Myers Briggs® ISFP Personality Types and Communication Styles

Developing a deeper understanding of individuals’ Myers Briggs® Personality Types can provide valuable insights into how and why they communicate in certain ways, helping employees at all managerial levels anticipate miscommunications before they occur, streamlining operations, and ultimately improving the functioning of any team, organization, or corporation. According to Dunning (2003), communication is one of the most under-emphasized aspects of workplace organization, in large part because so much of it is entirely unconscious. However, taking the time to connect your MBTI Type with your corresponding communication style can save time, energy, and ultimately, money. This post focuses in particular on ISFPs’ (Introverted-Sensing-Feeling-Perceiving) personality types and their communicative tendencies.

About ISFP Personalities

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Dunning (2003) writes that ISFP personality types are “practical and insightful enhancers” (Dunning, p. 4). They tend to be quiet and calm listeners, taking in the contributions of others and considering how these contributions might be true or valuable to the team’s goals. They are practical, realistic problem-solvers and avoid passing judgment prematurely. While at first glance they may seem overly supportive or harmonious, they are still realistic about what strategies would be possible to implement. Maintaining a tolerant, positive atmosphere in the workplace is of the utmost importance to them. As a result, they tend to downplay their own accomplishments and tend to be highly private people. That said, when their values or the values of someone or something they hold dear are threatened, they spring to attention and will defend themselves in such situations.

ISFP Personalities at Work & Productivity Tips for Team members

When working with ISFPs, it is of the utmost importance to give specific, detailed information that indicates what they are expected to do and when. Once these instructions are given, ISFPs need time to work freely in order to go through their process on their own. While collaboration and encouragement can be important, freedom is as well. That said, ISFPs do benefit from supportive language, especially in one-on-one communication that establishes trust. Establishing such relationships make ISFPs feel valued and needed in the workplace, and can help them become more invested in an organization or team.

ISFPs tend to be highly sensitive to change in the workplace, and tension or conflict make them very uncomfortable very quickly. As a result, they tend to avoid giving critical feedback, and may not receive it very well. When giving ISFPs critical feedback, it is helpful to frame it as constructive. In other words, state very clearly what could be improved and what steps could be taken to improve it, rather than focusing on the problems themselves. By doing this, an emphasis is placed on action steps and a forward-moving orientation rather than wallowing in their shortcomings and the potential damage they did or could have done in their attempts.

Increasing awareness of different personality types and their diverse communicative tendencies and making small efforts to include these basic practices into communication can help make the workplace a more positive and productive place for everyone, not just for ISFP personality types.

Learn to communicate more efficiently by understanding how your personality type best interacts with others with the MBTI test below:

Learn about your conflict-resolution style to help you resolve problems and issues as effectively as possible with the TKI test below:

Reference

1. Introduction to Type and Communication. (Dunning, D. CPP, 2003)

Visit Our ISFP Personality Type Information Page to Learn More About The ISFP Personality Type

Explore Our Other ISFP Blog Pages:

• How the MBTI ISFP Type relates to Innovation
• How the MBTI ISFP Type relates to Project Management
• How the MBTI ISFP Type relates to Emotional Intelligence
• How the MBTI ISFP Type relates to Leadership
• Myers-Briggs test ISFP Personality Type relates to Learning Styles
• Myers-Briggs test ISFP Personality Type relates to Decision-Making

Click on one of these corresponding popular ENTJ Careers for detailed information including Career Stats, Daily Tasks and Required Education:

Bill and Account Collector, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks,Cashier, Medical Transcriptionist, Nursing Assistant, Packaging & Filling Machine Operators, Pharmacy Technician,Physical Therapy Aide, Procurement Clerk, and Team Assembler.

Click On Your Personality Type in The Graph Below & Read About Your Communication Style

Click on a link below to read more about different MBTI Personality Types