Triangle Type
The Newsletter of the RTP Chapter of the Association for Psychological Type / Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
January, 2004

Edited by Carol Shumate and Walter Smith

Board Meetings 2004

2nd Mondays every other month
January 12, March 8, May 10, July 12

Bring a snack
All members welcome

4131 Settlement Drive, Durham, NC
Contact MCB for directions
 
 Training

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Now In The Triangle
MBTI® Qualifying Training

Delivered By Roger Pearman, Ed. D.

Feb. 24-25,2004 • 8 am - 5 pm
SAS •  100 Campus Drive • Cary , NC  • $645 • 919-677-4444
Registration Deadline • Jan. 24th
 

Triangle residents now have a unique opportunity to get qualified in RTP, with a two-day workshop offered at a very special rate, hosted by SAS Institute. Best-selling author, researcher, and trainer Roger Pearman will deliver a blended learning workshop for a limited audience.

In order to keep the workshop to two days, the training is designed to include both pre-training and post-training exercises online. The fee includes web classroom, manuals, supporting publications, workshop materials, reports, and faculty support. 

Prework:

  • 15-20 hours in Qualifying.org web classroom exploring Theory, Construction, Administration, and Psychometrics

  • online self-tests for immediate learning feedback
  • web and direct faculty support before, and for six months following, training
Onsite:
  • 2-day Interpretation and Applications workshop training best practice use
  • national examination
To register, click here for the form or e-mail info@qualifying.org or call 336.774.0330.
 
 Program

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Linking The Eight Functions
to Emotional Intelligence

Delivered By Roger Pearman, Ed. D.

Feb. 24• 6:30 - 9 pm
SAS Institute •  Building F, Rm. 101 • Cary , NC

Use of one's mental resources is an expression of the range of one's emotional intelligence (EQ). The more resources one uses, the more thorough and effective the response. To maximize expression of type to enrich EQ, one needs a functional framework. Roger Pearman will explore the basic links between EQ and type by looking at the everyday uses of the eight functions within the emerging framework of emotional intelligence.  

Pearman is the first type authority to research, publish, and consult utilizing this linkage. The head of Leadership Performance Systems and Qualifying.org, Pearman is the only person awarded both the Isabel Briggs Myers' Research Award and the Mary McCaulley Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a past-President of APT and best-selling author of five books related to type, type and leadership, and type and emotional intelligence. He is a Senior Adjunct Trainer, Researcher and Feedback Coach at the Center for Creative Leadership.

  • $15 – members and students
  • $25 – nonmembers
  • $45 – yearlong membership + this program ($10 savings)

Registration: Send check to APT/RTP, along with name, address, phone, email, to:
Jan Burke, APT Treasurer, 306 Swiss Lake Drive, Cary, NC 27513. For registration questions, contact her at 919-468-8060 or coachjan2003@yahoo.com.

Directions: Take exit #287 off I-40 onto Harrison Avenue in Cary. Take the first left at the stoplight into SAS.
 
 Winter Social

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All members invited to
APT-NC's Winter Social

Tuesday, Jan. 27 • 6:30 - 9 pm
Clubhouse of Ashley Park at Brier Creek
10300 Pine Lakes Court
Raleigh, NC


Bring a dish to share and be ready for a surprise program. Beverages will be provided.

Directions: From I-40, take I-540 to exit 4B (Durham/US 70W). At first light turn left onto Brier Creek Parkway. Take immediate right onto Little Brier Creek Parkway. Ashley Park is on the right. Coming from Raleigh on 70, Brier Creek is just past the airport. Bob Evans and Dick's Sporting Goods will be visible on left. Turn left onto Brier Creek Parkway. Map available here.
 
 Article

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What is the
Communication Wheel™?

