priority: people or tasks? What's his process for making a decision: data and facts or hunches and intuition? This model quickly covers the basics in people reading, and provides pointers for customizing your responses based on the characteristics of your new acquaintance.

People reading starts with listening. By interested

We've heard the slogans: career success depends on developing relationships, establish rapport with your colleagues. And do it quickly! No longer is it enough to treat our co-workers the way we would like to be treated. Now we are being challenged to employ the Platinum Corollary to the Golden Rule: do unto others the way they would like to be done unto.

But how can you do it? How do you quickly size up a new team member, or an internal customer, and then shape your approach to his style? How do you read new colleagues in real time, and then use what you've discovered to help you be more effective and productive together?

Strategies and approaches to people reading abound. Behavioral scientists have developed style assessment instruments. Team building experts offer six cassette audio programs and three day seminars. Some even have lists of questions to memorize.

But, it is tough to refer to a list when you're meeting a new co-worker, to remember the pros' suggestions in real time, and certainly not the time to administer a paper and pencil instrument.

Use the "three P's" instead:

All the suggestions and models for people reading can be summarized in three P's: pace, priority and process. Pace assesses energy: does this person talk, think and move fast or slow? What's her priority: people or tasks? What's his process for making a decision: data and facts or hunches and intuition? This model quickly covers the basics in people reading, and provides pointers for customizing your responses based on the characteristics of your new acquaintance.

People reading starts with listening. By interested

uld like to be done unto.

But how can you do it? How do you quickly size up a new team member, or an internal customer, and then shape your approach to his style? How do you read new colleagues in real time, and then use what you've discovered to help you be more effective and productive together?

Strategies and approaches to people reading abound. Behavioral scientists have developed style assessment instruments. Team building experts offer six cassette audio programs and three day seminars. Some even have lists of questions to memorize.

But, it is tough to refer to a list when you're meeting a new co-worker, to remember the pros' suggestions in real time, and certainly not the time to administer a paper and pencil instrument.

Use the "three P's" instead:

All the suggestions and models for people reading can be summarized in three P's: pace, priority and process. Pace assesses energy: does this person talk, think and move fast or slow? What's her priority: people or tasks? What's his process for making a decision: data and facts or hunches and intuition? This model quickly covers the basics in people reading, and provides pointers for customizing your responses based on the characteristics of your new acquaintance.

People reading starts with listening. By interested

oaches to people reading abound. Behavioral scientists have developed style assessment instruments. Team building experts offer six cassette audio programs and three day seminars. Some even have lists of questions to memorize.

But, it is tough to refer to a list when you're meeting a new co-worker, to remember the pros' suggestions in real time, and certainly not the time to administer a paper and pencil instrument.

Use the "three P's" instead:

All the suggestions and models for people reading can be summarized in three P's: pace, priority and process. Pace assesses energy: does this person talk, think and move fast or slow? What's her priority: people or tasks? What's his process for making a decision: data and facts or hunches and intuition? This model quickly covers the basics in people reading, and provides pointers for customizing your responses based on the characteristics of your new acquaintance.

People reading starts with listening. By interested

ons in real time, and certainly not the time to administer a paper and pencil instrument.

Use the "three P's" instead:

All the suggestions and models for people reading can be summarized in three P's: pace, priority and process. Pace assesses energy: does this person talk, think and move fast or slow? What's her priority: people or tasks? What's his process for making a decision: data and facts or hunches and intuition? This model quickly covers the basics in people reading, and provides pointers for customizing your responses based on the characteristics of your new acquaintance.

People reading starts with listening. By interested

priority: people or tasks? What's his process for making a decision: data and facts or hunches and intuition? This model quickly covers the basics in people reading, and provides pointers for customizing your responses based on the characteristics of your new acquaintance.

People reading starts with listening. By interested questioning, deliberate listening, and thoughtful analysis of what we have heard, we understand what people want and how we can best explain what we have to do. Our understanding builds rapport. With rapport comes the beginnings of relationship. With relationship comes increased likelihood of successful teamwork. We go where they are so we can lead them to where we would like them to be.

Step one: ask questions. Find out what they can offer. What have they been doing? Has it worked well for them? What do they need, what resources are important? Ask for clarification of incomplete or confusing answers.

Step Two: listen to what they say and how they say it. Listen for content: what they are saying. What is their need? What don't they need or want? Check it out. Are you accurate, or are you working from what you think they should need?

Listen with your third ear: how are they saying what they are saying? How people talk gives the clues for reading them in real time. Watch for physical clues, how they move their body and use the space around them. Listen for vocal clues, their tone of voice and the pacing of their words. Think about the words that they use to assess their information processing style. Listening for content tells you their needs. Listening with the third ear tells you their style.