exercises typically fall into two main categories: 1) using the assessment reports to draw understanding about the different styles; and 2) interactive exercises formulated around the personality types. For instance:

REVIEWING THE ASSESSMENT REPORT

Many facilitators structure activities around the assessment reports delivered following a test. Typically, the reports explain the test results and offer tips on how to work effectively with others. Activities based on these reports might include:

• Discuss what you learned about your own style
• Share whether you feel the results accurately reflect your preferences
• Create a 5 x 7 reference card for each style
• Identify qualities you wish were stronger (or less strong)

EXERCISES & ACTIVITIES FOR DISC AND OTHER ASSESSMENTS

To make the experience more robust and memorable, facilitators draw on additional activities that either help participants identify different styles or practice different ways of communicating:

IDENTIFYING & UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT TYPES

• BOAT EXERCISE: Select eight participants to discuss how to decide who to throw out of the lifeboat that is about to sink.  Have the others watch the interaction and consider the impact of the approaches of different personality types.  Ask those “not on the boat” for their feedback and what they saw happening.   ~ Michelle Qualls
• FIND YOUR TWIN: Find a “Personality Twin.” Discuss how you can work with or communicate more effectively with others. Or, Role-play – share usual response to a question, then edit your response to appeal to a different style.
• FAMOUS PEOPLE: Identify a pop-culture icon, movie or TV character, or individual with that trait
• VIDEO & YOU TUBES: Share video clips exemplifying various preferences
• STRENGTHS. CHALLENGES. UNDERSTANDING. Divide participants into style groups based on their primary style. Ask each group to come to a consensus on 3 strengths they have because of their style, 3 challenges associated with their style, and 3 things they’d like the other styles to understand about theirs. Then, have each group present its findings to the class and invite Q&A.   Why it works: participants see that even people with the same style have different characteristics. The conversations are always excellent. Allow 90 minutes for this the whole activity.
• DISCOVERING STYLES THUMBALL: Using the Discovering Styles Thumball, choose one question for players to answer when they catch the ball and look at the quality under their thumb. For instance, you might have them answer:
  • How could you use this quality in a positive way?
  • How can you support or encourage this quality?
  • How can you best work with someone with this quality?
  • Why is this quality important to our organization?
  • Which of our personality type(s)/styles encompasses this quality?
  • In what situations might this quality/characteristic be most effective?
  • What happens if this quality is exaggerated…
  • How might someone with this quality manage conflict?

TRY-ON DIFFERENT STYLES

• VACATION PLANNING: Have participants join the group associated with their lowest-performing style.  Have them plan a vacation for that personality type and represent it on a poster.  Finally, ask those who are strong in that personality-type to give feedback on the vacation and poster, focusing on how well it fits them.  ~ Michelle Qualls
• TV PURCHASE: Working in groups, based on the primary style-type ask, “If you were going to buy a big television, how would you go about it?” Ask teams to collaborate and share their approaches. It’s lighthearted, fun, and demonstrates the striking differences in how each style processes decisions, while positively reinforcing mutual understanding.
• SCENARIO WORKSHOP: Select a scenario (like Work-Plays), or create your own. Then, 1) Have participants briefly share their scenario with a partner or small group; 2) Ask the group to identify the personality style of the individual they’re in conflict with; 3) Practice using conflict conversation tools tailored to that style-role-playing how they might approach the conversation differently. ~ Sheena Lance-Nold
• Create an Advertisement: Divide into 4 groups based on the four primary personality types. Have each group create an ad to sell a product to their own personality type. They almost always do the same product, which is always interesting as a facilitator to watch.   ~ Michelle Qualls
• GROUP REFLECTION: Divide participants into style groups based on their primary style.  Ask each group to agree on:  3 strengths they share because of their style; 3 challenges they might face; and 3 things they’d like the other styles to understand about them. Have each group present their findings to the class. Finally, invite groups to ask other group questions about their style that the group members answer together. They’ll quickly see that even people with the same style have different characteristics of that style. ~ 90 minutes. ~ Pamela Moore
• EMAIL DRAFT: For communication practice, ask participants to draft an email asking another person to join them in working on a project. Next, ask them for a different draft in a style voice other than their own.  ~ Yolanda Caldwell

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Discovering Styles through Personality Assessment Tools & Activities

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