Activities to Enhance Your DISC Sessions
May 25, 2023 12:28:00 PM / by Christina Bowser
Participants are more likely to apply learn when they have activities that connect a participant's real world to their classroom learning. We know people are more engaged when they're relaxed and having fun. We hope some of these DISC activities help your programs be more robust. Spending a little time planning out activities is in your best interest. First, determine your audience. What's the objective of the session? What are you trying to help your participants achieve? Now, you can figure out the logistics and materials you need. Also, consider your time and how many activities you can fit. It never hurts to have a few Plan B activities if you have extra time or want to ramp up the session's energy. Another icebreaker is sharing a few personal things about each other. You're establishing group rapport for the session. You're also humanizing co-workers which helps when things get tense or frustrating.Learn how to build impactful and applicable activities to support and energize your DISC sessions.
People learn by doing
Plan ahead
Establishing the flow
We've all done icebreakers because they set the tone that the session is going to be interactive. They help people relax. For example, we use an activity called Draw Your Ideal Office Space. There is no additional instruction. People are free to draw whatever comes to mind. Oftentimes, people will draw a space that aligns with their DISC style. They can revisit their drawings once you've reviewed DISC styles and their DISC results.Using the 4-Steps to Effective Interactions
.png?width=1080&height=1080&name=DISC%20Descriptors_%20Predicts%20How%20You%20Tend%20to%20Do%20Things%20(use%20anytime).png "Activities to Enhance Your DISC Sessions (2)")
As DISC trainers we always incorporate the 4 Steps to Effective Interactions regardless of how much time we have.
- Understanding DISC styles
- Using My DISC Results to Better Understand My Style
- Understanding the Styles of Others
- Adjusting My Style
Step 1: Understand DISC-styles
The primary activity goal for understanding DISC-styles is reinforcement. When you understand the DISC Model, it's the building blocks to the rest of the Steps. Here are examples of key elements you want to reinforce for each DISC-style:
- Attributes
- Under pressure
- Fears
- Favorite question
- Motto
You'll talk about these key elements, but something as simple as writing it down helps with retention.
We have training videos that can be used in different ways. Each animated video is 2 minutes long and covers D, I, S, and C styles to provide an overview to each style. We often use them in classes where we have at least an hour. The four videos total 8 minutes which means you have 52 minutes to get where you need to be. Other times we assign them as pre-work which is especially helpful with tighter session timelines. You can even send them out as post-session reinforcement partnering them with Reinforcement Reports.
Consider a quick check-in by asking some questions. It's a great way to engage but lets you know how much more you need to review and reinforce. You can create slides with multiple choice questions, online polls, or use a trivia app. You can also show 60-second YouTube clips of famous personalities/characters and ask people to identify their styles. Don't worry if they don't know the famous person you're showing. The goal is to recognize the style based on the behaviors they are shown.
Another quick activity is self-identifying prior to receiving their DISC Report. You can ask people to write down 2 descriptors describing themselves or ask them to write their name in the DISC quadrant they think is their dominant style. After receiving their DISC Assessment, you can refer back to the activity for a reveal. Did their self-identification align with their DISC results; if not, ask themselves to consider why.
Step 2: Using my results to better understand my style
Most activities with Step 2 utilize participant reports. This is where we jump into self-awareness. Many people have a-ha moment when they connect their DISC styles to their interactions. The Extended DISC® Report is more than a report; it's a workbook. You can start by simply asking people to write the phrase 'be curious' on the front of the report. It reminds people to process the information versus just reading it.
The goal of Step 2 activities is getting people to interact with their report results and motivating them to continue to read and use their results outside of the DISC session. One effective activity is asking people to read their 'At a Glance' section which provides a descriptive overview of the DISC style. Ask people to read their attributes and select 2 that accurately describe them. Ask people to share and recognize that their attributes can be overused by putting the word 'too' in front of the attribute. How have they overused their natural attributes?
Another variation for the 'At a Glance' section of the report is to place checkmarks next to any attribute or statement that they feel describe them. Next, place a question mark next to any attribute or statement that they are not sure of and finally, an 'x' for any attribute or statement they disagree with. It gives people an opportunity to process the information and to share with others for additional feedback. You can actually use this process for all the pages in the report.
