This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Surrounded by Idiots" by Thomas Erikson. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Do you work with a wide variety of personalities? Do you ever struggle to interpret their emails or tone?
Thomas Erikson, the author of Surrounded by Idiots, categorizes people into four personality colors: Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. Each personality has unique characteristics and behaviors that can sometimes make working together difficult.
Here’s how to better understand the connection between personality and communication style.
Verbal Communication
A vocal cue is a variation in someone’s voice when speaking, such as tone and speed. According to Erikson, each personality type displays distinct vocal cues, and by listening carefully, you can learn a lot about personality and communication style.
Red Personality Type’s Vocal Cues
Red types exude confidence, and Erikson points out that this is evident in their tone of voice. Even when they’re nervous or unsure of themselves, Red personalities speak in a voice that’s loud and clear. He explains that they won’t stumble over their words, and they rarely pause. In other words, they speakquickly and articulately.
Yellow Personality Type’s Vocal Cues
Have you heard the expression, he wears his heart on his sleeve? Well, Erikson says a Yellow-dominant person wears his heart on his tongue. When a Yellow personality type speaks, you immediately know what he’s feeling because his tone of voice is full of expression. Erikson explains that Yellow personalities speak quickly like Red types, but unlike the articulate Reds, Yellow-dominant people often stumble over their words because there isn’t much of a filter between their thinking and speaking.
Green Personality Type’s Vocal Cues
Erikson says Green personalities speak in controlled, gentle, and soft tones. Their speed is on the slower side, but not as slow as a Blue personality. While fine in small groups, Erikson explains that when a Green-dominant person is speaking to a crowd, she might be asked to raise her voice so everyone can hear. One of the reasons why they’re a calming force, he says, is because their voices ooze warmth and comfort.
Blue Personality Type’s Vocal Cues
Erikson says that Blue personalities speak slowly and have little variance in tone. They pause more than other people because they think through everything that they want to say and are deliberate with their words. He says Blue types may come across as dry or uninterested because of the lack of inflection or passion in their voices.
| The Vocal Cues of Great Public Speakers Of these four ways of speaking, is one better suited for public speeches than the others? The answer depends on a few factors: –The topic and purpose of the speech –The setting in which the speech is given –Who is delivering it For example, a speech given by the President about war shouldn’t be delivered in the same way that a tech entrepreneur would unveil a new product. For this reason, some people’s natural way of speaking might be better suited for certain topics. However, the most important factor is authenticity. Communications coach Carmine Gallo explains in his book, Talk Like TED, that an audience can instantly detect inauthenticity. If you naturally speak with little variance in your tone and try to sound enthusiastic, it will ring false. If you genuinely feel enthusiastic, on the other hand, let this emotion shine through. To keep an audience’s trust and attention, you must be true to yourself. If you find yourself tasked with delivering a public speech, don’t try to change your personality, but do consider the context of the speech and deliver it accordingly. |
Written Communication
You can now identify a person’s personality type using body language and vocal cues. However, this only works if you’re face-to-face. Erikson points out that in today’s world, collaboration from a distance isn’t unusual, and there will be times when you have to meet and work with someone via writing. In these situations, he says it’s helpful to know the personality type of the person you’re dealing with, and how to respond accordingly. Luckily, each type has distinct writing characteristics.
Using Erikson’s identification and response techniques, in this section we use a hypothetical scenario to study each personality type’s written communication style. Consider how each of the colors might send an email regarding an upcoming company party:
Red Personality’s Email
Reminder, the party is at 7 on Saturday. No need to bring anything.
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Here's what you'll find in our full Surrounded by Idiots summary :
- A detailed look at Thomas Erikson's four personality types
- How to navigate conflicts with coworkers
- How to effectively communicate and collaborate with bosses, employees, and colleagues
