Quadrants in “Clifton Communication”

On Wednesday evening, I shifted gears from a monthly conference call of “The Academic Edge:  Inspiring Athletes to WIN in the Classroom!”  Instead of expecting kids to attend more “classes” after a long day of school, I am now offering a free monthly seminar called “Clifton Coaching:  Sharing the Tools of Social & Emotional Intelligence”  for parents, educators and other interested professionals.  This month’s theme is COMMUNICATION, such an important tool for daily happiness.  To add important texture to this topic, I interviewed Rev. Thomas Clifton, my one and only father—a minister,  former seminary president, and master facilitator.   My dad has served in country churches, for university congregations, and in urban communities; he has worked with youth and the aged; and he’s currently “on call” for sudden emergencies that may occur in the life of a religious organization.

One of the facets of our conversation this past Wednesday night was that we all have different “preferences” of communication that connect with our personality strengths.  This angle of our discussion reminded me of the Myers-Briggs assessment, a terrific tool that I use at the Clifton Corner in the form of the MMTIC, which is specialized for 2nd-12th graders.  It identifies students’ learning profile and social style, and provides effective suggestions for studying, focusing, and communicating with teachers/parents.  It’s a wonderful way to promote social growth and self-awareness.

Dr. Clifton (aka, my dad) shared a tool for understanding different styles of communicating called “The Herrmann Brain Dominance Model,” which looks like this:

Dad and I tend to land in Quadrant “C,” but I also have some very dominant tendencies in “D” as well….and it’s my personal theory that we each have at least one trait in each of the four quadrants.  For example, I’m a Problem Solver with students and tend to be an Analyzer—especially when I’m teaching critical thinking skills—and these tendencies are in Quadrant A.  In addition, I have to be a Planner, Organizational, and Administrative in my role as a small-business owner:  communication styles in Quadrant B.  However, my favorite ways to teach are through singing, imaginative lyrics, and some fun dance moves too.  You can see why I love GLEE and how I didn’t fit as an educator in a traditional school!

It’s so interesting that my dad highlighted this one tool during our conversation together, because of course it connects with Social and Emotional Intelligence and Daniel Pink’s idea of whole-brain learning!  To see the awesome resources that have developed from this tool, you can visit the Herrmann website and discover all kinds of ways to understand this innovative approach to communication, learning, and both professional/personal success.  Think this is a bunch of feel-good, warm-fuzzy hooey?  Take a look at some of Hermann International’s clients:

I’m excited to explore opportunities to incorporate this important tool of communication in sessions with my students and their families.  In the meantime, if you’d like to hear the Corner Conversation with my dad and me this week, look for it to be posted soon in Seminars, under “Clifton Coaching Calls,” on my website (www.cliftoncorner.com).