Often, as they themselves say, 7s ”bring the sunshine in.” So we like to be around them.

I must have light, and I must have laughter, I must have humor, I must have friends, and I must have people. I’m drawn to groups having fun. I need to have that. And I must have that because it’s as vital as water. The major part of my life is probably fun.

Click on the image below to see the options and be honest with yourself.

Of course if you don’t use social media, you can skip this and listen to a song instead…

© Martin Muller | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I will analyze myself according to these common INFJ traits.

Reserved: People often see me as the person who does not immediately open up to others. I do not reveal my emotions or opinions as easily as I do when I’m not on the internet. I have really bad anxiety when I’m not online.

Proper: Most of the time I try to be proper and a good example to others because I am deeply affected when I cannot act accordingly. Sometimes I catch myself acting otherwise and will regret it later on if not immediately. I usually have my high and low days.

Cautious: I am extremely cautious if not all the time. Even during the simplest tasks or daily activities. I try not to make mistakes even though I do.

Decisive: I believe that I am decisive because I love to make decisions quickly and effectively. I hate wasting time when there are possible solutions to problems.

Importance of Convictions and Values: I have a strong sense of justice and what is right. I am constantly trying to act accordingly to make society at least a little better.

Thoughtful: I try to be as useful as possible and I am always careful with everything. I also try to figure out what makes others happy and there is always a need for me to create harmony.

Use of Figurative Language: I often use figurative language so much that it can confuse people. I love using it because it feels as if I can express myself completely. Without it I won’t be able to feel myself. Everything simply feels more beautiful in figurative language and I can create a whole conversation with it.

Understanding People and Situations Intuitively: When I am out, I analyze those around me so much that I can become anxious. Sometimes I know exactly how to act and think accordingly even if the results of my socialization may not fit.

Idealistic: I strongly feel that I am an idealist. I am constantly thinking about possibilities and I feel that I am visionary.

Highly Principled: I tend to live life through liberal principles or ways in which I can preserve harmony.

Natural Leaders: I am not sure if I really am a natural leader. I feel more like the underdog than the up and front type of leader. When it comes to organizing plans and success; I’m pretty good at it.

Sensitive and Compassionate Towards People: I am sensitive towards people because I want to show a good impression. I am also compassionate towards them because I believe that everyone needs to be respected.

Service-oriented: Sometimes I will give my time to others for the sake of helping them. Just helping them will make me feel good enough. Life gets easier when you have a helping hand and stress is too painful.

Future-oriented: I am constantly thinking about the future. I have a mental map of what my future will or will not look like. This is like a defense mechanism for me.

Values Relationships: I strongly value relationships and severing a relationship is almost like losing a part of me. They also help me get through life a little easier.

Does Not Easily Express True Self: I do not express everything about myself due to the fear of not being accepted. I admit that I could come off as very strange if I revealed everything.

Importance of Details: There’s something about details that really attracts me. I try to look at everything and I get anxious if I miss anything. Every detail is important to me.

Constantly Seeking Meaning and Purpose: Every day, I am looking for meaning and purpose in life. There are so many interesting things to be discovered in life.

Intense and Highly Anxious: I think I mentioned this already but I am highly anxious. This gets in the way of my life but I have learned ways of how it could help me. Sometimes I am glad to have this trait because it allows me to look at life at different angles.

Works Logically and Rationally: This is something that follows me every day. After the start of my late blooming, I was able to work logically and rationally. I felt that it was only smart that if you didn’t have time, you would make it. If you understand this concept then you will feel like you can take control of anything thrown at you. If no one finished anything, then nothing would be done.  I constantly have these words of encouragement when work needs to be done. I deeply regret if I don’t finish something in time or if I procrastinate too much.

Traits from:
http://www.impunity.biz/faeriegrotto/INFJ.pdf

It’s not just Caffeine that picks up energy levels 

I’m an extrovert… a ‘people person’… I love being around people, in fact I’m actually energised by people.
If I don’t get a chance to really communicate with people… if I don’t get the chance to connect with people… If I don’t get the chance to relate with people, I actually start to find my energy levels drop.

