Open with a brief, personal story that relates to participants' needs and reveals the way type helped meet your similar need. Hone your story to 3 minutes, long enough for participants to know who you are, why you are here, and the benefits you are offering. If the presentation is formal or longer than an hour, give the agenda or objectives in a few sentences.
For example, a 2-day workshop can cover the following objectives, which are described in this article:
- Learn what energizes and drains you.
- Identify strengths of self and others as well as predictable pitfalls.
- Make constructive use of differences with two problem-solving models.
- Gain greater flexibility and perspective.
A shorter workshop cannot cover all the material in this article. Usually hands-on experience with the problem-solving models is omitted. When a type instrument is used, there may be insufficient time to introduce the polarity management model because the four-step process described below takes priority. It is also necessary to give a brief background of the instrument and to point out that unlike many psychological instruments, type instruments assume that "You are the expert." Emphasize privacy rights and the complexity of determining type; it is okay not to decide upon a type during the workshop but still to participate in the group activities. Participating in these groups is the best way to verify type preference.
Explain that determining type is a four-step process and write the steps on a flipchart:
- Understand the four dichotomies
- Self-select preferences
- Correlate self-select preferences with instrument results
- Verify accuracy of type description.
Tell participants that as they move through these steps, they will also be accomplishing the workshop objectives.
Step 1: Understand
Use a handout with the four dichotomies. After explaining each dichotomy, ask for questions and encourage participants to record their preferences on the handout. Most are surprised that introverting can be a source of energy and gain new respect for what had been regarded as a lack of social skills. Be careful that descriptions fit both introverted and extraverted forms of the functions. Often the most difficult decision is the T-F. An example that speaks to many is Stephen Covey's (1989) story of his wife buying only Frigidaire appliances. He wrote:
This was a matter of considerable agitation to me. Fortunately the situation came up only when we purchased an appliance. But when it did come up, it was like a stimulus that triggered a hot button response. This single issue seemed to be symbolic of all irrational thinking, and it generated a whole range of negative feelings within me.
I usually resorted to my dysfunctional private behavior.... What bothered me the most was not that she liked Frigidaire, but that she persisted in making what I considered utterly illogical and indefensible statements to defend Frigidaire, which had no basis in fact whatsoever. If she had only agreed that her response was irrational and purely emotional, I think I could have handled it. But her justification was upsetting. (p. 312)
It was not until their children were grown and they were on vacation that Mrs. Covey became aware of the source of her loyalty to Frigidaire. When she was a child, her father discussed his worries and appreciation for Frigidaire, which had financed his inventory when he had financial difficulties.
