The D.A.N.C.E. Approach: Discover the 5 Communication Personality Styles to Enhance Business Success
In the realm of business and professional communication, understanding and leveraging personality styles can be a game-changer. You might be familiar with DISC or Myers-Briggs or others. This D.A.N.C.E. system is about personality styles focused on communication. Whether you’re giving presentations, motivating a team, persuading clients, or negotiating win-win agreements, the way you communicate can significantly impact your success.
In this article, we will explore the 5 primary personality styles as defined by the D.A.N.C.E. system: Demonstrator, Assertor, Narrator, Contemplator and Expert.
Each style offers distinct traits, weaknesses, and strengths that you can harness to help you excel in various aspects of workplace and business communication. Here are two scenarios where the D.A.N.C.E. system proved invaluable with my coaching clients.
Scenario #1
Wayne was an executive in a specialty printing business that was privately owned. His expertise was on the technical side. The owner, Margaret, wanted all her executives to start marketing the business to bring in more long-term clients. As a Demonstrator, she liked the idea of going to local business groups to speak. Demonstrators are people-oriented and outgoing, so she loved getting on stage and inspiring people with her fun, animated and, engaging style.
Wayne’s dominant style was Contemplator which was the opposite: task-oriented and reserved. He had a quieter demeanor and had never done public speaking, so the company hired me to help him. Although he got to a place where he felt proficient enough to speak at a networking event, he hated doing it. Given the goal was to bring in more long-term clients, I suggested he also interact on forums and offer technical solutions for people with printing issues. These led to 1-to-1 free consults where he could demonstrate his company’s unique offerings. He loved doing this and was far more successful at converting prospects into loyal clients this way. Eventually, he let others do the speeches and focused on the free demos and forums.
Scenario #2
Janice was another executive whose dominant style was Narrator; people-oriented like Demonstrators but more reserved like Contemplators. We worked on her speech, but she kept trying to emulate Margaret’s outgoing style. It didn’t come across as authentic. When we started working with her Narrator style, everything improved. She was a natural at storytelling and being more interactive with the audience. That way it felt more like a conversation than a lecture. Later I helped her develop interactive training sessions for existing clients so that more departments would adopt their printing solutions. She excelled at doing that. Each executive found a method of communication that worked with their natural style, that also achieved Margaret’s goal, so it was a win-win all around.
Understanding the D.A.N.C.E. Personality Styles
The D.A.N.C.E. Communication Style Quiz identifies five core personality styles, each with its unique characteristics and communication preferences:
1. Demonstrator (D): Demonstrators are energetic and expressive communicators. They enjoy being in the spotlight and use gestures, arm movements, and enthusiastic speech to engage their listeners. They are talkative, people-oriented, and thrive in networking situations. Demonstrators excel in public speaking and creating unique presentations and marketing ideas.
2. Assertor (A): Assertors are direct and goal-oriented individuals. They have a commanding presence and exhibit strong leadership qualities. They are competitive, persistent, and focused on results. Assertors are skilled in closing deals and taking charge of situations.
3. Narrator (N): Narrators have a warm and friendly communication style. They speak at a slower, more relaxed pace and excel at building rapport with others. They are empathetic, and intuitive, and enjoy creating a harmonious atmosphere. Narrators are excellent at facilitating discussions, understanding group dynamics, and building trust.
4. Contemplator (C): Contemplators are analytical and reserved communicators. They are detail-oriented and thrive in problem-solving and analysis. They prefer a more quiet and sustained pace of communication and excel at tasks that require in-depth thinking.
5. Expert (E): The Expert represents a blended style that allows individuals to adapt to various situations. Experts can shift their communication style as needed, allowing them to build rapport with any style. They understand the strengths of each style and use them strategically and intuitively to achieve their goals.
The Strengths and Challenges of Your Dominant Style
Your dominant style plays a significant role in how you naturally communicate, but it doesn’t mean you’re limited to that style. Instead, you can use your dominant style as a foundation while learning to adapt to other styles as necessary. Here’s how each dominant style can be applied in various business scenarios:
Demonstrator Strengths and Challenges: Demonstrators are excellent at public speaking, engaging audiences, and bold networking. They are energetic and confident. However, they may struggle with attention to detail and may promise more than they can deliver. Demonstrators can excel in unique approaches to outbound sales and marketing techniques.
Assertor Strengths and Challenges: Assertors are self-assured, competitive, and goal-oriented. They can close deals and lead with determination. However, they might struggle with building rapport and active listening. Assertors are effective in outbound sales, negotiations, and leadership roles.
Narrator Strengths and Challenges: Narrators are empathetic, warm, and excellent at building relationships. They excel in creating a harmonious environment and facilitating discussions. Their slower pace may lead to challenges in fast-paced settings. Narrators may lack confidence in cold calling or speaking to large groups. But they are valuable in team building, customer relations, and group dynamics. As such they excel more at inbound or magnetic styles of marketing such as social media, blogs, and videos.
Contemplator Strengths and Challenges: Contemplators are analytical and detail-oriented, making them great problem solvers. They may, however, have difficulties in fast-paced or people-oriented situations. Contemplators shine in research, data analysis, and strategic planning. As such they are better at inbound or magnetic styles of marketing such as posting ideas on forums, offering constructive social media comments, or doing demo problem-solving sessions one-to-one.
Expert Flexibility: Experts have the advantage of adaptability. They can strategically choose the most appropriate style for the situation, allowing them to excel in various contexts. Experts understand the strengths of all styles and use them effectively.
Balancing and Adapting Your Communication
While understanding your dominant style is crucial, the real power lies in the ability to adapt to other styles as needed. Here’s how you can develop a balanced and adaptive approach to business communication:
1. Assess Your Dominant Style: Take the D.A.N.C.E. Communication Style Quiz to identify your dominant style. Understanding your natural tendencies is the first step toward improving your communication skills.
2. Embrace Versatility: Recognize that different situations may require different communication styles. By learning to adapt, you can connect with a broader range of people and scenarios.
3. Learn from Other Styles: Observe and interact with individuals who embody different communication styles. Pay attention to their strengths and strategies for successful communication.
4. Practice Adapting: Put your learning into practice by consciously adjusting your communication style in various situations. Experiment with different approaches to gauge their effectiveness.
5. Seek Feedback: Encourage honest feedback from colleagues, team members, or mentors. Their insights can help you refine your adaptive communication skills.
6. Enhance Your Expertise: Aim to become an Expert in communication by leveraging your understanding of all styles. This allows you to strategically choose the most effective style for each situation.
Summary
The D.A.N.C.E. Communication Style Quiz offers a valuable framework for understanding and improving your business communication. Whether you’re addressing a group, persuading clients, motivating a team, or negotiating agreements, your ability to adapt to various communication styles is a game-changer. By identifying your dominant style and learning to flex into other styles, you can become a more versatile and influential communicator, ultimately boosting your success in the business world.
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To try the D.A.N.C.E. Communication Style Quiz: JUST CLICK HERE.
