This is a book that I’ve had on my shelf for a long time, and that I have finally gotten around to reading thanks to, er, well I said I wouldn’t mention it again.
Anyways the book, by Paul Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger, is one of a number that they have written around the subject of personality type, specifically the Myers-Briggs type indicator. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test designed to assist a person in identifying some significant personality preferences. Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers developed the test during World War II, and its criteria follow from Carl Jung’s theories in his work Psychological Types. MBTI is a very well known system that many companies charge a fortune to train you to use. And even when you’ve had the training, you need to give the subject a questionnaire to fill in and then find half an hour to score it.
So the premise behind The Art…. is to give you visual clues that allow you to have a pretty good stab at identifying a person’s MBTI quickly, without questionnaires. Using guides on demeanor, appearance, job and communication style, it helps you to narrow down their type using a hierarchy of characteristics, firstly by identifying a person’s temperament (traditionalist, experiencer, conceptualiser or idealist) and then examining supporting traits until you arrive at a fairly well educated guess on which of the sixteen personality types the person most appears to suit.
And what do you do when you’ve got there? Well you communicate with them in a language and style that best suits them, of course! This is also covered in the book, along with plenty of exercises to test your abilities, after all, the only way to really utilise this method is to practice it at every opportunity.
So, is it useful? Well the book itself is well written and nicely presented. By first helping you to understand your own personality type, it gives you a point of reference for all that comes after it. Finishing with exercises gives you an opportunity to play with the knowledge before being let loose on the world with an all-seeing eye. I think that the information contained therein will be very helpful in gaining and maintaining rapport with people, and understanding where they are likely to “come from” in situations and negotiations.
There is a lot of information in here and it will take you a number of returns to the book as you develop your skills, to pick up the additional information. However I think this book is worthy of a read for anyone that deals with a spread of people and wants to find ways to become a more effective communicator, which should be everyone, shouldn’t it?