I’m the kind of person who loves the chatter, the sounds of talking… I like music in the background… I really love the buzz of it all… it really picks me up… it really gets me going – I love the sound of a positive working environment.

Now I know for some people, a noisy work place would frustrate them… but for me it’s the opposite, I love the hubbub.

So when today I found myself separated from my team I found myself slowly fading… I got grumpy… I got tired… worse of all I got quiet, which for someone like me who is a natural talker starts to get people worried… I felt isolated.

Here’s the crazy thing… I was moved to my position because a manager wanted me to not get distracted (which is fair I can be distracted easily) however they didn’t understand how energy levels of an extrovert can be determined by the people around them. You see it was fair for my manager to want to make sure I didn’t get to distracted, as a creative, people oriented person like me can be easily distracted… however is it really for the best?

So what can a manager (or any team leader) do with an extrovert that gets distracted easily?
What they shouldn’t do is put the person in a place where they feel isolated.
I can understand the urge to want to separate them from a group, however quite often you find that the person is more productive in a place that is right in the middle of the business, they are more creative, their mind is engaged and they seem to find their natural rhythm.
What you should do however is put them around people who are organised… putting two people who are easily distracted together is a recipe for disaster… however putting them in a place where they can distract when it’s quiet (and help keep the communication of a team together) but when it’s busy and time to get back to business, the people around them are focused and force the extrovert to do likewise.

You don’t need to do much to keep energy levels up… fun emails, just checking up on them… talking to them… keeping them in the middle of the buzz… and you will have a productive extrovert.
You see for someone like me… an extrovert… I don’t even need to be talking… just listening… just hearing the fun environment energizes me.

So please, leaders of teams… don’t be tempted to segregate an extrovert, but manage them by surrounding them with people who can keep them grounded. It actually does two things… it grounds the extrovert but quite often can pick up the vibe of a team in a positive way.

Have fun managing your extroverts.

Yesterday, I went downtown with friends to spend some time in the heart of the city. The city is beautiful, but I could not enjoy the beauty. Yesterday, I made a note on my smartphone that said * I am at this amazing place but I don’t feel happy! I feel ugly. I want to change my life. Change myself! I hate myself! * Often I try to change these thoughts into something positive, but am not very successful in keeping the positivity going.

I feel that I am at my worst right now. I have put on weight and feel ugly when I look at myself in the mirror. I have avoided skype calls this week. I am scared as to what my folks will think of me when I get back home. I have a great longing to find my soul mate. But I feel  so unattractive that I can’t even imagine being in love.

My exchange year has been wonderful. I have had some important self – discoveries; I am highly introverted – an introvert when surrounded by extroverts, and an extrovert when surrounded by introverts. I enjoy deep conversations with my friends. I enjoy solitude. I like writing. I want to pursue a career in journalism. I suffer from depression. I don’t like alcohol. I like taking walks in the park. I prefer conversing with a small group of people than going partying. I am spiritual.

At this point, I only wish that I can re-focus on the positives. I know that every one of us is beautiful in our own way, but I have to find my mojo back. And I know it has to begin with self – love!

10 Myths About Introverts.

So last weekend I visited Geneseo, NY to hang out with friends from my alma mater (that’s SUNY Geneseo, for those who have never heard of this small town…which is probably most of you). Whilst partaking in delicious Indian food at Haveli’s in Rochester (check them out here), my group of 8 friends started spewing out the alphabet. Okay, it wasn’t the alphabet, but it sure sounded like it. Letters were flying from one end of the table to the other.

Enter Myers-Briggs personality test. Apparently everyone knew their personality – consisting of four letters – and were comparing certain traits of the different types. I had not taken this test, so I was unable to participate in the conversation. Part of me wanted to just start calling out random letters – ‘I’m B-L-U-E’ (reminds me of that song from the 90s…’I'm blue, if I was green I would die…’ Still not sure what he was really saying.).

Instead, I decided that upon our return to Geneseo, I would take 
the test and find out once and for all who Sir Myers and Mr Briggs think I am. I took a poll from everyone at the table of what they thought I would be. After each person’s name, I recorded their guess for my personality type, followed by their individual personality type. As you can see, most guess E, T, and J for my personality. Lauren guessed her initials (super helpful ). And Emma is my favorite.

