How to identify other's behavior -- the most common problem nowadays

After we take up the Everything DiSC assessment, we can identify our behavioral style, learn about our behavioral tendencies and also understand the behavioral tendencies of other styles. By knowing about other’s behavioral tendencies, we can be more flexible and effective on the job.

However, the question often asked is – how do we identify the style of the other person with whom we interact? It is not possible to administer the assessment, review the report and then communicate with everyone. In such a case, what do we do?

There are two quick ways to identify the behavioral style of the other person – observe the pace and identify the orientation.

Before we discuss these two ways please beware not to label people - there is a lot more to people than their behavioral styles. Everyone is unique in many ways. Dreams and ambition, past experiences, emotional baggage, intelligence and occupational interest are many such things that a typical behavioral assessment or model cannot predict. Also remember, some behaviors can be more situational than mere tendencies.

Use the following information just to understand people better and not to "label" them.
Pace refers to the speed or swiftness of the person. Whether the person is quick or is he or she laid back and slow? People are generally either high paced or moderate paced. Moderate paced people may also sometimes be observed as slow.

High paced individuals are generally quick – they talk fast, they walk fast and make quick decisions. They prefer variety of tasks and cannot be stuck doing one thing for a long time altogether. High paced individuals are observed to be assertive with louder speech, are dynamic and bold. D and i styles are high paced behavioral styles.

On the other hand, moderate or slow-paced individuals are steady paced. They prefer to take their own time to get things done. Their speech is slow and they tend to walk or work slowly. They tend to make slow decisions because they are thoughtful and more detail-oriented and want to finish one task before starting another. Moderate or slow-paced individuals are observed to be calm, methodical, careful with a softer speech. S and C styles are moderate paced behavioral styles.

Orientation refers to the individual’s basic attitude and feeling towards a certain subject. Basis that, individuals can be either described to be task-oriented or people-oriented.

Task-oriented individuals are more questioning – their sole focus is on getting the task done in order to achieve the goals. Individuals who are task-oriented are logic-focused, challenging, skeptical and objective in their approach. D and C styles are task-oriented.

People-oriented individuals are more accepting rather than questioning. They prefer to empathize with people around, and are more agreeable and receptive. They also prioritize getting the work done but not at the expense of hurting or disregarding the people they work with. i and S styles are people oriented.

So next time when you want to understand the behavioral style of the other person without the help of an assessment, watch out for their pace and orientation.