Rabbit Trails, Apples and Oranges

I am sending out a special thank you to Andrea Naef, Owner of Kahler Communications Oceania Ltd., for steering us away from the temptation to go down a rabbit trail of comparing the Process Communication Model (PCM®) to other types of personality inventories. She affirmed for us that to do so is like comparing apples to oranges. PCM simply does not fit with other profiling instruments.

The PCM is about types in people, not types of people. The PCM profile is merely an initial way for us to get a handle on all the mechanics of personality. And from that foundation, we begin to understand how we experience others – their choice of words, tones, gestures, posture, facial expressions. We learn to recognize the internal processes that we go through, and ways that we work toward getting our needs met in both positive and negative ways. PCM provides real, hands-on strategies to accurately and rapidly observe behaviors and language of personality structure, and from there we can connect and motivate for effective, accountable communication behavior.

We have always believed that once you have gone through this training and are committed to being intentional around applying and using PCM, it is not necessary to have the profiles of those around you in order to achieve healthy communication. You will see and hear what is in front of you, and you will be able to effectively connect with and motivate others.

Thanks again Andrea, for your words of wisdom.

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Jamie

This entry was posted in Blog and tagged Communication Skills, Personality, Personality Assessment, Process Communication Model. Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Rabbit Trails, Apples and Oranges

Richard Croad says: May 3, 2010 at 2:01 pm

Hi Jamie
nice addition to Andrea’s comments, thanks Jamie.
I am a trainer here in NZ – trained under Andrea and Werner who are brilliant. What you and Andrea articulate is exactly where i struggle with promoting PCM to a client, as I am not convinced they need a profile. The model itself is so strong and practical I feel the profile adds very little and the i expect most people could do the training and pick their profile without much other help. Yet the profile forms a substantial part of the initial training cost, and distances it from the ‘profiling’ tools as a result and for all the wrong reasons. I love PCM as a model; though I think the profiles are its weakness.
Enjoying these global discussions, thanks
Richard

Robert Wert says: May 4, 2010 at 6:58 am

I absolutely agree with all that Jamie and Andrea have said, but I disagree with Richard’s assessment. While the profile is only as good as the input that goes into it, those who have been teaching the model for 20+ years are uniform in their determination that for the vast majority of students, having their own profile as a guide to learning the model is essential. It personalizes the model for them and builds self-awareness, whether or not they agree with the results. It also is the single best marketing tool that anyone has found. Every single one of my training and consulting sales since I became a trainer was closed for sure the moment I reviewed the “buyers” PPI results with him or her and they saw that their characteristics were accurately reflected in the results.

Nate Regier says: May 4, 2010 at 10:03 am

Thank you Richard, and Rob. Richard, your confidence in the model and its accuracy is the kind of positive energy we need out there. You’ve captured the essence of what PCM is all about! We’ve had clients who, following a 2 or 3-day training say to us…”Now we want to know the profile of everyone in the company by we can’t possibly afford to profile them all.” This is when I reassure them that the beauty of PCM is that you don’t have to profile everyone you come into contact with. The essence is to be using the tool in the moment with each interaction. Having said that, I will share a story about the danger of hubris.

Some time ago the practice of routine autopsies was discontinued as standard medical practice in the US. The reason was that “doctors were so confident in their diagnostic accuracy that there was no longer a need to confirm routine causes of death.” A research study comparing autopsies to physician diagnoses revealed less than 50% accuracy, as well as many additional relevant conditions that the physician has missed. A big blow to their egos and professional credibility. There is value in “original source” data, and we find the PCM Profile to be just that. It is valuable to keep us honest and sharp, and it is valuable to reinforce that same message for our clients. The full 6-story condo offers invaluable data on the richness and nuance of personality, and for us it helps guard against the human tendency to oversimplify and stereotype, no matter our skill in PCM tools.

3 Responses to Rabbit Trails, Apples and Oranges

Leave a Reply Cancel reply