When working in a group environment, one will encounter different people who think, learn and act in different ways. In order to succeed, we must understand these differences and how to use them to our advantage while working with others.
Multiple Intelligences When Gardner developed his Multiple Intelligence theory, it gave people a new insight to the way we learn. This breakthrough also helped us to work more effectively with one another as well as how to better communicate with each other.
Verbal-Linguistic Someone who is Verbal-Linguistic is very simply good with language. A Verbal-Linguistic person will excel with writing, talking or listening. Therefore, to better work with this type of an individual, one should either write notes or have a face-to-face conversation. This way the Verbal-Linguistic person can best understand and contribute to the group.
Intrapersonal Intrapersonal individuals excel at being alone and their own thoughts and feelings. They may at first seem to be a detriment to a group because of their tendency to want to be quiet and observe. This behavior may be seen by others as someone who does not want to work together or contribute, which can lead to conflict. To work with someone who is intrapersonal, one should be aware that they might not express their ideas openly. Any tasks that need to be done that don’t involve the group as a whole could be delegated to this individual.
Visual-Spatial Artwork, design and formatting are all things Visual-Spatial people do best. When working with someone who is Visual-Spatial, it will help to not give long speeches. Visual-Spatial learners best learn and contribute through the use of pictures, maps and diagrams. To effectively make use of these individuals, any tasks that relate to this would be best.
Personality Types According to the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, there are four types of personalities: thinker,