MBTI Type & Client Communication: MBTI Module 4

• Module 4: MBTI Type & Client Communication

Client communication and creating a flexible communication style suited to handle all MBTI personality preferences can have a positive effect on the practice team. Effective communication requires good working knowledge of personality types, full understanding of your own type, and how to communicate with others.

Module 4 will explore ways to connect with clients by using the knowledge gained from modules 1–3. You can do this by understanding the differences between yourself and others and applying what you know about preferred communication techniques from each type.

Learning Objectives

Learn how to use an understanding of individual MBTI preferences to improve client communication:

✦ Identify your preferred style.

✦ Tune in to others’ styles and needs by noticing clues that reveal their personality preferences.

✦ Adjust your communication preferences to fit the needs of others. Learn about the effective 4-stage model for doctor–client and staff–client communication:

✦ In stage 1, understand how to effectively initiate interaction based on the client’s preference for extraversion or introversion.

✦ In stages 2 and 3, investigate the needs of the client and suggest action based on the client’s style for both sensing or intuition and thinking or feeling.

✦ In stage 4, learn about closure and if a client needs a swift conclusion or would rather discuss options.

✦ Explore the challenge of being flexible with your own style. Learn how your applied knowledge of MBTI type can encourage and guarantee satisfaction and adherence from clients:

✦ Understand that through flexibility with your own type, clients are more likely to adhere to your advice and guidelines discussed about the necessary care for a pet.

✦ Practice using the model indicated in the chapter.

✦ Consider making lists or write down helpful tips about each type to remember how to influence your clients most effectively.

✦ Learn how to ask the client revealing questions for each type to gauge how to handle the subject. Once you learn about how to apply the MBTI type preferences, you can teach your staff to understand the types and how to effectively communicate with clients for a more positive experience in your practice. Don’t forget to ask the client in the case of a potential confrontation or misunderstanding. Clarifying what someone means when they say or do something confusing will influence the way you communicate in the future by revealing more about the client personality preference.

Course Content

Part 18: Personality types and communication
Identify your preferred style
✦ Determine how you prefer to get energized, take in information, make decisions, and approach life.

Part 19: Tune In to the Other Person
Understanding other’s personality types
✦ Notice the way in which the other person talks and determine whether they are extroverted or introverted.
✦ Understand the kinds of questions the client is asking.
✦ Sense what the client wants from you and what criteria they use to make decisions.
✦ See how quickly the client wants to make a decision.

Part 20: Adjust Your Approach
Learn to be flexible in your style of communication
✦ Based on what you learn from the client, learn to communicate with all personality types, including ones that match and do not match your own.
✦ Use the four stages of client communication as a model for effective doctor–client and staff–client communication.
✦ Learn to connect with clients with different types to more effectively understand what they want and how you get be flexible to give them what they need.
✦ Understand the challenges of flexing your own type and develop skills to overcome that.

Part 21: Adherence—Encouraging clients to follow your clinical recommendations
Meet the goal to communication with clients to promote an informed decision about what is best for the pet.
✦ Communicate information in such a way for each preferred style that clients are more likely to adhere to recommendations.
✦ When doubtful of how to understand a client’s needs, ask questions to understand what they need from you and how you can more efficiently present information.
✦ Clarify information for clients and for yourself by asking if you interpreted their point of view correctly.

Required materials • Required course content is online.
Optional and recommended • Take the MBTI online