Uses for DiSC Profiles

On a daily basis I talk to people who wonder how DiSC Profiles can help their organization. DiSC is a flexible assessment that can be used in a variety of ways. If you can think of a situation where understanding a person's behavioral tendencies might be helpful then you’ve come up with a way to use DiSC. If you can think of a situation where you need to figure out how to approach or motivate a person or group then you’ve come up with another way to use the DiSC Assessment. The truth is you can use the tool any way you see fit. Some of the most common uses include:

• Assessing current employees
• Evaluating potential hires
• Improving communication
• Understanding behavior
• Learning how and when to adapt behavior
• Promoting the appreciation of differences
• Enhancing individual and team performance
• Reducing conflict
• Creating and maintaining relationship-based sales
• Identifying customers' DiSC styles and adapting selling or support styles
• Staying focused on customer needs
• Managing difficult customer service situations

DiSC can be taken in different formats. There is an online DiSC profile and a paper-based DiSC booklet. Each profile uses a series of 28 groups of words where participants choose which word is most like them and which is least like them. Each group contains 4 words for the participant to choose from. In the paper version participant’s use a coin to scratch off their choices and reveal corresponding symbols. They then calculate their scores based on a count of theses symbols. Once the student completes the scoring they can look up their results in the back of the booklet. Online profiles are scored electronically and the results are provided in a narrative format. The participant answers the questions using their mouse and once the profile is submitted the results are returned instantly. People find this is a convenient option considering the time constraints placed on people these days. Organizations that wish to use online DiSC profiles have the option of using an online account we call EPIC – Electronic Profile Information Center. EPIC allows organizations to distribute profiles 24 hours a day and restrict people from viewing their results. The system provides several other options but I think we’ll get into that next week. For now, please feel free to post how you use DiSC.