By Walter R. Smith, INFJ
Certified Interpreter

Have you ever had a compliment that embarrassed you? Or did you ever say something that inadvertently that hurt someone’s feelings? You might have been experiencing type-related miscommunication. Because of our differing personality types, we speak different languages even though we all speak English. If we are to understand each other we need to understand how the language of each type differs, and that is where the Communication Wheel™ can help.

The Communication Wheel was developed by Henry L. (Dick) Thompson, Ph.D., and is based on the MBTI™. It proposes that there are four basic languages that we speak: Intuitive, Sensing, Thinking, and Feeling. We use all of these languages, but we have our preferences. 

The Intuitive language is primarily concerned with expressing ideas and possibilities. The Sensing language is a detailed language that communicates specific information. The Feeling language expresses warmth and is concerned mostly with other people. The Thinking language is a logical language. The Sensing and Intuiting languages are opposites, and, therefore it is difficult for a Sensor and an Intuitive to understand each other. The former communicates facts while the latter communicates ideas. To the Sensor, the Intuitive person has his or her head in the clouds. To the Intuitive, the Sensor is a “stick in the mud” for details. Sergeant Joe Friday of Dragnet was a Sensor: “Just the facts ma’am,” he would tell a woman giving him her ideas of who killed the victim. 

The Thinking and Feeling languages are also opposites making it difficult for a Thinker and Feeler to understand each other. The Feeler talks in terms of people and values while the Thinker is detached and speaks logically. To the Feeler, the Thinker is cold-hearted and uncaring. To the Thinker, the Feeler is a “bleeding heart do-gooder” who has no sense of what it takes to do good for others. Mr. Spock of Star Trek comes to mind while Counselor Deanne Troi portrays the Feeler as well as an Intuitive. 

An example of type talk was illustrated for me by one of my instructors (an ENFP) in the MBTI Qualifying program. She related the time that she and her ISTJ husband were working in the garden. After six hours of work, she felt so close to him that she went to him, threw her arms around him, gave him a big kiss, and said, “Honey, I feel so close to you, I love you, and I am so glad I married you.” To which he replied, “What?” She knew she had not spoken his language. Six weeks later they had the same experience only this time she went up to him, did not touch him, and said, “Honey, I ‘m impressed. You laid out all of the gardening tools we would need and in the order in which we would need them, you had all of the fertilizers and other ingredients ready to use, and because of your efficiency we got through two hours earlier than I thought we would.” To which he replied, “Thank you, honey,” and he gave her a big hug and kiss.

  She said, “Honey, I feel so close to you, I love you, and I am so glad I married you"--- to which he replied, “What?”  

The four languages can be subdivided into dialects that are formed by combining the dominant and auxiliary functions. For example, an ENFJ has a dominant function of Intuition and an auxiliary of Feeling. The dialect for an ENFJ would be Intuitive-Feeler. You will first hear ideas from an ENFJ and then you will hear how the ideas apply to his or her values. I am an INFJ. My dominant function is Intuition but because I am an introvert my auxiliary (Feeling) is the one that is shown to the world and also the first language that I will use. Therefore, my dialect is Feeling-Intuitive. When I greet you, I will usually begin with warm words wanting to know how you are. Then, I might share my ideas, if I trust you—remember I ‘m an introvert.

There can be the following eight dialects:

            NF-Intuitive Feeling

            NT-Intuitive Thinking

            SF-Sensate Feeling

            ST-Sensate Thinking

            TS-Thinking Sensate

            TN-Thinking Intuitive

            FS-Feeling Sensate

            FN-Feeling Intuitive

The Communication Wheel™ is a one way to learn about psychological type quickly. In less than three hours people can grasp and use the basic structure of type and language. If we can identify and match the language type another person is using, we are more than likely to get our point across and to have minimal misunderstandings. I find that when people go through a Communication Wheel workshop they are more open to spending the time it takes to understand the MBTI™.  