The bottom line is to use the Extended DISC® Report as a workbook; answer the built-in questions and Personal Action Plan, and talk about it. How can they utilize the information in their real-world setting; create accountability.
Lastly, don't use all of the reports at once. It can be overwhelming. Determine the goals of the session and select the sections that are most applicable.
Step 3: Understanding styles of others
This is where you start to identify styles of colleagues, clients, and others. It's a step towards application. We have behavioral recognition practice templates. People read a paragraph describing the behavioral style of an individual. Afterward, they discuss, usually in pairs or small groups, to determine the DISC style of the person, as well as answer additional questions about possible adjustments to make when interacting with someone with this style.
Another activity is 'Choose and Defend.' Choose a topic area such as a famous person, an animal, a car, a well-known leader, etc., and ask participants to defend the style they selected to identify their choice. As the facilitator, you don't need to be familiar with the choices. Rather, you are listening to the way they defend their choices.
A quick activity is 'Guess My Style.' Select some images of famous people, objects, etc., and ask people to identify the style and defend their choice.
Step 4: Adjusting my style
Your style works until it doesn't. DISC helps you identify the strengths of your style, but what happens when your style doesn't work? You adjust! DISC helps you understand, based on your style, how to adjust in different situations.
The 'My Communication Strategy Worksheet' helps participants create a simple behavioral action plan. You can have people do it in session or as homework. The activity takes them through the 4 Steps. The final step focuses on 'start, stop, and continue'.
- Start: What are you going to start doing with the individual based on their style?
- Stop: What are you going to stop doing that typically doesn't work with the individual's style?
- Continue: What has worked based on the individual's style and you should continue to do it more consistently?
Ask people to use their reports, specifically the section on how to and how not to communicate with each DISC style.
'How Do I Relate' is another activity to connect your real-world interactions with your classroom learning. Participants are asked to identify one person per style; considering who is easiest and most challenging to interact with. Step 4 is about creating that action plan for improving effectiveness when interacting with the person with the most challenging style for them.
The Light Switch' Activity is a great activity for larger groups. Divide up groups by their main DISC style. Ask them what lights them up and what shuts them down. Bring the 4 groups back together and share their results. Often, you'll see what lights up one style has the shutdown effect for another.
We also offer the Extended DISC® Play and Learn Card Game. There are 4 packs of cards. Each pack is a particular activity such as role-playing, identifying the style based on a descriptor, and trivia. What's great about the game is it's portable so you can bring it along and pull it out if you need a quick activity or a way to energize the group.
Your Activities and Training Resources
The activities may seem similar. That's because the concept of interaction and communication is intuitive and practical. We often need tools like DISC to raise our awareness and remind us to practice with intention and consistency. You don't have to create your activities from scratch.
The activities found here are located on our Extended DISC® - FinxS® Client Resource Center Site. As an active user of Extended DISC® Assessments, you have personal access to the resource site. The site contains, sample exercises, DISC session presentations, handouts, and more. We also post our infographics and videos on our social media sites including Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Contact us at CustomerService@ExtendedDISC.org for more information.
Topics: DISC Training, Blog, DISC, Webinar, DISC styles
Written by Christina Bowser
FAQs
How do you facilitate a DiSC session? ›
- Always introduce the DiSC Cornerstone Principles and reinforce them at every opportunity. ...
- Review the profiles of the participants in advance. ...
- Make use of additional tools. ...
- Save yourself time and take a step up by using a DiSC Facilitation Kit.
DISC training allows people to understand their colleagues better, work more efficiently, resolve conflict, and communicate better with one another. Learning the personalities of yourself and others will be better equip you to handle any communicative situation.
What is the DiSC personality team activity? ›The DiSC personality assessment is one tool specifically designed to help nonprofit leaders build effective teams. DiSC identifies and clarifies strengths and opportunities around team interactions. This profile centers on four different behavioral traits: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness.
What do you do in a DiSC workshop? ›A DiSC Training workshop helps individuals learn their unique DiSC Style and concepts of the DiSC Model. This training is designed to help improve communication skills, interpersonal relationships, and self-awareness. The program can be used within a sales, leadership development, or team-building context.
