Product Description

Do you communicate ineffectively with some people and powerfully with others? The reason may be a difference in personalities and communication preferences. The Art of Speedreading People is a crash course in communication strategies, showing you how to observe behavioral clues to gain valuable insights into people's personalities and communication styles. The result: you become a more effective and convincing communicator, and you are more likely to receive the response you want. This book is like a practical communications seminar based on the psychology model called Personality Typing, which is focused on identifying key personality traits in order to communicate most effectively. First, you analyze your own personality type and determine your placement on the scales of extrovert/introvert, sensor/intuitive, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. The book then teaches you about the clues that indicate other people's personality type, including speaking style, body language, and occupation. You test yourself by reading a few scenarios and personality typing the characters described. You put the system to work by learning approaches to "speedreading" people in person and on the phone using skill-building exercises. Finally, you learn how to communicate effectively with people who are a different type or temperament than you. The Art of Speedreading People is intriguing and useful, especially for those who work in a sales, service, teaching, or managerial position, or any job where effective and positive communication is paramount.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7841 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.com
Do you communicate ineffectively with some people and powerfully with others? The reason may be a difference in personalities and communication preferences. The Art of Speedreading People is a crash course in communication strategies, showing you how to observe behavioral clues to gain valuable insights into people's personalities and communication styles. The result: you become a more effective and convincing communicator, and you are more likely to receive the response you want.

This book is like a practical communications seminar based on the psychology model called Personality Typing, which is focused on identifying key personality traits in order to communicate most effectively. First, you analyze your own personality type and determine your placement on the scales of extrovert/introvert, sensor/intuitive, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. The book then teaches you about the clues that indicate other people's personality type, including speaking style, body language, and occupation. You test yourself by reading a few scenarios and personality typing the characters described. You put the system to work by learning approaches to "speedreading" people in person and on the phone using skill-building exercises. Finally, you learn how to communicate effectively with people who are a different type or temperament than you. The Art of Speedreading People is intriguing and useful, especially for those who work in a sales, service, teaching, or managerial position, or any job where effective and positive communication is paramount.

From Booklist
The authors have taken a well-respected aspect of psychology called "personality typing" and devised the art of "speed reading" people as a powerful tool for quickly and accurately identifying key personality traits for effective communication. The book also serves as an infomercial for the authors' consulting practice. Tieger and Barron-Tieger aim to accurately identify key characteristics of personality that are present in all people, through understanding how people are energized, what kind of information they naturally notice and remember, how they make decisions, and how they organize the world around them. The first section of the book is devoted to the underlying principles of personality type, the second section addresses communicating with people in their favorite style, and the final section deals with understanding and appreciating the subtleties and preferred communication styles of the 16 types identified by the concept of personality type. Although some readers may not agree with all of the authors' views, this book provides useful insight into the ongoing challenge of effective communication. Mary Whaley

About the Author
Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, authors of the bestselling DO WHAT YOU ARE and NUTURE BY NATURE, are well-known authorities in the application of Personality Type and have trained thousands of managers, counselors, and teachers over the past fifteen years. They live in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

"Art"? Maybe as in fingerpainting. Aw that's harsh.
I generally like Meyers-Briggs personality books. The test is pretty acurate as far as standardized personality tests go. It's pretty flexible and encompassing and if you haven't taken it you should. You'll learn something about yourself.

That said, I don't think this book was the best example of what one can achieve using knowledge of Meyers-Briggs. The speed reading is not very revealing. The tips they give are things anyone with familiarity with the system could figure out on their own. In the beginning of the book one of the authors talks about the time she had to give a presentation to someone and she observed that he was a meticulous fellow and then used her amazing people reading skills to determine that he might be very detail oriented, so she crafted her presentation with that in mind. Really? A meticulous person might be detail oriented? Well madame how DO you DO it? It's not bad information but it's stuff you don't need if you have any of the other Meyers-Briggs books and a bit of intellectual horsepower. If you've never been introduced to these personality tests I guess this is an ok introduction, but eventually you'll want to move on to something a bit more meaty, like "Please Understand Me", or "Gifts Differing". There is a little new material here but it's sort of a re-heated version of the previous two books I just mentioned. Sure some of it is useful stuff, I just think there are better books out there. But that's just my opinion. It is worth a look, maybe check it out from the library first and see what you think.

Very insightful, pleasantly pleased.
My impression of personality tests where like Horoscope readings. However, after reading this book, I was mightly impressed.

It really does identify your personality type and explore your personal traits. The thing that I found most interesting was the way they explained the four temperaments. It talked about how the 4 temperaments are nothing new and how it has been around since history. I found this quite fascinating especially since I believe that people are unique and different. Although this may be true, I was quite convinced by the book that there are very similiar traits within the same group of personality type or temperament.

I think this is very interesting to think throughout history, even though we may evolve in different ways, we are basically the same people. Wow! To think there are many others out there that are like me is astounding. This book definitely opens up your eyes and gives you a great understanding of people and why people act that way.

I think it's also very important how the book notes that while this provides a great perspective, to use caution because there are many factors that could influence how a person acts (social expectations, culture, etc.) However, the book goes on to further say that a person's most comfortable way of acting is living to their personality. This may not make sense, but after reading the book, I'm sure you will.

The information as described in the book is about 80% accurate, plus or minus. There is a portion in there that seems highly contradictive for my personality type. Especailly when it talks about the I/E Feeling. However, most of it is pretty accurate.

I haven't finished the book, but obviously the book says it's suppose to teach you how to speed read people. I have been able to do this partly, but I think it does take intensive study for you to learn the material and have it readily available when you actually interact with people.

Overall, a definitely good read!

It's so Great
wow this book gives us the best of solution to understand and identify the personality of others. I recommend it!