For further information on this topic, contact Walter Smith at Lifeweb3@aol.com or see the website for Dick Thompson’s company, High Performing Systems

 
 Book Review

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Out of the Box: 
Exercises for Mastering the Power of Type to Build Effective Teams

Charles R. Martin and Thomas J. Golatz
CAPT 
Gainesville, FL 2003 

Workbook binder with CD/ROM of reproducible masters/handouts ~ $79.95 
There is something new when using Type in team building sessions. Charles R. Martin and Thomas J. Golatz have included a lot of exercises primarily intended for intermediate and advanced Type users who are trainers, OD consultants, and HR professionals. The exercises are practical and they have a real-life orientation to personality type and team building. Out of the Box: Exercises for Mastering the Power of Type to Build Effective Teams begins with brief overviews of type preferences, type dynamics, and team type analysis. The major portion of the workbook contains adaptable, ready-to-use exercises designed to improve team performance and productivity. Step-by-step instructions and tips for facilitating and debriefing accompany each exercise.

The Exercises section is divided into three parts. Samples of each section (with preferences) are listed below:

The Basic Exercises

“Contributions of the Judging and Perceiving Styles 
to Team Performance"
 J-P
“Why Do Team Building?” S-T, S-F, N-F, N-T  

Hidden Beliefs and Trying Out Our Non-preferences

“Is What We Believe About Our Opposite True?” E-I, S-N, T-F, J-P
“What Stories Am I Telling Myself? How Our 
Beliefs Lead Us to Respond to Type Differences”
All types  

The Missing Types

“Hmm . . . Something’s Different: Assessing the Impact of a Missing Dominant Function” S, N, T, and F
“Where’d the Corners Go? Impact of the 
Missing TJs”
T-J  

When I applied the S-N exercise on giving and receiving instructions to the task of making a photocopy, I found that three sensors gave me the specifics of the act of making a photocopy, while the intuitive covered the whole process from arriving at the machine to leaving it with the photocopy.

Review by Mary Charles Blakebrough

Recommendation: Buy

 

APT International Conference

July 21-25, 2004
The Westin Harbour Castle
Toronto, Canada
 
 The Light Side of Type

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Mars, Mary, an
Benjamin

By Walter R. Smith, INFJ

Type-Spotting in Fiction:  Test your type-spotting power on this piece below.  Also, send the Editors your own choices—selections from your reading that demonstrate Sensing, Intuiting, Thinking, Feeling, or other type qualities—and we’ll give you a byline.
Benjamin Stuart and his wife Mary have been married for twenty-five years. They have a good marriage, two children in college—a boy and girl, and both would say that they are more in love today than when they first got married, but neither could understand why they still felt, on many occasions, that they were ships passing in the night.

“What are we going to look at tonight, Mary?” Benjamin asked his Ph.D. astrophysicist wife as they were eating diner.

“Earth and Mars are the closest they have been to each other in 50,000 years,” she replied. “It is a good chance to see Mars like we’ve never seen it before.”

"What’s so important about Mars?”

“Mars has a diameter of 4200 miles, the Earth is 8100 miles, and the moon is 2200 miles. Earth’s orbit around the sun is circular while Mars’ orbit is eccentric so the distance between Mars and the Sun varies by 1/5 during its year. Mars is also 140 million miles away from the Sun while Earth is only 93 million miles making the temperature a lot colder than on Earth.  In the daytime the temperature is -5◦C and at night its -85◦C.  The force of gravity on Mars is exactly 38% of that of earth. While our day is twenty-four hours long, a Mars’ day is twenty-four hours and forty minutes, and there are 687 Earth days in the Mars’ year,” Mary answered.

Benjamin stared at Mary. He looked dazed. 'Darn,' she thought. 'I overwhelmed him with facts again.' 

When they arrived at the observation site, Mary set up her  Meade Starfinder Equatorial 16"/1830mm f/4.5 Newtonian Reflector Telescope with Motorized German-Type Equatorial Mount. While she was putting in the computer coordinates so they could follow Mars as the earth rotated, Benjamin gazed at the stars without a scope.

