Myers Briggs® ENFJs and Communication

Workplace miscommunications often squander resources that could be better spent working towards maximizing output and production and increasing an organization’s efficiency. For years, they were considered an inevitable result of people working together in a close, fast-paced environment. However, recent research has linked Myers Briggs® Personality Types to individual tendencies and quirks of communication. Dunning (2003), builds on this research and provides insights into the different characteristics of individual’s communication based on their personality type, as well as how to improve workplace communication based on these groundbreaking findings. This blog post takes a closer look at The ENFJ Myers-Briggs® personality type and their communication style in the workplace.

According to Dunning (2003), ENFJ personality types (extraverted-intuitive-feeling-judging) are “insightful contributors” – they are decisive people, but also enjoy communicating and cooperating with others. They tend to be warm and compassionate, and are able to synthesize logistics and strategy to meet long-term goals in an organized and coherent fashion. They are able to do this smoothly in a way that few do. They also value means as much as the ends in decision making. Because of these characteristics, at first glance they seem sincere, collaborative, and that they genuinely enjoy leading others to success. They tend to guide others in a mentoring, teaching way, rather than as disciplinarians or reinforces of policy. They take great effort to actively support other team members, both with words as well as actions. This kind of community building is of the utmost importance to them.

MBTI® ENFJ Personality Type

On the other hand, ENFJ types can sometimes have a tendency to take criticism personally, or not necessarily be able to distinguish between others’ criticism of ideas versus individuals. For this reason, when communicating with them, it is often necessary to give positive feedback as well as constructive criticism, and to share inspirational messages and stories. It can also help to build personal and individual relationships with ENFJs, to reinforce that they are supported as people. ENFJs also thrive when being encouraged rather than threatened. Therefore, avoid wielding positions of power or authority as disciplinarians whenever possible –more often than not, they will get the opposite of the intended result. Similarly, try to seem warm and open rather than cold or impersonal.

If you are an ENFJ, it’s important to remember that other people may not necessarily communicate in the same ways as you do, or have the same values as you do. Therefore, try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Along the same lines, be realistic about your expectations of yourself and others, and learn to say no. Also, at times, especially when interacting with people who prefer more direct or practical language and applications, try to focus more on the concrete outcomes of a particular meeting or project. This will help others hone in on the changes you are trying to implement and will stop you from coming across as being verbose or long-winded.

Increasing awareness of the interaction between communicative differences or tendencies and personality types can help reduce miscommunications in the workplace. Remember that communication requires both a speaker and a listener, so everyone needs to make an effort to understand others better and communicate more effectively. Simple things like being aware of your own reactions and giving others the benefit of the doubt can really go a long way towards building a better workplace environment for everyone.

This blog post will conclude our series on Myers-Briggs Personality Types and Communication Styles. From here we will take you on an epic exploration via another sixteen-part blog series regarding Myers-Briggs Personality Type and Decision-Making. Return next week to begin reading about how your personality type plays a vital role in how you, a teammate, friend or loved one approaches the decision-making process and in turn chooses particular types of decisions depending upon factors related to their MBTI® Type such as their moral compass, logic, relationships and many other factors.

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)

Learn More About the MBTI ENFJ Personality Type

• Explore our MBTI ENFJ Personality Type Page

ENFJ Careers

Click on one of these corresponding popular ENFJ Careers for detailed information including Career Stats, Income Stats, Daily Tasks and Required Education: Child Care Worker, Clergy, Customer Service Representative, Dental Assistant, Executive Secretary or Administrative Assistant, Health Educator, Host or Hostess, Instructional Coordinators, Interior Designers, Loan Counselors.

Explore additional information that delves deeper into the ENFJ Personality Type by examining various personality and career based subjects:

• How the MBTI ENFJ Type relates to Innovation
• How the MBTI ENFJ Type relates to Emotional Intelligence
• How the MBTI ENFJ Type relates to Project Management
• Myers-Briggs test ENFJ Personality Type and Leadership Blog

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