So the moment of truth arrived; I pulled up the test (we used this one here) on my computer and had Erika read me the questions. Now, I’m not sure if this is an acceptable method due to a possible bias when answering in front of other people, but I figured if I did it myself I would probably think too much about each question and end up with a bias anyway. You’re supposed to just answer based on your initial instincts; but I must warn you, some of the questions can be very situational, so there’s not always a clear-cut answer.

72 questions later, the results came in. According to M and B, I am an ENFJ; that is Extrovert iNtuition Feeling Judging. My friends were pretty astonished that I was not a T. “Should I retake the test?!” Anyways, the site provides you an entire profile that describes what this personality means in terms of the way you interact with people, the way you make decisions, and all sorts of other things. It was really strange reading my profile and realizing how true most of the ideas were.

I think it’s fascinating, but I’m still skeptical about the idea that answering these questions determines your personality. Especially because there were a bunch of questions that I couldn’t answer right away because I’m a very situational person. I’m constantly saying, “Well sometimes I feel this, but other times I feel this way.” So making clear-cut decisions is sometimes difficult. And other times, it is not. See?

I’m curious to know what personality types you all are and whether you agree with your M-B outcome. Is this an accurate test? Do you know of a better test than the one I took?

After some extensive reading, I figured that it only made sense to create a simple infograph for it:

It should be noted that not all INTPs will have the characteristics or “weaknesses” stated above, as some may have developed different areas of their character more than others. The infograph is meant to represent all variations of INTPs.

Making this infograph helped me realize how I can improve myself. I hope it can do the same for some of you out there too!

Before i knew i was an INFJ i doubted myself a lot. I remember when i was a teenager i would sense this ‘gut feeling’ about a person i had met only 10 minutes ago. A girl i came across who was quite new to the school was talking with my friends and i…she was going on about her boyfriend and how her parents hated her. All of my friends were intrigued by this girls story, they ‘ummmd’ and ‘ahhhhd’ with a concentration that only a good story could attract. My eye’s darted to the story-teller and then to my friends. I looked at her facial expressions and i took in this new girl more than the words coming out of her mouth. I saw the twitch in her lips, the subtle eye movements and the way her fingers curved as she told her interesting story. I so badly wanted to have my mouth half-open like my friends, to be drawn in with anticipation and to give her that sympathy she was looking for. That time in my life i didn’t know how to read my ‘gut feeling’ or how to understand it. I looked at it from the outside telling it “who the hell are you? Can you please be quiet?!”. I pushed this little inner voice inside of me away…and i continued to do this for more than 10 years.

There came a day when i was at home in my bedroom 2 years ago. I was bored, there was nothing on tv and it was raining outside. No one was home and i basically had nothing to do that afternoon. I laid flat on my bed staring at the ceiling, more bored than i have ever been. Then that ‘gut feeling’ came to pester me again. The house was so quiet that i could hear and feel it quite clearly. The ‘gut feeling’ told me that she was a gift and a trait that i should not ignore. She told me “give me 2 week’s, trust what i tell you for 2 week’s and you will learn something new about yourself”. Within those 2 week’s i listened to this ‘inner voice’ and i followed her guidance.

This ‘inner voice’ or intuition, takes some getting used to, and in those 2 week’s i learned that it was something unique. When i began to pay more attention to what she was telling me throughout the day i began to understand that it wasn’t be trying to be a bad person.

To finish my story above, as i was watching the new girl at my high school tell her story, i felt that she was lying. It was because i picked up on cue’s that gave her away. My friends at the time had no idea…but someway and somehow i knew from the brief time i had met her. I instantly ignored my intuition, and just thought i was being judgemental or thinking stupid things. But 5 months down the track, she had built a reputation for telling fibs to get attention within the whole school, until she left because no one trusted her anymore.