"Benjamin, come and look at Mars through the scope," Mary called.

Benjamin now seemed to be in a trance. "It's beautiful," he said. "I feel at home with the stars."

"I know,"
she said. "It's almost as if you're homesick when I call you back down to earth."
 
 President's Corner

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Gratitude For Good Things
Past, Present and to Come

By Carol Linden, ENFP

At the beginning of the New Year, I find myself experiencing gratitude for good things past, good things present, and good things to come.

I’m delighted to be able to inform you that the RTP/APT chapter is one of the strongest in the country and can therefore afford to produce top-notch programs at a very affordable price to our membership.

.

 

"Our chapter stands on a very solid financial footing." 

 

Our financial success is due in large part to the high quality of the speakers who lead our programs.  We bring to the Triangle the most renowned speakers, trainers, and authors working in the field of type, people whose fame extends well beyond the type community. Sondra VanSant who gave our fall workshop is a columnist with USA Today as well as being nationally renowned in academic circles for her work in career counseling and education. Roger Pearman, who is bringing a qualifying training to us as well as an evening presentation in February, is a best-selling author whose books include I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just Not You and Hardwired Leadership.

We have also been blessed in this chapter by wonderful leaders on the Board. Editors Carol Shumate and Walter Smith ever so faithfully and effectively handle our communications and put out a very professional newsletter. Kerry Ahrend Williams, our new secretary, records our deliberations in a way that clarifies our decisions and makes them available promptly.  Tracy Daley continues to provide us with outstanding programming, and I’m very pleased that Dawn Scott-Raxter has joined her to help carry the load.  Jan Burke, our new treasurer, provided us with an impressive financial statement that lets the board know exactly what our options are and how we can move forward to serve the chapter effectively. (And, you can imagine how impressed a board filled with NF’s was with such a report.  Financial clarity on that scale looks like sheer magic to me, ENFP that I am.)

Our membership co-coordinator, Elizabeth Wolgin, is re-vamping our records and bringing us into the 21st century in our mailings and communications. Krista Babbitt has come onboard to serve as Incoming President and has been already very involved with the Qualifying Training in February. And, last but not least, Mary Charles Blakebrough, our Past President, is an ever-present source of wisdom and support. She hosts the board meetings and provides a location for us all to gather and enjoy and serve together.

We have some wonderful surprises for you in the New Year and I invite you all to attend our January social and celebrate our good fortune together.

 
 Workshop Review

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Wired for Conflict
Sondra VanSant’s Fall Workshop

Reviewed by Carol Linden, ENFP 
& Carol Shumate, ENFP

 

“The attitudes are key in how we react to conflict.”  So said renowned trainer, author, and career counselor Sondra VanSant in the conflict resolution workshop on October 25th. 

Grouping the workshop participants by attitude:  EJ, IJ, EP, and IP, she instructed them to pantomime their habitual mode of dealing with conflict in interaction with the other groups. The EJ’s barreled across the room to confront head on their opposite group.  The IP’s decided to leave the room, but they came back when they felt ready to deal with the conflict.  The EP’s gave a mixed message. The IJ’s simply avoided the situation. Afterward, the groups shared with each other what is the best way for others to respond to their preference when in a conflict situation. 

VanSant identified some blind spots in the types with reference to the functions. Sensing- Thinking types may decide on a solution too quickly, or may not express appreciation while offering a critique. One Sensing Thinking type in the audience observed that a sore spot with her staff was the fact that she didn’t say “Good morning” to them when she arrived at the office.  It never occurred to her that this could matter to them.  When she realized that it did, she added it to her permanent ‘to-do’ list. The lesson: we need to be open to whatever it takes to help us flex.

One Sensing Thinking type in the audience observed that a sore spot with her staff was the fact that she didn’t say “Good morning” to them when she arrived at the office.


