ICEBREAKER TRAINERS NOTE: The objective is to have participants feel more comfortable in your session by having them discuss

why they like or dislike working with different personalities. Length: 5-10 Minutes Materials Needed: None Instructions: 1. Instruct participants to think of a person they have difficulty working with and list specific characteristics of that person on a piece of paper. 2. After three minutes, have participants think of a person they like to work with and have them list characteristics of that person. 3. After participants have made their second list, ask the following discussion questions: What characteristics did you list regarding the person you like working with? What are some of the characteristics you listed regarding the person you dislike working with? Do you think its fair to say that its easier to work with certain types of people than others? Why? If you now understand the type of person with which you have difficulty working, do you think you could use that information to communicate more effectively?

4. Conclude this exercise by stating, Today we are going to discuss different behavioural styles, and in some cases, we may not work as well with some styles as we do with others. By understanding the different styles, however, we can adapt our own style to communicate and work more effectively with others.

4 Behavioral Styles Scientific research shows us that people communicate, think, and behave predictably different. Respected figures from the sciences have observed and studied four distinct behavioral styles, they are titled DOVE, EAGLE, OWL, and PEACOCK. Each style has its own particular strengths and weaknesses. No one style is better than another.

Dove: The compassionate and peaceful dove. The dove is people-orientated, loyal, friendly, hard working and a great team player but tends to avoid change, confrontation, risk-taking and assertiveness.

Owl: The wise owl. The owl is logical, mathematically minded, methodical and sometimes seen as a perfectionist. The owl can be slow to make decisions and inflexible if rules and logic says otherwise. Owls are not big risk takers but love detail.

Peacock: The showy peacock. The peacock loves talking, being the centre of attention, has passion/ enthusiasm and is happy/ optimistic. Peacocks can be accused of talking too much, and arent good with detail or time-control.

Eagle: The bold eagle. Eagles are dominant, stimulated by challenge, decisive and direct. Eagles can be blunt/ stubborn, can lose sight of the big-picture and can be insensitive to other peoples needs. Eagles are natural achievers.

DOVE: The compassionate and peaceful dove is people-orientated, loyal, friendly hard working and a great team player but tends to avoid change, confrontation, risk-taking and assertiveness. What you naturally do well... 1. Youre a natural people person and enjoy helping other people succeed. 2. Youre good at building relationships and networking the key to your success. 3. You get fulfillment from satisfying social needs like friendship, sense of belonging and community service. 4. Youre a team player, loyal, easy to get along with, patient and reliable. 5. You are happy to follow plans as part of a team, but not necessarily on your own. 6. You are motivated by relationships, shared goals, community service and the common good. What to watch out for 1. You are not a natural goal setter and focus more on the needs of others than your own. 2. If you do set goals, they are more likely based on what other people think you should do rather than what you really want. 3. You have difficulty confronting problems and asserting yourself. 4. You tend to avoid conflict and risk taking, particularly on your own. You tend to resist change. 5. Youre not a good planner and dont particularly like detail. Tips for goal setting success 1. Think about yourself for a change and put your needs first. What do YOU want? 2. Dont be influenced by others in setting your goals the goals need to be yours and yours alone. 3. Make sure you are diligent in asking Why do I want to achieve this goal? 4. The answer should NOT be because so-and-so said I should. 5. Dont sacrifice your own goals to keep someone else happy. As a dove you will find success through your people skills, relationships and networking. Recruit other people to help you achieve your goals people like you and will happily be involved.

OWL The wise owl is logical, mathematically minded, methodical and sometimes seen as a perfectionist. You can be slow to make decisions and inflexible if rules and logic says otherwise. Not a big risk taker, but you love detail.

What you naturally do well... 1. You are naturally curious and interested in gaining knowledge and becoming an expert. 2. You are thorough, meticulous, accurate, reliable, logical and good with details. 3. You like rules, procedures and structure and are a careful (but cautious) planner. 4. You think things through to minimise risk and the chance of things going wrong. 5. You like being prepared and being in control through preparation and planning. 6. You generally get along with other people, but have high expectations of their abilities. 7. You are motivated by knowledge, expertise and logic.

What to watch out for 1. You tend to focus too much on details, and lose sight of the big picture. 2. You tend to plan everything to the extreme, taking too long to plan and not enough time to act. 3. You are a perfectionist, focusing on doing the job right, rather than whether youre doing the right job. 4. You dont like stepping out of your comfort zone or taking risks because you dont feel in control or prepared. Tips for goal setting success 1. Dont get bogged down in detail. Know your Big Picture', your goal in life, and always keep this in mind. 2. Dont be afraid of trying something new. Work out what you want and get out of that comfort zone to reach your full potential. 3. Dont be afraid of failing use your analytical skills to work out why you failed and how to use this knowledge for your next attempt. 4. Just do it! Once you have a plan, start acting on it. You can perfect it as you go, rather than waiting until it is 100% perfect before you start.

As an owl you will find success through your expertise, logical approach and expert knowledge. Use your methodical nature to work through the goal setting process and focus on the right target.