This sense of intuition that still resides in me, i have learned to use responsibly and to be tactful. Well to be honest, i keep a lot of those ‘gut feelings’ to myself. As mad as this sounds…i can read people very quickly and easily, though i do my best not to judge and not to let this deter how i treat them. This intuition, or the ‘humming song’ guides me everyday from reading people to starting a new idea. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but the best way is- “somehow i just know”. Now i have learned to appreciate this intuition and i use it to guide my life and decisions discernment if i can call it that.  It’s very much a personal thing which i never really let others know about it and i never push my ways or opinions either.

It’s been such a learning curve of growing up to understand how this relates to an INFJ,  and it sure takes a long time to get used to it or even understand it. But everyday i am still learning how to use it, so that my words and actions are positive because it can become so easy to be bitter, disenchanted and impatient.

So i pose this question…

To all you INFJ’s out there or others who have loud intuition….what are your personal experiences and how do you use your own intuition in everyday life?

I wish I had the money to be able to buy Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking for everyone in my company. I wish I had the money to buy this book for everyone at my church. Shoot – I wish I had the money to buy a copy for every family in the country. Yes. It’s that important of a book.

As a pastor and as a church member, I can’t tell you how many disagreements I had with church leaders over the years about the idea of making visitors stand up during the worship service so they could be recognized. You want to know the best way to make an introvert try to find the quickest escape route? Make that person be recognized in front of a large crowd without warning. I think I failed to communicate this awkwardness because I had failed to help them understand some of the fundamental differences between introverts and extroverts. I think giving them access to this book would have helped immensely. With up to 50% of the population being introverts, I would think that church leaders would want to know how the can best reach this people group. From what I’ve seen, however, extroverts are leading the way. And they don’t understand how an introvert feels (and on the flip side, an average, run-of-the-mill introvert has no idea what it’s like to be an extrovert).

The same is true in the workplace. As Susan Cain so rightfully points out, we live in a world that is biased towards the extrovert. We live in a society that assumes everyone wants to be an extrovert – that introversion is something to grow out of. We live in a society that seems to equate how loud you are with how right you are.

If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day. This would mean that an awful lot of bad ideas prevail while good ones get squashed. – p 51

Quiet dispels the myths about both introverts and extroverts. The first section discusses some of those myths, along with assumptions that people make about people’s desires to be in social settings. I was amazed at the work environment that’s described in the book is very similar to some work environments I’ve encountered. And Susan Cain hits the nail on the head in discussing how these efforts to encourage collaboration really do very little to encourage real collaboration, primarily because people don’t really pay attention to the difference between extroverts and introverts.

After discussing the disconnect our society has with introversion, Cain focuses on science behind these two basic personality types. She talks about the findings from different studies over the years and the conclusions that could be drawn from them. While not exactly my favorite section in the book, knowing the biology and the psychology behind introversion and extroversion certainly helps clear things up. And it prepares the reader for the final section, which discusses what we can do with all of this knowledge. How can introverts navigate the world dominated by extroversion? How can extroverts and introverts peacefully survive thrive together? Quiet gives some great suggestions.

Like I said in the beginning, I wish I could give this book to everyone I have met. It could start a revolution. A quiet revolution. I don’t say this very often, but you need to read this book. Your church leaders need to read this book. Your coworkers need to read this book. Your spouse needs to read this book.

Yes. It’s that good.

“It’s important we’re aware of that when we’re dealing with customers through a variety of channels.”

Rebecca Dye

So, to make things easier, and the algorithms less complicated, the online bank First Direct have done some research and come up with 12 unique personality types across users of social media. The different personality types are categorized by 12 highly charged words like “Dipper,” “Peacock,” “Ghost,” “Lurker,” and so on. And if you should reject any of these labels as suitable for you, you are most likely to be filed under “Deniers“.

A survey by online bank First Direct has determined that there are 12 unique personality types across users of social media, including “Ultras” who are obsessed with checking Facebook and Twitter, “Dippers“ are those who are infrequent users, “Peacocks” love to show off their popularity while “Ghosts” crave privacy and anonymity, the website WordPress Hosting SEO, reports.

And “Deniers” are the people who claim that social media doesn’t control their lives, when the reality is very different.

“A lot of people admit to behaving very differently in social media to how they behave in the ‘real world’,” Rebecca Dye, social media manager at First Direct, says.

