Your Profile Explained

Your ID profile shows your behaviour pattern for each dimension. Using this guide with your own ID profile enables you to individually tailor your development of your communication skill.

Each dimension is on a continuum. Every person generally displays some of the behaviour patterns on each side of the continuum. However, people tend to lean more strongly towards one end or the other. Neither one of the two ends of each dimension is better than the other. They are simply different aspects of interpersonal communication traits. Each dimension therefore identifies unique differences in the way we communicate and shape our own performance style. For example, dimension two, the Emphasis scale, involves exaggerator/understater behaviours. From the profile, your style may be identified in one of the following ways:

Exaggerator+	Very strongly down the exaggerator end of the emphasis continuum
Exaggerator	Mostly down this end of the continuum
Exaggerator/Understater	Balanced style between both behaviours
Understater	Mostly down this end of the continuum
Understater+	Very strongly down the understater end of the emphasis continuum

This scoring process is repeated for each of the other five dimensions.

Understanding your profile can benefit you in two ways: first, it is a significant part of developing your own interpersonal skills and, second, it provides a framework for being more effective in your interactions with others.

It identifies the core skills needed to flexibly match with others and to effectively communicate by reducing unconscious biases and misunderstandings.
As most effective communication occurs when people are able to respond flexibly and match their behaviours to each new context and audience, you will want to look closely at your strongest behaviours and to think about strategies for becoming more flexible.

Using the understanding you gain from the Influence Dimensions will help you to respond uniquely to each encounter and to vary and modify your communicative behaviour appropriately. The evidence shows the most effective trust and understanding occurs with familiar or matched communication.

You may use this ID guide as a means to improve your discussions and conversations with a partner, colleague, family member, or friend.

You will be a more effective conversationalist or be more clearly understood if you match the other person’s ID profile. We get on better and connect more effectively if our communication is matched. For example if we take just two elements of your profile, the Timing Dimension and the Emphasis dimension. If your profile indicates you are Rapid and an Understater while your boss or partner or friend is Gradual and an Exaggerator then you are mismatched and may misunderstand each other’s wishes or even have difficulties on reaching agreement on certain matters. This is even more likely to cause communication problems if you are mismatched on many or all of the dimensions as compared to only one or two.

In this example if you are both Rapid and Understated then you are naturally similar in communication style on these two dimensions and are much more likely to converse in a familiar and effective manner.

The guide that follows provides information about the aspects of your ID profile as well as the data about people who are opposite to your profile. It also gives examples of matching and mismatching between people to illustrate the process. Therefore you can use this guide to identify:

• your strengths and difficulties in communication
• where you and others may fit well together or where you may clash
• how you might improve the effectiveness of your communication

We now consider the six dimensions and the perceptual system in detail.

Timing Dimension: Rapid/Gradual Processor

In our communication with others we vary in the speed of our delivery, the timing of our messages, our sense of urgency and the time we take to process information. When the timing is just right the message is conveyed and received as intended. When the pace is too fast the receiver feels rushed and pressured and responds to this influencing factor, often misreading the message or not responding at the optimal level. If the timing is too slow the response can be to discount the significance of the communication, to become irritated by the slowness of delivery and to question the credibility of the person communicating. Mastering timing means successfully matching your communication to the behaviours of others.

At one end of the scale we have people we’ll call rapid processors, and at the other end gradual processors.

Rapid processors

Let’s do it now—all of it.

We must move quickly to pick up this opportunity.

Rapid processors like to receive all the information quickly and are frustrated by delays, hesitation in speech and changes to decisions. They may be tunnel-visioned, rushing ahead without taking in significant peripheral detail or other possible options. They tend to be impatient with people who present information slowly and who need time to deliberate. They often inaccurately label them as unintelligent, obstructive and uncooperative, or uncommitted to achieving goals.

Rapid processors do well with major tasks that have tight deadlines and require immediate action, and where many things need to be coordinated simultaneously. They tend to get bored with slow moving tasks with little risk or challenge, seeing them as tedious and mundane. Unfortunately, when the tasks they are given have lengthy deadlines or where there is a need to proceed slowly and cautiously they have a tendency to manufacture a crisis situation, for example by putting off doing work until the last minute or becoming disruptive to others.

Rapid processors never miss an opportunity, but they often rush headlong into mistakes and do not take advantage of new information that may have become available since they made their original decision. The same often occurs with meetings and task delegation where they become impatient and inconsiderate towards others who may need to discuss things further. Learning to develop patience and the ability to slow down is valuable for stress reduction and getting the best contribution from others.

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Gradual processors

Let’s take it slowly and carefully.

We really must take time to consider this fully.

Gradual processors tend to be overwhelmed if too much data is presented too quickly or if they are pressured to make decisions before they have enough time to deliberate. They like to take in each element and digest it thoroughly before absorbing the next. They tend to take things as they come. They have a more accepting optimistic attitude to change, expecting it will all work out in the end. Statements like ‘haste makes waste’ are comforting words for gradual processors, since they reinforce their preferred method of assessing things.

Gradual processors like small, well defined and narrowly focused tasks or major projects with long timeframes so they can establish project milestones and complete the work in a considered manner. They tend to be less competent in high pressure, high change situations. Gradual processors rarely make impulsive mistakes, but they can miss out on golden opportunities. Meetings and tasks will be well handled, but not quickly or with much risk-taking.
Acting before being fully informed is difficult for a gradual processor, but often necessary when deadlines require urgent action. Choosing some issues to agree on before all the data are in is good practice for expanding flexibility.

When they communicate…

Rapid:	Okay, I’m ready to go now.
Gradual:	Hang on a minute.
Rapid:	For Pete’s sake hurry up, you’re never ready on time.
Gradual:	I’m nearly ready now. Anyway what’s your hurry? You’ll get there in plenty of time, knowing how you drive.
Rapid:	What’s wrong with trying to drive efficiently? I get fed up with dithering motorists who clog up the roads. Besides, I arrive safely.
Gradual:	You may think you’re hot stuff, but it’s no fun being your passenger, you take too many risks just to save a few seconds.
Rapid:	Are you ready now?
Gradual:	Hang on. You know I can’t do two things at once. Stop chatting to me and I’ll get these clothes put away.
Rapid:	Just throw them into the wardrobe, don’t fold them up—we haven’t got time.
Gradual:	There, I’m ready now.
Rapid:	Are you sure? About bloody time.

 

Rapid processors are well matched (and get on well) with other rapid processors, but together they can speedily fly off on a tangent to the rest of the group. They may find gradual processors too slow to deal with comfortably. To communicate more effectively with their gradual processor colleagues they could break up their information into smaller manageable bits and wait to get confirmation before going on.

Rapid processors need to appreciate the more gradual style of others if they are to be successful in managerial positions, because it is natural for people to proceed more slowly when they are in an induction or learning role. It is valuable to have gradual processors as a safeguard and balance to the impetuous decision-making of the rapid processor.

Gradual processors match well with other gradual processors, though rapid processors often occasionally see them as pedantic, slow, less intelligent or obstructive. On the other hand gradual processors sometimes may perceive rapid processors (with whom they are mismatched) as impetuous, ill-informed, reactive, and likely to subvert their efforts by hasty, ill-considered actions or decisions.

For these reasons rapid processors and gradual processors tend to have a distrust of each other’s ability in dealing with problems, projects, or other activities. At worst, this can create hostility that may eventually lead to subversion of the group’s effectiveness.

 

© Copyright 2009 McPhee Andrewartha

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