PEACOCK The showy peacock loves talking, being the centre of attention, has passion/ enthusiasm and is happy/ optimistic. They can be accused of talking too much, and arent good with detail or time-control.

What you naturally do well 1. You are enthusiastic, influential, optimistic, passionate and people-orientated, and a charismatic leader. 2. You continually seek new opportunities and experiences following your passions. 3. You enjoy the journey as much as the result. 4. You can take big risks for excitement and driven by passion you dream big. 5. You are flexible and open-minded and tend to notice and seize opportunities. 6. You enlist the help of others through your "people-oriented" nature, and can work by yourself if necessary. 7. You are motivated by having fun, being popular and social.

What to watch out for 1. You tend to value fulfillment over achievement, so often dont achieve specific goals. 2. You like to focus on the big picture, but often get lost in the details because of lack of planning. 3. You are not good at being thorough or sticking to details. 4. You don't like structure, may be impulsive, bored by details and easily lose interest/ get distracted. 5. When the going gets tough, you are likely to give up and move on to something else.

Tips for goal setting success 1. Use your natural ability to see the big picture, but be diligent in planning so that you can achieve your goals. 2. Break down your big picture into smaller more manageable goals to help you see the way to an end, and write them down to provide day-to-day focus. 3. You need to prioritise and focus your time and energy on a smaller number of goals.

4. Continue to notice and seize the opportunities open to you, but always do this in context of the big picture and dont allow yourself to go too far down a detour that takes you in the wrong direction. As a peacock you will find success through following your passion and maintaining your positive approach to life. Recruit other people using your natural enthusiasm to help you achieve your goals.

EAGLE The bold eagle is dominant, stimulated by challenge, decisive and direct. They can be blunt/ stubborn, can lose sight of the big-picture and can be insensitive to other peoples needs, but are natural achievers.

What you naturally do well 1. Youre already highly focused, driven and highly motivated, so result focused goal setting is natural to you. 2. Youre not afraid of failure and just see it as a challenge to bounce back. 3. Youre persistent in achieving goals, even if it means making personal sacrifices to get there. You take risks. 4. You are independent and like to do things "your" way. You don't like to fail. 5. You like being productive and making progress. 6. You are motivated by power, challenge, results and achievement a natural leader.

What to watch out for 1. You may lose sight of the big picture. 2. You may not pay enough attention to the detail, leading to lack of adequate planning. 3. You may choose goals for the thrill of the chase or from being impulsive, rather than well thought out goals that you really want. 4. You can be inflexible, impatient and easily bored with detail, which can make you take needless risks. 5. You can be stubborn and sometimes too confident for your own good. 6. You may value results over people.

Tips for goal setting success 1. Use you natural goal setting ability to your advantage write them down and take the time to plan properly. 2. Regularly review your 'big picture' and make sure youre still heading there so you dont go after empty goals. 3. Be flexible enough to change your tack if necessary. A change in plan is not a failure.

4. Consider other people's feelings and let them help you achieve. As an eagle you will find success because of your own natural ambition, drive and motivation to achieve. Being a natural goal setter, you will succeed if you keep focus.

Birds of a feather Youve probably already realised that you like some people more than others and are attracted to some people more than others. Birds of a feather stick together! So, if youve done the behavioural test, you will now probably start to realise that you naturally be attracted to the same type of bird as you. Doves like Doves. Owls like Owls and so on. There are some interesting exceptions to this though, particularly when it comes to working together: Doves get on well with each other, but theyll both end up sitting in the same comfort zone if you let them! Doves wont challenge each other to do better theyll just retreat into their own little world and talk about how they feel.

Owls work well together until they disagree with the other owl over a technical issue. Because Owls are naturally logical thinkers, it is difficult for them to accept that there may be another logical explanation for something.

Peacocks often think that other peacocks talk too much thats the pot calling the kettle black! Peacocks working together will often get distracted by socialising and its almost impossible to keep them on task!

Eagles will be challenged by other Eagles. This can either work really well, with both Eagles feeding off each others motivation and energy or it can be a battle of eagleegos! So, it may be easier to strike a rapport with the same type of bird but this just puts you in a social comfort zone and doesnt help you develop yourself. Its important to build relationships with other types of birds to bring out the best in you and vice versa. In particular, Doves and Eagles are good for each other as long as Doves dont get too intimidated. Doves can encourage Eagles to be more sensitive to the needs of others, and Eagles can encourage Doves to be more assertive and decisive. Owls and Peacocks are also good for each other. Owls can help Peacocks get more organised and keep focused, and Peacocks can encourage Owls to take more risks and be more flexible.

So, when developing relationships with other birds [sorry, other people], its useful to know what type of bird they are. Sometimes this can be hard to workout, but have a guess based on the typical traits of each bird type and then If youre trying to build a relationship with a Dove give them understanding, patience and attention, and be sensitive of their feelings. And if you are working with them, make sure you give them enough lead time on tasks and help them set deadlines.