It’s important we’re aware of that when we’re dealing with customers through a variety of channels.

Yeah, and with a variety of personalities…. (Try doing business with a schizophrenic!)

Here’s the infographic with the full list of the 12 social media user personalities.

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Related by econoTwist’s:

• Gigant Social Media Security Hole in Banking
• What Makes Social Media so Influential?
• The Power of Social Media Is Nothing To Joke About
• Social Influence – The New Kind of Power
• The End Or the Beginning of Facebook?
• For $5 You Can Buy A Fake Facebook Girlfriend

Other related articles:

• Social Media Isn’t Enough (ttsstaffing.wordpress.com)
• How understanding social typology can help marketers (econsultancy.com)

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All Human Rights Reserved (h) 2013

Back? Cool, huh? Can you see why we’re Beta buddies? We’re both plot nerds I haven’t studied Hauge’s techniques, but I definitely will now. Another one I really like is Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing. It’s a must-buy, I think, but one of the aspects he covered that really stuck with me was his talking about the three dimensions of character. He says that all characters, like people in real life, have three dimensions, or aspects.

1. First Dimension – Surface traits, quirks, and habits. These are things the world sees about this person, which may or may not be what the person thinks it says about them. It’s the person’s outward identity. In fiction, a writer can show aspects of a person’s character (what they drive, what they eat, etc) and a reader may or may not assign meaning to it. The reason it’s not good as a writer to stop here for main characters is that illuminating a character’s first dimension does not tell us his true self; it could all be a smoke screen.  If, however, as a writer, you show the meaning behind these outward traits, you’ve now crossed into the
2. Second Dimension – The realm of backstory and inner demons.  In this dimension, the writer gives the backstory, agenda and/or meaning behind the surface traits, and what the reader assumed might be totally different. It adds depth to the character. It’s their inner landscape. It’s all the juicy backstory stuff that prompts, explains, and motivates the character’s first dimension choices of identity. First dimension is what you see– a guy with a tattoo. Second dimension is why he has that tattoo. Illuminating the second dimension creates reader empathy.
3. Third Dimension – Where the true character emerges through choices made when something is at stake. Basically, when push comes to shove, just who is this guy? The true character is not defined by their inner demons and/or backstory until the character does something under pressure, which exposes who they truly are (good or bad). Usually in fiction, this decision comes at the end to show the character’s arc. It’s what shows the character as a villain or hero. A villain will continue to define himself by his backstory, while a hero will overcome it.

Around the same time I was digesting all the wonderful advice from Brooks, I was also obsessed with the Enneagram. I probably have about seven books on it. So when I read about the three dimensions of character, I saw a connection I could use with the Enneagram. Remember in Jami’s post where she talks about Average health and Healthy versions of the same personality? What I like to do is pinpoint a character in the Average health range and have their responses to stress, their third dimension choices, come from the Average health range. Then by the end of their arc, they’re making third dimension choices in the Healthy range.

So just how to use/study the Enneagram? Word of caution–you could easily get sucked in trying to find your own type and those of your loved ones. Try to stay focused on your characters. With that in mind, here’s some books I recommend to help with character development:

Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery – this is the one you want to get to learn about the stages of health for each personality type. It breaks it down to nine levels: three in the healthy stage, three in Average, and three in Unhealthy. To keep with Jami’s example of a Enneagram 2, Mother Theresa was a Level 1, a selfless giver. Tons of wonderful traits at this level, but when you get to the unhealthy levels? An unhealthy two partly corresponds to aspects of histrionic personality disorder in the DSM-IV psychiatric types! I like to put my characters at or around a Level 4 (Average, but at the highest rung for Average) and move them to Level 3 or 2.

Are You My Type, Am I Yours? : Relationships Made Easy Through The Enneagram - since I write romance, I like to use this to get some ideas for how their relationship dynamics might work. It has a comparison for each type match. So if you have a 2 with an 8, it’ll tell you what they like most about each other and what annoys them. For an in-depth look at the Enneagram, this is not your book, however. It’s pretty basic.

Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams - this is a good one for looking at the different types specifically with creating characters in mind. It goes into each types Inner Fear/Wound and their heroic strengths. If you’re on a budget, you can skip the Are You My Type book above, as this one also compares each type together in a relationship.


