Page 175 - Enabling National Initiatives to Take Democracy Beyond Elections

A simple one is to have everyone choose whether or not they tend to ‘ask’ or tend to ‘tell’, and whether they are task-oriented or people-oriented. It may be important to stress that this is just an exercise and people shouldn’t worry too much about where it places them, but that the purpose is to make it clear that different people have different social styles. You can make reference to this exercise throughout facilitation to ensure small group work has a mix of social styles. Social styles inform a person’s communication style and preferences in terms of the: • type of information they want • form of the information • way in which they communicate By understanding a person’s dominant style, you can tailor the way in which you communicate to improve their understanding of a project, and to improve your connection. Analytic Driver Amiable Expressive Low (Asks) Low (People) High (Task) High (Tells) 173