What do Bill Gates, Ben Franklin, The Wright Brothers, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Coach John Wooden and Henry Ford all have in common? All of these cultural icons and change heroes are “inventors” who are Instigator-type communicators, one of two communication types defined in my book called TALK TO ME. They all have “instigated” and worked hard to promote great leaps forward in our way of life, business customs and ways of talking to one another. So what are these two new “communicator types”…and which type are you and yours?
THE TWO NEW COMMUNICATOR TYPES
The two new “communicator types” that I’ve extensively studied and researched are called “Empathizer-type (E-type) communicators” and “Instigator-type (I-type) communicators.” Neither communicator type is better of worse, just different. However, both E-type and I-type communicators use the four communicator modes (Emotions, Beliefs, Behaviors, Talks) in a completely different fashion. Knowing that difference will make all the difference in your world of talk.
For some fun I’ve begun to “typecast” famous people, living here or in heaven above. In my own field of communications psychology and psychotherapy, there were no bigger THINKERS and DOERS than Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, intellectual pals who had a falling out. Change happens! Anyway, both Freud and Jung are Instigator-type introverts in my typecasting system.
THE TYPECASTING SYSTEM
Here are the “nicknames” I use for the four fingers in the TYPECASTING SYSTEM:
1. SEERS. Empathizer-type communicators who are extroverts (ETE’s) are “SEERS.” ETE’s can clearly see what we would be wise to change and who wonder why we don’t.
2. LEADERS. Instigator-type communicators who are extroverts (ITE’s) are “LEADERS.” ITE’s are comfortable leading others and taking reasonable risks to move a mission forward.
3. INTUITERS. Empathizer-type communicators who are introverts (ETI’s) are “INTUITERS.” ETI’s can telepathically sense dynamics at the unspoken level of communication that may be playing a crucial role in an outcome, but not discussed openly.
4. INVENTORS. Instigator-type communicators who are introverts (ITI’s) are “INVENTORS.” ITI’s are the creators of the light bulbs, very inventive and fascinated with making progress in our evolving culture through the application of new ideas.
THE INVENTORS CLUB
So psychologists and psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were “INVENTORS.” They invented all sorts of concepts we still use today, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, the Unconscious, Transference, Dream Analysis, the Collective Unconscious, Introversion-Extroversion, Defense Mechanisms, and even the Anal Stage as in…YOU guessed it: “Why do you have to be SO anal!” Of course, we could change it to: “Why do you have to be SO oral!”
SO who do you know who is an “INVENTOR,” and do you know what their Achilles Heel is? You know being an “inventor” of the airplane (Wright Brothers); the automobile (Henry Ford); electricity, sewers, the library system, the Franklin stove (Benjamin Franklin), Microsoft (Bill Gates), Coaching (John Wooden) and so on is quite a feat in a world that doesn’t get on board the change train too quick.
I’ll write more about the other types later…INTUITERS…LEADERS…SEERS…and some percentages and samples. I still want to get Paul McCartney to take my communicator test, and Elton John whom I met in the seventies at a wonderful first concert tour of his. I asked him to sign a concert poster for The Boy’s Home and he did it with aplomb.
First though, do you know your communicator type? And have you “typecast” yourself yet as an introvert or extrovert…Empathizer or Instigator communicator. If not, let’s get going!
Dr. Dennis O’Grady invented the communication theory of Empathizer (E-type) and Instigator (I-type) communicator types, which was extensively researched and tested in his communication program found in his recently released book “TALK TO ME: Communication Moves to Get Along with Anyone.”