The Literary Enneagram: Characters from the Inside Out – This one is great too, but it approaches it in a different way. It goes through each type and uses examples from literature to demonstrate/show each type, from healthy to average to unhealthy.




Related posts:

• quick overview on Wikipedia
• Firefly Friday – The Three Dimensions of Character (where I related the dimensions of character to Firefly)

Or if you’re of an age where this makes sense (I’m not), here’s another way to look at them

So have you used the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs to help with character development?

One of the posts I saw a few pages back was about personality type. It was a poll and after seeing lots of letter codes I followed a suggestion to take the test you can find here. I also did this one too with the same result.

I thought I’d share it here with you. Apparently I am INFJ.

I – Introvert 89% – Strong preference towards Introversion over Extraversion

N – Intuition 38% – Moderate preference for intuition over Sensing

F – Feeling 38% – Moderate preference for Feeling over Thinking

J – Judging 11% – Slight preference for Judging over Perceiving

You can read more about the personality types here

Thanks for reading,
H.

Makes us wonder why we end up quickly evaluating people and put them into categories and how we decide which category. Several people have written on it, for example in books, “Think fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman and “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell and many more… This apparently helps us decide on how to engage with people based on our previous experience with people with similar physical and behavioral traits.

It’s hard to feel safe when the witches and goblins are always after you. The deer-in-the-headlights expression on this 6‘s face below says it all.

The comments definitely have a theme. Here are three statements from three different participants:

…a constant checking for what’s going on
…you’re always watching your back
…it’s all about staying safe

Maybe 6s should come equipped with eyes in the backs of their heads.

I have enjoyed learning about and working with the Enneagram for the past couple of decades because it explains—amazingly accurately—so much about how we humans actually function. I’ve gotten to know myself much better as a result and have learned to curb some tendencies and to live with some shortcomings. Best of all, I’ve learned to laugh at myself, at least a little. I’ve also gotten to know others on a deeper level as a result of using the Enneagram.

But sometimes I think we ask too much—or expect too much—of the Enneagram. As comprehensive a tool as it is, the Enneagram can’t and doesn’t explain everything there is to know about us. It is not the personality equivalent of a Theory of Everything.

One aspect of the Enneagram that has become increasingly popular over the past 10 years is identifying the so-called Instinctual Variants, and more recently Instinctual Variant Stacking. The concept seems to have originated with Oscar Ichazo, but it has been considerably expanded and given greater significance than it once had. The purpose of the Instinctual Variants, and the stacking thereof, appears to be to try to explain the differences within types. (This is what I’ve read, not just my interpretation.)

Well, of course there are differences within types. And there are all kinds of things that could explain them, most of which have nothing at all to do with the Enneagram. More than 10 years ago, my partner in crime Elizabeth Libbey and I devoted a great deal of time and effort reviewing a large portion of Enneagram literature and looking at how the Enneagram maps onto or corresponds with other psychological, sociological, and neurological research. We found a solid basis for the Stances (Aggressive, Compliant, and Withdrawing), but nothing comparable in regard to the Instinctual Variants. In fact, I came across research results that flatly contradict that what the Enneagram community considers “Instincts” have anything whatsoever to do with actual biological instincts. That’s why I don’t write about that particular topic here.

Trying to fit all the disjointed, fractured, and misshapen pieces of us inside the Enneagram doesn’t seem realistic or useful to me. And I wonder if that isn’t what turns some people off about personality typing systems. I think that who we are is much more complex and mysterious—and ultimately unknowable. I also think that’s a good thing!

American University Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Extroverts aren’t just people who are talkative and engaging — these personality types get their energy from external sources, often from other people. Human resources expert Meredith Persily Lamel, an executive in residence at the American University‘s Kogod School of Business in Washington, DC says there are some best practices in helping them excel.

Here are five tips for working well with extroverts.

1. Assign group work.
Extroverts typically do well in opportunities for group creativity, Persily Lamel says. Brainstorming sessions, trouble-shooting meetings, or other methods of bringing groups together to discuss their ideas and to solve problems together are often good environments to get contributions from extroverts.

