Exercise #2 - Communications Identity
This exercise is for individuals who have an
over-all agreement with their Inventory results.
Your recognition of your communication patterns through your own perceptions, which
have been reinforced through the Inventory results, is a starting point. The next phase
is recognizing specific behaviors that reinforce or confirm your perceptions.
This is the process of going from general to specific. For this process to be
effective it is necessary to go from theory to practice. In this exercise you will
identify real behaviors that reinforce your perceptions.
| 1. |
Look in the IOP Handbook, pages 7 and 8, and find your primary descriptor. If you have
a combination descriptor, read the specifics of each descriptor that makes up your
combination. Identify at least one Pro and two Con items on the appropriate
list that describe you. Fill in all four lines. |
| Pro or Con Descriptor |
Circumstance |
Your Action or Reaction |
State the specific descriptor |
State the specific circumstance |
State what you did, felt or believed
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| Example |
| Worker: Pro - #4 Appreciates
and is obiedient to rules and regulations |
Filling out daily Waste Report
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I feel like this is a pain, but it is
our policy and I never miss doing it. I want the company to know it can count on me.
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| Complete the following with your
information |
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| 2. |
Stay on pages 7 and 8 and find your secondary descriptor. If you have
a combination descriptor, read the specifics of each descriptor that makes up your
combination. Identify at least one Pro and two Con items on the appropriate
list that describe you. Fill in all four lines. |
| Pro or Con Descriptor |
Circumstance |
Your Action or Reaction |
State the specific descriptor |
State the specific circumstance |
State what you did, felt or believed
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| Example |
| Leader: Con - #2 Must have
individual recognition |
The extra effort I put in the "Rush
Report"
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I did not have to do this. I volunteered.
I got no thanks, bonus or recognition. I am very upset.
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information |
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| 3. |
Identify possible conflict areas in your primary and secondary decriptor lists from
pages 7 and 8, and examine your behaviors for the effects of these in your communications.
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Review the various descriptors you have identified from
the lists on pages 7 and 8. Can you find one or more descriptors that do not fit
well with other descriptors you have identified?
How do you relate to this contradictory information? |
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Example: Helper - empathetic and compassionate but Researcher - often unaware of others. I am usually sensitive to others, but when I'm involved in a project sometimes others cease to exist.
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| Can you identify different descriptors from your primary
and secondary descriptors that would cause you to be inconsistent in your communications:
verbal interactions, memos, email, etc. |
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Can you identify problems in the past that may have been
caused by your inconsistent communication patterns?
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| 4. |
Rank the Pro and Con items listed in your primary and secondary descriptors
in the order you believe is the most consistent with #1 being the most consistent.
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