Are you an inductive or deductive communicator?

The question of this blog entry is an important one. To be able to answer it it is critical to understand what the question is asking. It is not everyday someone categories the way they communicate as either inductive or deductive It explains why I always get quizzical stares after asking the question.

I was recently at a cafe with a friend enjoying a good conversation over a coffee. He was explaining to me how his business trips to the eastern states of Europe went. His explanation meandered hither and dither. It was not until ten minutes later that he got to the point - that it is much harder to do business with the former Soviet states than it is with Western Europe.

The whole time I was wishing he would get to the point. For me, the explanation seemed like a long road with a lot of twists and bends. I kept thinking the final destination was just around the next corner, but there was just another stretch of road. At this point, you might be thinking that I'm an impatient geezer. (You are not too far off.)

The simple example shows the difference between an inductive and deductive communicator. My friend is an inductive speaker. That is, he has the general tendency to first talk about the details and second about the point. I'm more of a deductive communicator. That is, I mention the point first and then present the details.

Is one type better than another? No. They are simply two patterns of explaining information. The take-away lesson is that it is a good idea to be aware if the person you are talking to uses an inductive or deductive pattern of speech.

For example, when I'm explaining something to my friend (the same friend from the earlier example), I usually start off with the details and then get to the point. For me, this is more laboursome. For my friend, it is the natural pattern of his thinking. By taking the extra time and effort I know my message has a greater chance of being understood.

In my coaching practice, one of the first things I want to know is the pattern of thinking of my client. The simple fact of understanding if a person likes details first or prefers the point first, helps me heaps in establishing a strong rapport with him/her.

So dear reader, do you prefer the details first or th point? Not to sound repetitive, are you an inductive or an deductive communicator?

- On the road with my iPhone

Tools of the Trade

When it comes to sitting in a coaching session, I've found it very useful to keep the tools of the trade low-tech. Having a small notebook and a couple of pens works best for me.

Conversations have a tendency to be very organic. That is, a conversation is like a tree. It will begin on a main root, but will naturally branch off in a new direction. The reasons for this are as numerous as the leafs on a tree. The point is that a conversation can branch of several times in different directions. Perhaps it may return to the original root of the conversation or it blooms into a completely different direction.

I have found it to be critical to be aware of these conversational branches and to mark them down in my notebook. I usually write down a key-word that the client has said that has triggered the change in direction. This helps me to track the flow of the conversation. I do this for several reasons.

Sometimes the client may be in the midst of explaining an issue using general and vague terms. If it is at a point in the conversation where they are still in a flow of thought, I will note down the key-word or phrase. When he/she comes to the natural end-point of their thought-flow, I will reflect back to what I wrote down and ask for clarification.

I have developed my own little symbols and short-hand to note down these conversational branches. It's necessary to do this since coaching dialogues move very fast and the direction can shift in an exhale. It allows me to move with the rapid speed of the conversation while still taking notes to move the client to be more specific and concrete.

I've yet to discover anything that is better than a notebook (my choice is moleskines http://www.moleskine.co.uk/ ) and a couple of pens.