Since E.G. Sebastian (egsebastian.com
) was in his early 20s, he wanted to be a public speaker. Yet there was at least one good reason the young man from Hungary could not speak in public.
It made him weak in the knees. “When I'd stand up in front of a crowd, my knees would start shaking and feel like butter, ready to melt. I'd have a tremendous knot inmystomach. My voice would start shaking, and after speaking for about three minutes, tears would start flowing and I'd have to wrap it up- a tragically painful process,” Sebastian said.
Two advanced speech classes at Technical College of the Low country helped Sebastian change that. “I found that my classmates loved my speeches and I developed a love of standing up in front of crowds and that took me one step closer to my hidden dream,” he said.
Hidden, because it was not until doing life coaching training that another teacher asked him a magic question: “If you could pursue anything for your career, and there were no limits, no barriers, what would you do?” Sebastian felt the answer stir within him. “I'd be a public speaker,” he said. “I'd be the second Anthony Robbins.”
Now Sebastian has realized that dream. He makes his living teaching organizations skills that help them work together.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE
When E.G. Sebastian learned the DISC communication system, it immediately improved his communications at work and at home.
Now he teaches DISC to companies hoping to improve their communication and thereby their productivity.
The system groups people by their strengths - and their communications styles. It places people in a quadrant based on whether they are more task or people oriented (X-axis), action-packed or thoughtful (Y-axis).
Taking a simple test reveals leanings that can help people understand themselves and others.
It's all about recognizing that “others are not weird; they are just differently wired,” Sebastian said. Also, it allows people to become more effective by improving in weak areas and learning to communicate with different personality types.
DISC TYPES
Kristina and Charlie Wetmore discovered DISC from teacher Skid Logan while at a Family Life Marriage Conference in Columbia.
The Bluffton parents of five said it helped them to understand their middle son, Steven.
Kristina and Charlie- and four of their five children- rank high in the I (influence) and D (dominance) areas. They tend to be active, outgoing, assertive and bold.
Steven, their middle child, is a high S (for steadiness).
“Steven is not spontaneous at all. (When he was younger) if I said, "Okay everyone, let"s go for a ride in the car,' he'd go into a shutdown where he couldn't put his shoes on. “At first I thought maybe he was being disobedient. Then I thought there was something wrong, that he couldn't help it,” Kristina Wetmore said.
After DISC training, she realized Steven was just a different personality type.
“Steven likes order. If I said "In 10 minutes we"re going to go to the library,' he'd have his shoes on,” she said.
As an S, Steven may take longer to get to know, but he'll be a lifelong friend.
Learning about the other types helped in other areas, too.
She said her husband used to be a children's minister and, “I could just jump in and teach a Sunday school class on the fly because I'm spontaneous.
“But to walk into an Awana meeting and say, "We"re doing everything different tonight' could be very detrimental because there are other leaders there who don't handle spontaneity well but who have other strengths, like they're prepared, they're meticulous, they like things in order and they can handle things for longer periods of time,” she said.
WORKING TOGETHER
Sebastian said the different types work in a complementary way. Too many I's or D's mean lots of ideas, but no one actually doing the work.
“S [Steady] and C(conscientious) sometimes wish they were more outgoing, but they do the lion's share of the work in society,” he said. Meanwhile I's are wildly creative and fun, and D's make great leaders.
Sebastian recently presented DISC to members of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, including Liz Mitchell, chamber tourism and marketing director.
Mitchell said DISC training helped those in her organization appreciate what everyone contributes.
“Perceived weaknesses are easily managed when we know a bit about their origins,” Mitchell said.
Wetmore continues to use DISC and said it helps her deliver parenting messages in away each of her children can bestunderstand.
“It's so cool that our world is so diverse, that people are not the same. It's cool we're made differently so we can all work together,” Wetmore said.
Sara Wright, a sky-high I, also boasts moderate doses of D and S but nearly no C. She is a staff-writer for Bluffton Today.
DISC is designed to help people better understand themselves and others by recognizing different personality types, how to motivate them, understanding their fears and their triggers for conflict, and understanding how to most effectively communicate with each type.
While everyone is unique, DISC highlights behavioral tendencies that are highly predictable.
Famous DISC personalities:
Dominant: Michael Jordan, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Walters
Influence: Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey, Oprah Winfrey, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin
Steadiness: Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, Barbara Bush, John Denver, Mr. Rogers
Conscientiousness: Bill Gates, Diane Sawyer, Detective Colombo, Alan Greenspan
What's your type?
Dominance (D): Direct and decisive. Strong-willed, strong minded people, D's like accepting challenges, taking action and getting immediate results. D's are the “Let's do it” people.
Influence (I): Optimistic and outgoing. I's are “people people” who like socializing, working in teams, sharing ideas and energizing and entertaining others. I's are the “Let's have fun” people.
Steadiness (S): Sympathetic and cooperative. S's are helpful, supportive people who like working behind the scenes, perform in consistent and predictable ways and are great listeners. S's are the “Let's not rock the boat and let's be nice to each other” people.
Conscientiousness (C): Concerned and correct. C's are sticklers for quality and like planning ahead. C's are the “Let's think about this before we act, and let's do it right the first time” people.
