Writing style, even that used in memos and reports, is a reflection of personality and a little insight will help you write better. Of the many personality instruments available, the best may be the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) because of the strong relationship between results on the MBTI® questionnaire and writing style. (Click here for MBTI® chart and links to individual writing styles.)
The MBTI® evaluates a person’s preferences among four pairs of opposing personality preferences. The first pair (Extraversion vs. Introversion) has to do with where people prefer to focus their attention (in the outer or inner world). The second (Sensing vs. iNtuition) indicates how they prefer to take in information (eyes, ears, and other senses vs. big picture). The third preference (Thinking vs. Feeling) results from how people choose to make decisions. The last pair (Judging vs. Perceiving) indicates how people orient themselves to the external world—whether they would rather make decisions or continue to take in information. Each preference affects a different aspect of writing.
Getting Started
Extraversion vs. Introversion affects how different people start a writing project. Extraverts often jump in with little planning. They write in spurts—knowing what they think after they write it! They welcome interruptions because they provide inspiration and energy. Introverts prefer to think, then write. They usually write best when alone and dislike interruptions because they can sap energy.
Deciding What to Say
Once they start writing, business writers must decide what to include. Sensing vs. iNtuition affects this decision. Sensors want to know what is actually happening. As factual, people, they love details—in their own writing and that of others.
Intuitives focus on relationships between ideas and the big picture. They prefer the imagined to the real, concepts over concrete facts. They may leave the details to the reader’s imagination.
Choosing How to Say It
Does your e-mail occasionally serve as the opening salvo in interdepartmental warfare? Or, does your boss routinely ask you to rewrite her letters and add that personal touch you’re so famous for? The tone used in writing is as important as what is said.
Thinking vs. Feeling affects the tone of a written message. Thinking writers value objectivity and tend to write from a distance. Seeking to be clear, they organize the information logically. In fact, they may ignore the people receiving the message. As a result, readers sometimes feel the writing is harsh.
Feelers, on the other hand, naturally include people when writing. They focus more on how the content affects the reader; however, they may write so fuzzily that the reader misses the point. Feelers often pull their punches so much they frustrate Thinkers who want a clearer message.
Meeting Deadlines
Every writer struggles with deadlines at times, some more often than others. The ways in which writers meet them can vary greatly. The fourth MBTI® pair, Judging vs. Perceiving, indicates how people approach deadlines.
When a Judging (J) type has a deadline, he or she usually breaks the assignment into milestones to reach each day. The Perceiving (P) type sees the same assignment and starts calculating back from the due date. Ps prefer to be inclusive rather than decisive. Waiting until the last minute gives them longer to think about the topic. That looming deadline is what eventually motivates the P writer to complete the project
This article, written by Jane Ranshaw, originally appeared in the November/December issue of Performance Improvement, a publication of the International Society for Performance Improvement (www.ispi.org) and is copyrighted by them. Reprinted by permission.
Find out about your writing style by selecting your MBTI type:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and MBTI® are trademarks of Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.
Email - jane@ranshawconsulting.com
This page was last updated on 3/25/01.