Communication at Hogwarts

We all know that communication is important, but sometimes we overlook how hard it can be. Of course in formal contexts—and we in the Quality business often focus on those—we rely on written documentation: contracts, product specifications, and the like. But there is also a kind of intangible Quality in the workplace, and no written job description can ever cover all the subtleties of chatting over coffee.

So I was delighted to attend a webinar a couple days ago that articulated the different strategies people use to com­mu­nicate (especially in the workplace), and that suggested ways to make that communication better. The webinar was sponsored by the St. Louis Section of ASQ. The speaker was Tom Brown, of Serve2Lead. And the title was "When Intent Meets Impact: Improving Communication to Strengthen Quality Culture."

The core of Brown's talk was based on the TRACOM® Social Style™ model of human interaction.This model states that each of us naturally gravitates to one of four different modes when we try to communicate, and that over a suffi­ciently large population the four modes are more or less evenly distributed. (To be clear, any of us can use any of the four modes, depending on context. But the model says that one will always feel more natural than the others. An added complication is that when we are put under stress, we shift modes in predictable ways.) The key consequence is that three out of every four people you talk to prefer to communicate differently than you do! If we are not careful, this can make for a lot of misunderstanding.

What are these four modes? They break down along two axes: an assertiveness scale, that stretches between those who prefer to Ask and those who prefer to Tell; and a responsiveness scale that stretches between those who focus on Tasks and those who focus on People. Plotting these two axes on the same page gives us four quadrants, which are the four modes that Brown discussed. For convenience, the model gives them names: Driver, Analytical, Amiable, and Expressive.

Strengths of the four modes

After he explained this table, Brown introduced a fun digression. He asked each of us to rate ourselves on which mode was most natural for us, and then to report back to the group. Even though the modes show up with about equal frequency in a "large-enough" population, our results showed that 57% of the people attending the webinar saw themselves as Analyticals. Brown—who sees himself as an Expressive and whose presentation was consistently enthusiastic, humorous, and energetic—said he wasn't a bit surprised. The webinar was sponsored by ASQ, so he argued that the large number of Quality professionals in attendance must have tipped the balance.*

Of course it's not all roses. Each of these modes has its corresponding weaknesses as well, which frustrate those who communicate in some other way. So, for example, Drivers can be decisive, tough, and efficient—and these are all strengths. But at the same time, they can come across as autocratic, overbearing, and insensitive—and these qualities can, depending on context, impede their ability to get cooperation from their colleagues. A listing of weaknesses looks like this:

Weaknesses of the four modes

What are we supposed to do with this information? In the first place, just be aware of it! Understand how you communicate, and how your listeners communicate as well. Then if there is a mismatch, be aware of how they are likely to misunderstand you, and of how your normal approach is likely to frustrate them. When you see that you are starting to annoy them, redirect yourself in a more productive way. Brown calls this "Moving to the Middle." He says that the key is to do less of whatever it is you normally do too much of, so that you cause less stress for people who communicate in fundamentally different ways.

How to move to the middle

There was much more to the talk, including a lengthy discussion of how someone native to one of the modes will react under stress. It turns out that he shifts to each of the other modes in turn, in a predictable pattern, as the stress continues to mount. But I can't possibly reproduce the whole webinar here, with all of Brown's insights. If this sounds useful to you, there are always sources online. Or drop Brown a note on his website. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you. 

I titled this blog post "Communications at Hogwarts." So what does any of this have to do with Hogwarts?

Hogwarts, as you probably remember, is a private, boarding school for young wizards, created by J. K. Rowling for her Harry Potter series of novels. The students at Hogwarts are sorted into four Houses, based on their personal character, habits, and preferences. The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, and Wikipedia summarizes their characteristics as follows: "Gryffindor values courage, nerve, and chivalry.... Hufflepuff values hard work, patience, justice, and loyalty.... Ravenclaw values intelligence, learning, wisdom, and wit.... [And] Slytherin values ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness."

But are these not the very social types we have been discussing? 

• Gryffindors are energetic and visionary, promoters and natural leaders. So are Expressives.
• Hufflepuffs care about justice and loyalty, and about working together for a common achievement. So do Amiables.
• Ravenclaws care about precision and accuracy, clarity and data. So do Analyticals.
• And Slytherins want to win. Just like Drivers.

Of course I don't mean the parallels too seriously. But they may be a handy way to remember the elements of the TRACOM model.

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* I didn't offer a category for myself when he asked us, because I ran out of time through overthinking the question. In retrospect, maybe the fact that I was overthinking it should have given me my first clue. 😀