Five Powerful Communication Strategies to watch

out for in tonight’s Leaders Debate

In high stress, high stakes environments

such as tonight’s Leaders debate you will

see these communication strategies played

out to the max

What are the Satir Catagories?

As a broad rule of thumb, Virginia Satir identified five typical behavioural types of human being.

These five types are not intended as labels, but as commonly identified patterns that occurs within human

interactions.

These categories of behaviour can be applied to differing contexts. One useful application is in the context of

communicating and presenting.

To be able to alternate consciously between the five types adds dimension, flexibility and variety to your

platform skills.

The Placator.

Seeks to please and avoid confrontation.

Exhibits vulnerability.

Typical posture: hands spread with palms up.

Main sensory channel: Kinaesthetic.

Use this category to soften, influence through vulnerability

and offer approachability.

Seeks to put the blame on others.

Aggressive, authoritarian, and, in the extreme, bullying.

Typical posture: pointing finger.

Main sensory channel: Visual.

Use this category to dominate, control, challenge

others, question their responsibility for X and regain

the initiative.

The Blamer.

Seeks to influence through logic and rational argument.

Remote and unemotional.

Main sensory channel: Auditory internal dialogue (they talk as

if they are holding a running internal commentary with

themselves).

Typical posture is folded arms or one arm across the body and

the other arm upright with fingers connecting the mouth and

the ear (telephone position).

Use this category to slow yourself down, and to appear

thoughtful, reasonable and logical.

The Computer/Super-Reasonable

An ever changing combination of the previous three.

A good example is the flustered hostess at the party who is

trying to please everyone; scurrying here and there,

forgetting everything immediately, and totally confusing

themselves.

Movement is constant, unfocused and asymmetrical.

Use this category to change direction and tempo, and to

cover up any problem before it becomes apparent.

In other words, use this category to confuse others before

they notice your errors

The Distractor

Assertive, organising and managing.

Levels with the audience, puts their cards on the

table, brings things out into the open.

Typical stance: arms in front, palms down.

Use this category to take easy relaxed control of

your audience and the information.

The Leveller

Paul Miller

www.thementalmusclecompany.com

@mentalmuscleco.