In this module, you will:

• Consider the difference between delivering information and engaging others

• Learn how personality based preferences shape engagement

• Reflect on adapting your personal style to increase engagement with others

Communicating for engagement is the type of communication used to influence others, invite them into your way of thinking, spark their input regarding the issue at hand or gain their support. Communicating for engagement is about being contagious, and having others want to join you. The emphasis is on the ‘engagement’ not the communication, so this requires a shift in frame of reference. When the end goal is engaging others, the game strategy is more about them, than about you – it’s about knowing how to match your message to their frame of reference, to encourage their ease of understanding and acceptance. 

Consider this case scenario:

You’re pitching a new project that will be a big improvement in your department.  You are very excited.  It requires shifting some team resources to the work effort, allocating some budget to cover outside expenses, and convincing other departments to coordinate with the new approach.  It will be a relatively big change.  What should you cover in the presentation to engage people in the effort? 

Well, this is something you’ve done many times before.  Timing is critical, so you settle for a meeting and/or conference call to pitch the project to the largest group of people in the shortest timeframe. Of course, you are prioritizing for reach and efficiency.

You get ready with the picture perfect presentation, including the standard headlines.  You know them … an agenda, problem statement, summary of analysis, project description, project goal and objectives, work plan, implementation plan, budget, and time for questions. Sounds like tried and true approach, right? 

Blah, blah, blah …

For sure, all of this is relevant information, but none of it is very engaging.  With this traditional sequential overview, one can communicate what they are planning or what they’ve been working on, but not in a way that adjusts to or invites the listener. 

Blah, blah, blah … is what your audience probably heard.  And that is if, and only if, they managed to stop the information that was already flooding their mind based on the work already on their personal list.  Your presentation material was fighting with their contextual information and urgent to do items.  So, overcoming context and distraction is key to engaging the listener. 

But, you finished your slides in the right amount of time. There were a few questions which you answered masterfully.A few people seemed engaged, but the overall response was not what your expected. Time has run out and off they go to the next meeting. Meet, hear words, fill time, move on --- repeat.

So what really happened here?  The mixed response may not result from lack of clarity in your message or delivery, but surfaces instead from the diversity across your audience group.  Even small groups have wide spread skills and preferences when it comes to listening, receiving and interpreting information.  Understanding these profiles is key to building engagement with each individual, and critical to having them understand your message.

What You Say is Different Than What They Hear

Communication seems simple and straightforward, but research clearly shows that while a group will hear the same words, but not understand the same message.  And when you want everyone on the same page, this is the gap you need to navigate. 

Psychologist Carl Jung, father of personality styles research most well known through the Myers Briggs Inventory, observed that people have certain innate habits and preferences that influence how they interact with others, process information, and make decisions[1].Using a framework of personality styles can help you tailor communication to better align with what your listeners’ prefer to hear, and how they need to hear it, thus increasing your chance of effectively building understanding and engaging them in your message. In other words, designing communication to address individual personality preferences increases ease of understanding, decreases likelihood of miscommunication and increases the chance of engagement.

Four Personality Styles to Consider

Sensors are doers, resourceful and determined in nature. They listen with a frame for action and doing. Sensors excel at conquering seemingly insurmountable obstacles. They thrive on multitasking, and are able to work on many projects at once with an incredible ability to get projects done. Sensors base action on immediate, direct, personal experience. Therefore, they commit to a project only after they have grasped the requirements of a task, and are confident in their ability to successfully manage the outcome. They are usually seen as decisive, making decisions quickly to reduce anxiety and time wasting.

Intuitors typically function as fast, deep thinkers, with strong imagination. They are thorough in their questioning and approach to problem solving, leaving nothing unchallenged. Intuitors listen to understand the big picture and how things connect together. Intuitors have an uncanny ability to anticipate or ‘to know’ before others, and their good vision allows them to foresee relationships between things. They dislike the confinement of rules and prefer to create their own working structure. Intuitors excel with imaginative tasks and situations demanding a long-term view.

Thinkers typically function in a steady, tenacious manner, relying on observation and rational principles in decision-making. They are strict in avoiding emotionalism, and are highly skeptical towards new findings, engaging in heavy analysis and review of possible novelties. Thinkers listen to hear what’s left out, to find the proof of concept, to make sure the logic is strong. Thinkers question their own initial reactions, and the reactions of others, and would rather ‘sleep on’ a new idea to review it carefully before making a decision. Often, they are recognized as consistent producers who rely on logical, result gathering, as opposed to visionaries or idea people.

Feelers are perceived as warm people, who are closely in touch with their inner feelings and motives, as well as the needs and wants of others. Feelers are sensitive to discrepancies between speech and expression, and possess an innate ability to solve complex emotional problems and assess group climate/morale quickly. Feelers are listening to determine the impact on others, and the ripple effect to culture, atmosphere and individuals. Feelers are perceptive and insightful in anticipating the way others may respond to circumstances or action.

If you don’t know, ASK!

When presenting to a group, assume that all styles are represented, and be ready to provide information to meet their needs.  If you’re in a one-on-one conversation, and you’re unsure of their style, then ask a leading question to help frame a good starting point.  For instance, begin by setting the stage and outlining what you hope to accomplish in the conversation.  Then ask, “Given our agenda, where would you like to start?” or “What’s most important to you?”  Their answer will likely provide a clue to their personality preference --  “I’d like to know what got us here...” might be the starting point for a Thinker, who is interested in the analysis and evidence behind any decision.  From another perspective, you might hear, “I get the gist of where we’re headed, but I’m worried about how this will affect my team.”  This is a classic Feeler perspective, and you might start by indicating sensitivity to the change issues, which will convey that you share their concerns and a have a thoughtful plan for moving forward. In both cases, you will eventually cover all that you feel is important, but shifting the starting point unlocks the engagement of the listener and creates readiness with more attention.  In communicating for engagement, the goal is to engage throughout the conversation and beyond, and this is triggered most effectively right from the start.

More Shifts to Better Engage

In addition to personality preferences, here are a few key shifts to improve communicating for engagement.

Less About What You Want to Say, More About What They Need to Hear

Plan your communication from the rear view mirror.  What do you want them to be saying as they leave the room, and how can you make that happen?  What is the energy you are trying to create? What is the next step you are hoping to trigger? Think about both the message and the messenger. What do you want them to say about you, and about your message? 

Focus on action, not just information.

Most of us greet communication opportunities to deliver all the details we need to get across, to showcase the work or detailed plan or our expertise.  But engaging others begins with understanding what is important for them to learn in order to be energized to action.  Think about how to trigger their next step to begin the change you are hoping to achieve. To be engaged is to actively participate.  To communicate for engagement, is to capture your audience in ways that will make them actively participate.

[1] “Intuitor, Thinker, Feeler, Senser: Which One Are You Talking To?”; Anne Field; Harvard Management Communication Letter, July 2003