If youre trying to build a relationship with an Owl show interest in their logical explanations of things and encourage them to take action and be more decisive.

If youre trying to build a relationship with a Peacock be social, but help them control their talking! Help them be more objective and manage their time, and get them to pay more attention to detail by discussing the detail with them.

If youre trying to build a relationship with an Eagle be assertive! Encourage them to learn to listen and pay attention to detail. So good relationships are a two way benefit bring out the best in them, and let them bring out the best in you!

What Each Style Can Do to Better Communicate Doves can communicate better with the direct Peacock and Eagle by picking up the pace and becoming more assertive. They need to state their opinion more forcefully and be willing to reach beyond their comfort zone when dealing with more direct styles. To better communicate with controlling Owls and Eagles, Doves should focus less on relationships and more on the task. They should concentrate on the results, not feelings. Eagles can improve their communication with the indirect Owl and Dove by improving their listening skills. They should slow their pace and project a more relaxed image. When communicating with the supporting Doves and Peacocks, they should pay them sincere personal compliments and take time to develop relationships. Owls can improve their communication with the supporting Doves and Peacocks by openly showing concern and appreciation. Owls need to learn to compromise with others. In dealing with the direct Eagle and Peacock, the Owl should move at a faster pace and present information in highlights, not in a detailed analysis.

Peacocks can increase their ability to communicate by learning how to control their time and emotions. They need to concentrate on the task and improve follow-through to gain the trust of the controlling Eagle and Owl. When relating to the indirect styles of the Dove and Owl, Peacocks should resist the urge to interrupt and overpower them. When dealing with the controlling Eagles and Owls, they should spend more time checking, verifying, and organizing. How Each Style Wants to Be Treated Doves prefer others to have a casual, friendly connection. They like personal involvement, and appreciate when others demonstrate interest in them. They need reassurance that they are liked and that others support their feelings. Eagles want others to communicate rapidly and with conviction. They respect others who are professional and know what they are talking about. They want others to be precise, well-organized, and resultsoriented. Owls want others to treat them with accuracy and precision. They like others to go about business in a step-by-step orderly fashion. Owls want others to present detailed information and show reasoning for decisions. They are motivated by others who appeal to their need to be accurate and logical. Peacocks want to be treated with flare and excitement. They like others to be entertaining and to support their ideas and dreams. They seek recognition and want to be admired.

BEHAVIORAL-STYLE REVIEW EXERCISE TRAINERS NOTE: This exercise is a fun way to review what participants learned in the first half of your eight-hour session. This exercise allows each style to brainstorm a slogan for a bumper sticker, promoting the strengths of their style. Length: 10 Minutes Materials Needed: Scratch paper for each group Marker for each group Flipchart page Tape

Instructions: 1. Divide participants into four groups by their dominant behavioral styles. 2. Instruct participants that they are about to take part in a fun exercise which will emphasize the strengths of their particular behavioral style. 3. Hand out several pieces of scratch paper to participants along with a marker. Tell each group that they have been hired to conduct a marketing campaign for their behavioral style. As part of the marketing campaign, they must come up with a bumper sticker with a slogan depicting the strengths of their style. 4. Tell participants they will have seven minutes to brainstorm slogans, and to place their finished bumper sticker on their flipchart page. 5. Ask each group to tape their bumper sticker up on the wall near their group. 6. Have someone from each group explain their slogan, detailing how they came to that decision. 7. Conclude this exercise by stating, As we have said throughout the session, one style is not better than another. Each style has its own characteristics and perspectives, and we should be proud of who we are. As we move into the second half of our session, we will start to concentrate on how to make ourselves more effective communicators by being more flexible with other behavioral styles.

Key Points Scientific research reveals that there are four distinct styles: 1. DoveRelationship-oriented 2. OwlDetail-oriented 3. EagleResults-oriented 4. PeacockSocially-oriented Each of the four behavioral styles are composed of the basic elements of behavior supportingness and directness. 1. DoveSupporting and Indirect

2. OwlControlling and Indirect

3. EagleControlling and Direct 4. PeacockSupporting and Direct Each style has its own strengths and weaknessesone style is not better than another. The key to better communication is to know your style and identify the style of others so you can start adapting your style to communicate more successfully. Remember The Platinum RuleDo unto others as they wish to be done unto. Treat Doves in an easygoing, friendly manner. They like personal involvement; they need to know they are liked; and they prefer others to support their feelings. Treat Eagles by communicating rapidly and with conviction. They want others to be precise, well-organized, and focused on results. Treat O w l s with accuracy and precision. They want people to be accurate and logical. Treat Peacocks with flare and excitement. They like others to be entertaining and to support their ideas and dreams. Conclude by stating, Remember that the key to effective communication and successful relationships is being able to identify and adapt to other peoples behavioral styles, and treat others the way they want to be treated. Its not always easy in stressful situations, but its crucial in order to obtain business and interpersonal success.

You can adapt your style by first learning what others want, and then by adapting your own behavior to make them feel at ease.