by Abe Udy, Director @ Abe’s Audio.
At a recent staff training session, we heard from a local GP who specialises in mental health and who has spent years helping people find out more about themselves.
Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, (here’s one online) each of us discovered more about the 4 dichotomies of Introversion / Extroversion, Sensing / Intuition, Thinking / Feeling & Judging / Perceiving.
The accuracy of the results were astounding. And while not exhaustive or totally conclusive by any means, it was a fantastic starting point to discover exactly what makes us tick, and why we behave in certain ways.
Of course, having a team of people working in advertising and production, it didn’t take long for the discussion to move into how different personalities might influence our day-to-day jobs, and that in turn posed some interesting questions.
For example:
1. How do you communicate well with people use Sensing as a way of processing information? (They focus on the basic information & logic, rather than interpreting and adding their own meaning). Is an ad that is more ‘logical’ and just presents ‘the fact’s better than a creative one in this case?
2. What kind of ads/products/services/voiceovers would best connect with an Introvert who’s idea of a good time is a quiet night at home, the last thing an Extrovert would want.
3. If a client prefers structure and order, but you are more open-minded and look at different ways to solve a problem, how do you best meet them where they’re at when discussing creative concepts and scripts?
In Australia, 70% of people are Introverts. But funnily enough, in media, many of us are Extroverts. If we continually write ads that appeal to our personality, we need to remember we might just be alienating a big part of the population. Just because we might be quick to make a decision and take action when presented with options, it doesn’t mean others will be. And that’s fine.
When we are writing / creating / producing ads and content for a broad audience, it’s important to remember that people process, make decisions and interact with each other in many different ways.
The moral of this story, for me, is to remember to think broadly, and to remember that there are many different ways of hearing and seeing the same message.
All of us are different – and we need to put ourselves in different shoes if we’re to effectively communicate with an large audience of people.
Abe Udy is a director at Abe’s Audio.