How do you facilitate activities? ›- Mentally and physically prepare yourself as the facilitator. ...
- Create the right environment. ...
- Ensure the expected outcome/s or objectives are clear. ...
- Establish expectations. ...
- Energise the group throughout the meeting. ...
- Manage participation. ...
- Adjust your facilitation style.
- STEP 1: Understanding Personalities. ...
- STEP 2: Discovering Natural Team Role. ...
- STEP 3: Creating Awareness of Values. ...
- STEP 4: Revealing Internal Passions. ...
- STEP 5: Following an Action Plan for Growth.
The DiSC model describes four main styles: D, i, S, and C. D is for Dominance, i is for Influence, S is for Steadiness, and C is for Conscientiousness. Everyone is a mixture of each style, but most people tend to fall into one or two main DiSC style quadrants.
What are the 4 DiSC behavioral styles? ›The tool classifies people's behavior into four types (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness) by looking at their preferences on two scales: Task versus People.
What are the 8 DiSC styles? ›Those eight scales are D, Di/iD, i, iS/Si, S, SC/CS, C, CD/DC. Your scores on these eight scales determine your style. Some people will have the styles D, i, S, or C, but others will have styles such as Di or SC.
What motivates DISC personality? ›DISC measures observable behavior and emotion. Motivators shows the values that drive our behavior and emotion. When our DISC and MOTIVATORS are in alignment, we have personal synergy. When our DISC and MOTIVATORS are not in alignment, we experience personal conflict or tension.
What are the five behaviors in everything DISC? ›
Based on the groundbreaking book by Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Five Behaviors® Team Development profile scores participants on the key behaviors every team needs to succeed: Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results.
What is Tony Robbins DISC assessment? ›Tony Robbins' DISC assessment is a powerful tool for understanding your personality, leadership style and behavior patterns. The assessment is organized around DISC personality types – four categories of interpersonal behavior.
How do you best in a DiSC? ›- Play an entire round with just the 1 disc you want to beat in. ...
- Let someone less experience use it for a while. ...
- Throw your disc into a tree repeatedly.
- Throw your disc using grenade shots in open field or parking lot.
- Use sandpaper around the rim of the disc.
The letters D, I, S, and C form an acronym in which the D style is symbolized by dominant, direct, and decisive eagles. Interactive, influencing, and inspirational I's are represented by parrots. Supportive, steady, and sympathetic S's are doves. And conscientious, concise, and correct C's are owls.
What are the objectives of DiSC training? ›The goal of DISC is to help users build and maximize productive relationships. Users don't need to change their personality traits; they need to recognize what drives and motivates others and determine the best ways to effectively interact with them.
What are the 7 ways to facilitate learning? ›The seven ways of learning are: Behavioral Learning; Cognitive Learning; Learning through Inquiry; Learning with Mental Models; Learning through Groups and Teams; Learning through Virtual Realities; and Experiential Learning.
What is the best example of an activity led by a facilitator of learning? ›For example, if a child is crying in the grocery store and his mother gives him a cookie in order to stop his crying, the child will then be encouraged to cry in the future in order to get a cookie again. ' You take a break to glance over at the other classroom, where the teacher is acting as a facilitator of learning.
What are the DISC coaching styles? ›The four coaching styles are reflected in the four different DISC Styles. These being, Dominant, Influence, Steady, and Conscientious. When determining what style is most appropriate for your athlete, there are two key factors you should keep in mind.
What DISC personality makes the best leader? ›People and communication skills are the greatest strengths of leaders with the Influence DISC profile. Charismatic, energetic, and persuasive, these individuals are great at bringing teams together and motivating them to perform their best.
Is DISC based on Myers Briggs? ›DiSC and MBTI measure slightly different things, but they are relatively similar in scope. Experts have tracked the correlation between the two and discovered that DiSC-MBTI mapping is possible. If you know your DiSC or MBTI type, you can gain insight into what your results on the other test might be.
What is the rarest DISC profile? ›
Making up only 9% of the global population, the type d personality is the rarest disc profile. High D personality styles are competitive, aggressive, decisive and results-oriented.