Sensing-Feeling types may ignore their own feelings as clues to the nature of the problem.  Intuitive-Feeling types may accommodate too quickly and resent it later.  Intuitive-Thinking types may view argument as objective debate while others take it as personal criticism.

VanSant also illustrated the distinctive ways in which Js and Ps approach deadlines—the source of many conflicts in personal and business environments.   While everyone starts out on a task with maximum energy, P’s will peak and then lose energy for the task almost immediately, postponing it until the last moment and peaking again only at the deadline itself.  The J’s on the other hand will work steadily on the task until completed.  In a teamwork situation, J’s can get panicked by the Ps’ approach.  The solution is to provide P’s with multiple milestones, or mini-deadlines, to be monitored on the way to completion. That way, P’s have multiple energy peaks and the J’s don’t panic when they don’t see overt progress being made. The J gets off the P’s back, and everyone survives the ride better.

In some circumstances, the MBTI may not be helpful.  Its use is contraindicated if one party wants to talk about type and the other does not.  It may also not be helpful if the parties do not agree on the level of importance of the conflict.  Finally, it will not be helpful if it is allowed to be used to intellectualize the issue rather than to validate feelings.

 
 Chart

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Problem-Solving 
with Type

 

Extraversion

• Give time to discuss problem

• Since Extraverts like to problem-solve by talking, the first solution presented may not be the final one.

Introversion

• Give time to think about the problem.

• Do not expect an immediate answer.  They may prefer to write rather than talk about it.

• Encourage them to share.

Sensing

• Focus on the specific facts and details of the problem.

• Be concrete, practical, and realistic in making suggestions.

• Present the problem clearly and concisely.  Do not beat around the bush—come straight to the point.

Intuition

Focus on the implications and meaning of the situation.

• Present solutions that are creative, innovative, and future-oriented.

• Present the big picture.  Do not get hung up on all the details.

Thinking

• Allow them to analyze the problem and present a logical perspective on the solution.

• Don’t personalize the situation.  Present the facts, be objective, discuss the issues, and brainstorm possible solutions.

• Encourage them to express their views.  Ask them, “What do you think about the situation?”

Feeling

• Ask how they are feeling about the situation or possible solutions.

• Allow them the opportunity to acknowledge their personal reaction to their perspective before asking them to move to logical analysis.  Restate their position back so they feel heard.

• Begin by talking about areas of agreement to establish harmony.

Judging

• Present the problem and suggested solutions in an organized manner.

• Recognize and acknowledge their need for closure.

Perceiving

• Recognize that they like flexibility and a variety of options.

• Present several possible solutions to the problem and allow them to choose.

c. 2003, Sondra VanSant, Wired for Conflict, Gainesville, FL: CAPT. Used with permission.

 Note To Contributors

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Triangle Type publishes four times a year:  January, March, May and October.  Submissions should be sent 30 days ahead to the Editors, Carol Shumate and Walter Smith, Book reviewers will be reimbursed for the cost of the book (up to $30). Please recommend buy/no buy for the APT/RTP library (Please see the APT-RTP website for current contents of the library, available to chapter members).
 
 Become A Member of APT

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To receive program discounts, join the RTP Chapter for only $30/year.  Send a check for $30 to Jan Burke, APT Treasurer, 306 Swiss Lake Drive, Cary, NC  27513, or contact her at 919-468-8060  

New Student Membership Fee:  $20/year

 
 Reading Preferences Quiz Results

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Click Here  
For The Results

**This is not a scientific poll. The numbers under each type refer to the number of responses from that type.

1. What is your 4-Letter Type?

2. Do you buy or borrow books?

3. Hardback or paperback?

4. What kinds of reading do you prefer?  (Mark X beside answers)

~ Quality literary fiction

~ Thrillers

~ Romance

~ Fantasy

~ Historic Novel

~ Sci Fi

~ History

~ Biography

~ Self-Help

~ Spiritual

~ Other:

