Michael Tudor (Personality Dimensions® Master Trainer) had his class of Teacher Candidates at the University of Toronto complete the face to face Personality Dimensions® assessment. Michael then asked them to select someone they knew to do the assessment. Could they gain some insight about their subject’s top colour preference by either the way they responded to the request or while they were completing the assessment? To this end the teacher candidates were encouraged to pay attention to verbal and/or non-verbal cues.
They were asked to document their subject’s reactions under the title “What you see, what you hear.”
Here are some of the more telling, revealing and amusing responses…
Authentic Blue:
1) Eager and willing participant. Very attentive. Closed by saying: “I hope you get a good grade.”
2) He said “I would be more than happy to help you”. Very inviting and welcoming. Concerned with final score. At the end said “Oh is that all? Do you want me to help you by answering any other questions?
3) She asked if the questions were hard. Was worried about doing well.
4) Very interested in helping me with the assignment. Attentive and conscientious throughout the process. Was happy to connect with the Authentic Blue picture card.
Inquiring Green:
1) Asked a billion questions. Was impressed that I actually had background knowledge. Analysed every word and looked them up in the dictionary. Took the entire process very seriously.
2) Although at the outset my subject had no preliminary questions pertaining to the exercise, he did begin to analyse the validity of the assessment and my subjectivity in administering it. He questioned the ability of this assessment to accurately define who he is.
3) Questions as follows: “How long will this take? Do I really need to do this? Should I leave the TV on or off? Why Me? I don’t need a long explanation. Just get to the point”
4) Seriously examined the pictures on the cards for a very long time. Then uttered “This is so stupid. Someone associated a picture with a colour? I mean the organized gold card should be the colour green because green represents money (pointing at the dollar sign on the organized gold card). The green card should be brown or grey….. Why do psychologists major in this area if they can’t even get the colours right? Who are they to set such standards? “
5) “Do you think I know myself well enough to answer those questions truthfully and get accurate results?” When he was assured that this was a logically designed assessment, this seemed to assuage his anxiety about the prospect of having to reflect on his feelings
Organized Gold:
1) Took the assessment very seriously. Took time to rearrange the cards until he was satisfied with the results. Very concerned about performing the requirements to the best of his ability.
2) For the assessment to be completed, I had to schedule it ahead of time. In addition, the day before the assessment I was told that it had to be completed by a certain time because something else had been planned afterwards. Wanted no interruptions. Read all instructions twice. The common reaction to all the Resourceful Orange traits was “Absolutely not me.”
3) Followed my instructions to the letter. No indecision on which cards or words were preferred. Wanted all the numbers on the Traits and Characteristics pressure sensitive sheet to be written inside the boxes. Misplaced one number and requested a new assessment.
4) Very willing to assist. Asked the following ‘When are we going to do this? How long will it take? Scheduled time during second intermission of hockey game. Became annoyed when it took longer than expected and missed part of third period. Started whining “Can I watch TV now?
Resourceful Orange:
1) When approached about the assessment he said very little. During the assessment he just did what I asked him to do while stating that he hates following instructions. However very focused and calm despite the fact that we were in a noisy downtown bar where he was able to take a haul off his cigarette and a sip of his pint.
2) Interested at first. At times only physically present. Kept changing radio stations. Questions such as “How much longer? Must you explain it all? Later began to appreciate the results.
3) While completing the card sort, the subject lay on his back, hands behind head; then shifted to lie on one side with head propped up by one arm. Although excited to find out the colour spectrum, was disappointed that there was work to be done.
4) When first mentioned on the phone, she quickly interrupted me to declare that she thought she was Orange. Just like that!!! Trying to tell her more was of no use. She would not listen and suggested that I go ahead with the assessment before she would even see the cards. When I finally got her to sort the picture cards she visually scanned them quickly and again declared “It’s Orange, I already told you”. When I mentioned that there were several more steps (i.e. other dimensions) she rolled her eyes and grudgingly went through the process. In the end I ended up having to complete the score sheet for her while she demanded to know whether we were done finally and “could we go to that movie now”. Oh, in the meantime, she also managed to select a colour for me.
Michael Tudor M.Ed is a Personality Dimensions® Master Trainer who has been involved with Personality Dimensions® from its inception in 2003. Together with his partner Larry Konyu (also a Personality Dimensions® Master Trainer) he is the author of Differentiated Instruction: Personality Dimensions and Learning Styles and creator of the DVD, The Lighter Side of Talking In Colour.
As president of Kondor Enterprises and a Level 3 Master Trainer, Michael conducts Personality Dimensions® workshops for high schools, universities and the corporate sector. He also leads Level 1 and 2 Personality Dimensions® certification programs about throughout the year.
Visit Michael’s website at www.kondor.ca, or connect with him at michaeltudor@rogers.com.
