True Colors on Your Team

As the fall semester approaches rapidly, it is the perfect time to think about the True Colors spectrums that make up your work team. In our daily work we can - too often it seems - forget that our best communication occurs when we address someone in their communication style instead of your own. The apparent disconnect between how we see ourselves and how others see us is the divide between us.

Entering the fall semester with these feelings of disconnection at play can result in lack of collaboration, communication and (obviously) connection leading to a failure to create the best work product for our students.

Acknowledging that is the first step to an improved team. We are going to communicate to co-workers and constituents in a manner closer to how they see themselves. We will set our lens of who they are aside. Pledge to avoid the false perception of “Everyone likes how I get talk about the issues. I am going to do my way.”

Ready to get started? Try this as an activity at your next staff meeting.

Supply: Handout – True Colors on Your Team

Instructions: Give staff time to review their dominant color sheet.

1. Ask each staff member to summarize their dominant color’s perspective of teamwork in one sentence.
2. As a staff, review the tips in the dotted box at the bottom on each page (for all four colors).
3. Discuss how these perspectives impact your team.
4. Conclude with staff members reviewing each color (in their own words) and what they heard when individuals described themselves.
5. Appoint Discussion Leaders to catch any misperceptions and ask them to say the word “Reframe.”
6. When the reframe is called other staff jump in to reframe that perspective to align with the individuals summary statement.

Good luck! Keep talking!
This handout has been authorized to be posted with permission by Mary Miscisin (Aug 2012)
Mary Miscisin is the author of SHOWING OUR TRUE COLORS, A Fun, Easy Guide for Understanding and Appreciating Yourself and Others.

(c) 2005 Mary Miscisin, All Rights Reserved www.PositivelyMary.com Permission to duplicate this article is granted ONLY with the copyright and contact information intact.

True Colors Upcoming Training --


True Colors Training Schedule for STAFF (SD 410) ---- FALL 2012

Training Schedule for Fall 2012 ----- see attached schedule

True Colors Training Schedule for Student Affairs STUDENT employees (SD 417) -- FALL 2012

Training Schedule for Fall 2012 ----- see attached schedule

Any comments? Please send to VPSA@utsa.edu

Training Schedule for Fall 2012------see attached schedule

VPSA@utsa.edu