They thrive in a social work environment and are energized by external stimuli, Persily Lamel says. One caution: Be sure the extroverted team members don’t dominate discussions to the detriment of the team.

2. Let them talk it out.
“Extroverts will speak in order to kind of develop their thinking,” Persily Lamel says. To get the best ideas from your extroverts, create opportunities for them to discuss solutions and ideas, exchange feedback, and evaluate information before committing to a plan of action, she advises.

Related: How to Foster a Feedback-Friendly Company

3. Give non-verbal cues.
Extroverts also respond to non-verbal cues and are good at reading body language, Persily Lamel says. Lean in a bit when conversing, and be aware of facial expressions, tone of voice, and other forms of body language when dealing with extroverts. They notice.

4. Understand their energy.
Extroverts will typically need more energy if they’ve been in a solo environment for a while. So, scheduling a meeting after the extrovert has been working on a report in his or her office all morning could be a great way to re-energize the employee right at a time when he or she needs some interaction with other people, Persily Lamel says.

5. Allow for interaction with other people.
Extroverts may be more skilled at client-facing work, attending conferences, or in other environments where there is a great deal of interaction with other people. Of course, there should never be bias in favor of one personality type or another, Persily Lamel says.

The key is to work with your employees to tailor their job descriptions to focus on more of the work at which they are skilled and which makes them happier and more effective. That way, managers get both more productivity and greater engagement –advantages for both the employee and the company.

A couple of weeks ago, you might remember, I posted some information about the Myers-Briggs personality chart to help a writer find a characters core that you could build upon. Well here’s another nice way to accomplish that that offers a few more insights into personalities. For one, it gives the personality types Fatal Flaw, which is a good starting point, even if you disagree with it, for a characters internal story arc. Enneagrams offer alot more about each pesonality type to go into here, so you might want to check it out for yourself. Laurie Schnebly’s book:

Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams is a great place to start.

Write Fearlessly

Enneagram

(ANY uh gram)

a system for identifying the nine personality types:

Perfectionist, Nurturer, Achiever, Romantic, Observer, Skeptic, Adventurer, Leader, and Peacemaker

Everyone has experienced what it’s like to be a Type One, a Perfectionist, concerned with getting something done right. You might have done that just this morning, observing the speed limit even though there was nobody in sight. Or last week, writing a letter to the editor about why your city needs better crosswalks.

You’ve been a Type Two, a Nurturer, as well. Maybe when you tucked your kids in bed and vowed to cherish every moment of how precious they are. When you saw a neighbor choking back tears and immediately asked what was wrong.

Last time you were a Type Three, an Achiever, might have been when you finished a report  with a glow of satisfaction in knowing that your work was outstanding. Or when you dressed up for a special evening and realized that you looked really, really good.

As a Type Four, a Romantic, you’ve felt big, vast sweeping emotions at the end of a blockbuster movie. Or when someone you thought of as a dear friend betrayed you, leaving you abandoned and aghast and shaken to the core.

You’ve been a Five, an Observer, when you got engrossed in a term paper and scrambled intensely through a stack of books for just the right quote. Maybe you spent an entire weekend wrapped up in the study of something that absolutely fascinated you.

You’ve been a Six, a Skeptic, when you found yourself questioning the wisdom of a situation others took for granted. Could you really feel safe eating a hamburger with Mad Cow Disease on the rise? Was the rust on that fire extinguisher a bad sign?

As a Seven, an Adventurer, you’ve delighted in a spontaneous walk in the rain or an impulsive stop at a new restaurant. You might have enjoyed planning a trip to India, thinking up names for a cutting-edge business, or dreaming of a best-selling screenplay.

When you saw someone being treated unfairly and spoke up about it, you were an Eight, a Leader. You’ve seen how things should be handled and taken action to make certain they’re done, that people who need care and protection are assured of getting it.

And as a Nine, a Peacemaker, you’ve seen both sides of a question. You’ve acknowledged the value and worth of several different viewpoints, refraining from imposing your own on those around you, and helping people reach a consensus.