What are the weaknesses of a DISC? ›DISC S personality weaknesses
Being too passive when assertiveness is necessary. Avoiding confrontation and not giving feedback to others who may need it. Delaying decisions involving interpersonal conflict.
What is the rarest DISC personality? The rarest DISC profile is the D style, making up only 9% of the global population. This appears to be the trend across all countries, as illustrated in the Extended DISC 2019 Validation Study. Myanmar is the exception, in which D and S styles are equally the rarest DISC profiles.
What is the most common DISC personality type? ›The most common DiSC style of the four main personality types is the Type S DiSC type, which stands for Steadiness. Of the worldwide population, about 32% of people are Type S, making it the most commonly occurring of all DISC types.
What DISC styles work best together? ›- Dominance-Conscientious.
- Influence-Dominance.
- Conscientious-Steady.
- Steady-Influence.
- Influence-Conscientious.
- Steady-Dominance.
So we can now answer this question "Is the DISC personality test accurate?" with a crystal clear yes. The DISC test is one of the most accurate and well-known personality tests there is. Together with the Big Five and the MBTI test it is one of the most thorough and accurate tests used in many countries and industries.
Which disc styles work quickly? ›The fastest DiSC personality profile tends to be DI (dominance and influence). Individuals with DI personality types are goal-oriented, practical, and quick employees who prefer to get the work done as quickly as possible. They are open to new experiences and tend to solve problems quickly and effectively.
What is a high S personality? ›People who are high in “S” are more introverted and reserved, and people-oriented. They tend to be supportive, stable, sweet, and shy. They are typically calm, easy-going, and collected people. They like giving support, collaborating, and maintaining stability.
What does C stand for in disc? ›C stands for Conscientiousness
People with the DiSC C style personality place an emphasis on working conscientiously within existing circumstances to ensure quality and accuracy.
The goal of DISC is to help users build and maximize productive relationships. Users don't need to change their personality traits; they need to recognize what drives and motivates others and determine the best ways to effectively interact with them.
What are the priorities of the DiSC work of leaders? ›
Crafting a Vision through exploration, boldness, and testing assumptions. Building Alignment through clarity, dialog, and inspiration. Championing Execution through momentum, structure, and feedback.
What are the outcomes of DiSC workshop? ›A DISC training workshop for your team will result in improvements in morale, teamwork, relationships, communication and productivity.
What DiSC profile makes a good leader? ›People and communication skills are the greatest strengths of leaders with the Influence DISC profile. Charismatic, energetic, and persuasive, these individuals are great at bringing teams together and motivating them to perform their best.
What is the most popular DiSC profile? ›According to the same study, the S personality type is the most common DISC style—dominant S styles make up 32% of the world's population.
Which DiSC personalities clash? ›According to Ursiny, conflict typically occurs between opposite personality types. That means dominant and steady personalities clash, and conscientious and influential personalities clash.
What does your DISC profile say about you? ›DiSC® measures dimensions of your personality. It does not measure intelligence, aptitude, mental health, or values. DiSC profiles describe human behavior in various situations—for example, how you respond to challenges, how you influence others, your preferred pace, and how you respond to rules and procedures.
What is DISC facilitation? ›DISC Workplace Certified Facilitation
It groups behavioral responses into four work-style clusters. This behavioral learning instrument is a road map to effective interpersonal communications and teamwork.
Probably the most common error made in using the DISC model occurs when someone assumes that a DISC profile will explain who will succeed or fail in a job. DISC only measures common behavioral tendencies — not skills. DISC does not predict job success — there is no such thing as a "best" profile for any position.
What is the rarest DiSC profile? ›Making up only 9% of the global population, the type d personality is the rarest disc profile. High D personality styles are competitive, aggressive, decisive and results-oriented.
What are the four skill sets needed by good leaders? ›With self-awareness, communication, influence, and learning agility as the core of your leadership skills development, you can be confident that you're building capacity for new opportunities and the next level of responsibility — because these 4 are core leadership skills needed for everyone, and every career stage.
What three activities are critical for effective leadership? ›
Leaders must play a central role in performing three critical and interdependent activities: setting the direction, designing the organisation, and nurturing a culture committed to excellence and ethical behaviour.