PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

Chapter 3
How Will You Know One
When You Meet One?
Now that you’re familiar with your core behavioral type, how can
you recognize other types when you meet them? Since relationships
depend on your appropriate interactions with each behavioral
type, the immediate question is, “How can I identify someone’s behavioral
type and how can I do it quickly?”
Two important dimensions for recognizing another person’s behavioral
type are Directness and Openness. We all exhibit a range of these
characteristics in our expressed, observable behaviors. But we need to
focus on how people act in order to determine their core type.
“Excuse me, Mr. Smith, but would you mind giving me some information
about how Indirect or Direct and how Open or Guarded you are so
I can fi gure out your behavioral type?” defi nitely won’t do. Neither will
guesswork, but that approach is seldom necessary because people give
so many clues, if you just know what to look for. To identify someone’s
type, observe what he does by tuning in to both his verbal, vocal, and
visual behaviors.
Verbal, vocal, and visual clues
Th e verbal channel of communication includes the words people use
to express themselves—the content. Th e other two areas convey the in-
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