For enneagram personalities, the nine fatal flaws are:

Perfectionist One —— anger

Nurturer Two —— pride

Achiever Three —— deception

Romantic Four —— envy

Observer Five —— avarice

Skeptic Six —— fear

Adventurer Seven —— gluttony

Leader Eight —— lust

Peacemaker Nine —— sloth

Schnebly, Laurie (2010-07-01). Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams . Cider Press. Kindle Edition.

How do you know which employee is which? Watch them in action, says human resources expert Meredith Persily Lamel, an executive in residence at American University‘s Kogod School of Business in Washington, DC. The person who is seeking out others to chit chat at the vending machine or suggesting groupbrainstorming sessions to solve a problem is likely your extrovert. The one who heads off to a quiet corner to go over meeting notes or to come up with a great solution is probably an introvert.

While individual employees may vary in their strengths and preferences, this two-part series will include overall best practices for managing both types of employees. Here are five ways to manage introverts:

1. Give them time to think. Introverted employees typically perform better when they have a chance to think about ideas or meeting topics in advance, so creating an agenda can be a simple task to get them to participate fully, Persily Lamel says.

If that’s not possible, give your introverted employees some time after meetings to reflect and get back to you with additional thoughts, she advises. That’s how you’ll get the gems from them.

Related: How Praising Employees Can Help Your Business Thrive

2. Give them space. Too much external stimuli can be draining for introverts. If it’s not possible to let them work in a quieter office or cubicle, at least have a space where they can retreat, giving them refuge from the sensory onslaught of an open workspace. They may also do better with more independent work, Persily Lamel says.

3. Plan early meetings. Since introverts tend to have more energy at the beginning of the day, try to time important meetings before lunch when their energy is highest. At this point, they haven’t been exhausted by dealing with other people and the hustle and bustle of the office all day. “If their day has a fair amount of external stimuli, which most workplaces will have, you’re going to do better with them at the beginning of the day,” Persily Lamel says. If that’s not possible, give them time to plan in advance and an opportunity to think through the meeting discussion and get back to you with more information or ideas later.

Related: What Really Motivates Employees? [Infographic]

4. Be comfortable with silence. When conversing with introverts, give them time to think and respond “You might have to call on them in a group setting or at least inquire if they have something to add,” Persily Lamel says. “Don’t be afraid of silence. Don’t try to fill every moment with conversation. It’s important to let the introvert have the last word on occasion.” If you’re managing an introverted team member, don’t let others interrupt or speak over him or her, she advises. Help your introverted employees speak their minds.

5. Seek their feedback. Get answers and information from introverts in ways that make them more comfortable. Instead of expecting them to hold their own in meetings and spontaneous discussions about projects and issues, seek them out for one-on-one chats. When they’ve had a chance to prep for meetings, specifically ask their opinions to be sure they get a chance to contribute fully. It’s not a matter of coddling, Persily Lamel says. Good managers create environments where employees can express themselves and thrive.

Barbarian

Bard

Rogue

Ranger

Another interesting discussion on the way women are portrayed in the fantasy art genre: www.wizards.com/dnd/article.aspx?x=dnd/4dreye/20120502

Whether depicting female or male figures, I like this discussion and it raises larger concepts for me of the way society trends towards, values, and exploits certain expressions of self more overtly than others. In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the personality expressions are defined by Introvert/Extrovert, Sensing/Intuiting, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. Images each have a kind of personality, and just like people, they appeal to, interact with, and inspire different personality types differently.

Being an INFJ type, I’m more wired to value subtlety, hidden meaning and potential, which could be considered stereotypically more of a feminine approach. I’m exploring that in style and composition, while trying to avoid tepidness or blandness by still feeling for the passion, heart, and narrative in the image. Subtlety and passion, yin and yang, can be complementary, not opposing, forces.

This series of posters focuses on female characters in a few archetypical fantasy class roles. They aren’t as targeting towards the art styles of most current fantasy brands as they should be for freelancing, but I’m hoping to show the potential of some different takes if done right. I’ve seen these pieces draw positive interaction from a female, non-gamer audience as well as the more traditional fan base for fantasy art, so I’m hoping it’s something I can continue to mould and tailor towards different brand needs.