Part II | 4 Personality Types in the Workplace: Communicating with Others

Welcome to part II of our blog series on personality types in the workplace. Our last blog outlined the four personality types in the workplace with the strengths and weaknesses of each. In this blog, we focus on communication and how to be better at communicating with others based off of the main personality type they fall under. Read on to learn how to communicate with your colleagues.

Personality Type | Driver

As stated in our last blog, Drivers have an active personality and are not always sympathetic to others. When communicating with a driver, avoid providing too much information. Make it short, simple, and sweet so that it is easy for them to digest. Also, be sure to check your emotions at the door. Drivers can appear intimidating, but you cannot take them too personally.

Expressive Personality Types – Avoid tangents. Tell Drivers the point of a story before you tell it.

Analytical Personality Types – Drivers are easily annoyed by analytical personality types because they usually provide too much information. Avoid stats, insignificant details, and numbers. If you must provide stats, only tell Drivers the end result, not the process.

Amiable Personality Types – Drivers are fond of amiable personality types, because they usually listen and do what they are told to do (often by the Driver). Just remember to speak up when you need to!

Personality Type | Analytical

As an overview, Analytical personality types are perfectionists. They are very detail-oriented and need the facts. When communicating with an Analytical personality type, it is quite the opposite of a Driver –provide as much information as possible. Do not fail to leave out facts, graphs, data, or references.

Driver Personality Types – Despite details not being your strong suit, present as much information as possible to Analytics. They do not forgive mistakes easily, so try not to provide misinformation the first time around. 

Expressive Personality Types – Analytics see overt emotion as a weakness. Avoid being too animated and respect their logical arguments. They are not tolerant of those that do not emphasize weight in the data.

Amiable Personality Types – You both do not like confrontation and are both soft-spoken. You likely already get along well so long as you take time to understand their logical arguments.

Personality Type | Amiable

Amiable personality types typically get along with everyone. They aim to please others. Overall, when communicating with an amiable person, be sincere, open, and willing to listen to other point of views before making rash decisions.

Driver Personality Types – Amiable people do not like independent decision making. Try to be a bit more inclusive in the decision process if and when at all possible.

Analytical Personality Types – Be sincere and do not forget about the human behind the face, rather than just the facts and data when speaking with them.

Expressive Personality Types – You both value displaying your emotions. Just be heartfelt and genuine when communicating with them.

Personality Type | Expressive

Last, but not least, we have the Expressive personality types. Expressive people love to talk, and generally love the spotlight. When communicating with others that fall under the expressive personality type, focus on developing a relationship. Be enthusiastic, open, and responsive.

Driver Personality Types – You will be tempted to tell them to shut up. Make sure you make your appreciation and acceptance for them known.

Analytical Personality Types – Be patient with Expressives, as they tend to generalize. Ask for facts, but not too abruptly. Work on developing the relationship.

Amiable Personality Types – You tend to get along, since you both value emotion and diplomacy.

How well are you Communicating with Others?

Communicating with others of all different personality types can have its challenges. However, with a little patience and a better understanding of the people you work with, we believe you will find yourself less frustrated and overall more satisfied with your interactions in and outside of the office. Understand which personality types your colleagues fall under to provide clearer communication and overall more effective management.

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