Picture This - A DiSC Activity
It's no secret that our professional behavioral assessment of choice at Training Wheels is Disc. One of the top reasons we prefer it over other assessments is that it's a behavioral assessment rather than a personality assessment. In our opinion, individuals can always change and tweak their behavior given the specific circumstances, but they are not going to change their personalities. The more self-awareness an individual has around their behavior and communication preferences, the better they can work with others.
Within Disc, there are distance behaviors for each of the four Styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. With Picture This, we created picture cards that match the common behaviors in each style. There is also a word on the back of the picture card that goes with the photo.
We used this with a group recently, and as an Icebreaker, we asked each person to select one photo they were immediately drawn to and one that repelled them. Then we went into the Disc information and training, which includes the history of Disc, what the common behaviors are in each style, and then gave them their individual reports. We then had them sort the photos into the four quadrants based on what they now knew about Disc. (You could do this with the photo side or the word side). Then, as a final debrief, we asked them to recall the first two photos they selected in the icebreaker. Eighty percent of them selected a photo from their primary style as their 'drawn to' photo, and ninety percent chose the photo that repelled them from the style in the opposite quadrant as their primary style. Completely fascinating!
We love the self-awareness that comes from taking these kinds of self-assessments. It has helped us be better communicators with others. Disc is an inherent part of our Sister-Company, the Personify Leadership Course. Let us know if you'd like to hear more about this.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRE-DiSC WORK
There are several ways to play.
There are several ways to play.
There are 12 Picture Cards per Disc Style.
D: Dominance, i: Influencer, S: Steadiness, C: Conscientiousness
Here are some ideas for Pre-Disc work (meaning, before participants know
their Disc Style or have knowledge of the four styles).
their Disc Style or have knowledge of the four styles).
- Use as an Icebreaker Activity and invite participants to select the photo that speaks the most to them or they are immediately drawn to. Have them select a second photo of something that repels them.
- Have them pair up with a partner and share why they selected their unique card.
- Select a Picture card to reveal the unique traits and qualities of a person
who inspires you. Share your selections with a partner.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST-DiSC WORK
Here are some ideas for Post-Disc work, (meaning, after participants have Disc knowledge)
- Display the tabletop Disc tarp in the center of the table.
- Invite participants to sort the Picture cards into the four Disc styles (D: Dominance, i: Influencer, S: Steadiness, C: Conscientiousness).
- They could also sort by the Preferred Behavior words on the backside of the Picture Cards.
DEBRIEF THE EXPERIENCE
At the end of the session, invite participants to select a Picture card
representing something they learned from the experience.
