Understanding Personality Types and Public Speaking Fear, Study notes of Logic

Download Understanding Personality Types and Public Speaking Fear and more Study notes Logic in PDF only on Docsity!

FEARLESS PRESENTATIONS

M I N I - C O U R S E

Personality Strengths and Weaknesses that Lead to Public Speaking Fear

“Keep in mind that no one is

absolutely a single personality

type. We are all products of

our genes.”

T E R M S

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Personality type refers to the psycho- logical classification of different types of individuals. Personality types are some- times distinguished from personality traits, with the latter embodying a smaller grouping of behavioral tenden- cies.

Introduction

From time to time, I hear people say things like, "She is a natural speaker." On the other hand, I also hear things like, "I've always been a terrible speaker."

Both of these statements may be somewhat true. But they are also both absolutely false as well. No one comes out of the womb a fantastic orator. In addition, everyone has the talent to speak. Many people just fail to develop their natural talent.

Your personality strengths and weaknesses will often lead you to think one way or the other. Every personality temperament has some strengths when they communicate.

Of course, each of them have some weaknesses as well. So, if you understand your personal personality strengths and weak- nesses, you can maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. As a side benefit, this process is also helpful to reduce public speaking fear.

Before we cover these strengths and weaknesses, though, let me give you some background.

F E A R L E S S P R E S E N T A T I O N S

F E A R L E S S P R E S E N T A T I O N S

The Original Theory Concerning Personality Strengths and Weaknesses

Hippocrates and his students identified four personality temperaments. The theory was really simple and easy to understand because there were only two metrics to examine. The first metric measures whether the person is direct or indirect.

The second metric measures whether the person is people-oriented or logic-oriented. This theory is really simple, but it is also very useful. Basically, to determine your personality strengths and weaknesses, just ask yourself two questions. Are you more direct or indirect?

Indirect people tend to be more cautious. They tend to want to move a little more slowly in order to not make a mistake. Direct people tend to react more quickly. They realize that they may make mistakes, but they want to move faster so as to not miss an opportunity. Are you more people-oriented or logical?

People-oriented folks tend to look at things in the world based on how those things affect other people. They are more likely to analyze a decision based on how the decision will hurt or help others. Logical people tend to look at the world based on facts and data.

This process is really simple. It is easy to understand. In addition, you don't have to purchase expen- sive tests to determine a person's personality strengths and weaknesses.

L E S S O N 1

Terms Used to Define the Personality Types

Below are the terms that are used in psychology to describe the different personality types. I've also added a modern-day descriptive term for each temperament.

Phlegmatic (Amiable) is both Indirect and People-Oriented.

The Amiable personality type is fairly easy going. They get along well with others and are often the peacemak- ers. They are very friendly, but not particularly outgoing. Their real strengths are that they are extremely likable, trustworthy, and they build great relationships with others. Their biggest weaknesses, though are that they tend to be more shy and introverted. The Amiable type makes fantastic speakers because they are so likable. Howev- er, they often don't like to be the center of attention. As a result, they are extremely self-conscious.

Melancholic (Analytical) is both Indirect and Logical.

The Analytical temperament is very detail-oriented. They like data, facts, and figures. The Analytical loves prob- lem-solving and feels successful when the equation balances. As a speaker, this person is thorough. However, the big weakness of this speaker is that he or she may seem to others as being boring. Their delivery is often unenthusiastic.

Choleric (Driver) is both Direct and Logical.

The Driver is the typical "Type A" personality. This presenter will often speak with authority and poise, even if the speaker is nervous. Drivers are very goal-oriented, and they love to be in charge. The big weakness of this personality type, though, is that the Driver tends to offend people by being too blunt. Sanguine (Expressive) is both Direct and People-Oriented.

The real strength of the Expressive type is their energy and enthusiasm. Expressives are very social and creative. They have fantastic ideas and have a tendency to be able to get others to cooperate. The biggest weakness of this group, though, is that they have poor follow-through skills. They tend to get excited about an idea, go gung-ho for a short time, then move to a new idea very quickly.

L E S S O N 2

F E A R L E S S P R E S E N T A T I O N S

Items or Services Where the Purchase Price is Less than the Value of the Problem.

For each personality, the solution is to insert more examples and stories into your presentations. Why does this work? When most people begin to analyze the personality strengths and weaknesses of themselves and others, they look exclusively to the differences in all of the personality types.

When we do this, we forget that our goal isn't to communicate just with people just like me. The goal is to communicate with the entire audience. When we communicate in our "natural" way, we will connect with about 25% of the audience.

If you have ever experienced a miscommunication with a significant other, you may relate here. Most likely, you were communicating in a way that is ideal for your personality. However, the person you were communicating with sees things in a totally different way.

Basically, over the last 20 years, we've identified six specific things that all four personality types share. We built the Fearless Presentations ® class around those six things. So if you really want to communicate with the masses, join us for our next class!

L E S S O N 4

F E A R L E S S P R E S E N T A T I O N S

N O T E S

F E A R L E S S P R E S E N T A T I O N S