5. Do you belong to any book clubs? 

6. How many hours per week do you read?

7. Do you multi-task while reading (i.e., watch TV, eat, work out)

8. Do you highlight or underline?

9. Do you dog-ear pages?

10  Do you finish a book even if you don’t especially enjoy it?

11. Which book or books do you recommend to others?

12. How do you choose a book? (Mark X beside answers)

~ Author

~ Title

~ First Line

~ Book jacket blurb

~ Recommended by others

~ Other:

 
 Board Member Profiles

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Each issue of the our newsletter highlights two members of the APT/RTP Board
Krista Babbitt, ENTJ
President-Elect

Three years ago Krista married her never boring husband, Michael (INFP).  “Understanding Type helps us to negotiate our differences,” Krista said. “Each of our primary functions is the other's inferior function, so when we're both in “the grip” (under stress) we give new meaning to the word ‘downward spiral.’”  She feels fortunate that Michael has attended several APT-RTC functions so that they could learn together about one of her favorite subjects.  Krista recently took up the sensory hobby of gardening.I don't seem to have much sense of form, space, or color, but my extraverted third function, Sensing, is getting a workout as I focus on every garden book and garden within my reach,” she said. 

Krista is a business analyst in the Operations group of SAS where she is responsible for performance management and communications within the Corporate Services Division (400+ people), and where she gets to do team training using the MBTI.  Her pastor also wants her to use Type as a complementary tool to his next sermon focus, which is on empowering people by helping them to identify and use their God given gifts and talents to glorify God.  She is looking forward to taking many of her fellow church members through the MBTI.

“The Research Triangle Chapter of APT has been special to me particularly through the years when I had little opportunity to use Type in my work; the chapter helped me to keep my skills alive.  I am honored to be on the Board again,” Krista emphasized.


Elizabeth Wolgin, INFP 
Membership Chair

Elizabeth is a Human Resources Manager at Cisco Systems in Research Triangle Park where she is responsible for providing Executive Coaching, Leadership Development and Organizational Design & Development consulting to the Sales organization. Before coming to Cisco, she worked in Human Resources at Nortel Networks supporting several areas of the business including Engineering, Marketing and Sales.   Elizabeth collaborates with her clients to apply organizational development theories to their business issues. She enjoys working with clients on change initiatives, organizational diagnosis and training and development. She is MBTI qualified and enjoys delivering MBTI workshops to intact work teams as well as to individuals in one-on-one career coaching sessions. Elizabeth lives in Durham with her husband Neal and her daughter Hannah.

 
 APT Board Members

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President, Carol Linden ENFP | e-mail

President-Elect, Krista Babbitt ENTJ | e-mail

Programs, Tracey Daley INFJ | e-mail | www. wellspring-consulting.com

Programs, Dawn Scott-Raxter ISTJ | e-mail

Co-Communications, Carol Shumate ENFP | e-mail | Writestyles.com

Co-Communications, Walter R. Smith INFJ | e-mail

Secretary, Kerry Ahrend Williams ENFP | e-mail

Treasurer, Jan Burke ENFJ | e-mail

Membership, Elizabeth Wolgin INFP  | e-mail

Past President, Mary Charles Blakebrough ENFP | e-mail

Ex-officio, Karen Ridout (SE Regional President) INFJ | e-mail  
www. wellspring-consulting.com

 
 About APT

We invite you to get to know us by exploring our website. Learn about our mission, our Board, and our program offerings. Our goal is to serve you and your Type needs by clarifying and expanding your knowledge of Type. We offer something for everyone, whether you are a Type "beginner" or a Type "expert." Our programs offer an opportunity to access some of the most prestigious and learned Type masters, as well as a chance to exchange ideas with enthusiastic Type colleagues. In addition, our quarterly newsletter keeps you up-to-date on the latest happenings in the Type world.
 
 

Newsletter produced by Tricia Weston