Leadership insights
Anthropology helps answer the question, “where did our communication styles come from?”
Anthropology helps answer the question, “where did our communication styles come from?”
Unmatched Insight. Unmatched Impact.
Curated leadership tools and insights from the LRI team.
Straight Talk® is a system developed by Eric Douglas. The book and survey were first published in 1998. In his research, Douglas identified four communication styles and 16 specific communication styles. The free online survey identifies your specific communication style in less than 10 minutes. The system also provides tips on how to improve your communication.
Straight Talk® is used by hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Straight Talk® is free. You can take the survey and see your results for free. You can also share your style and compare styles with colleagues, friends, and family for free.
The Straight Talk® survey has 32 questions. Based on your answers, the system computes your scores in four communication styles: Director, Expresser, Thinker, and Harmonizer.
Your specific style is based on your combination of scores. Here’s how it works: Your highest score is your primary communication style. Your second highest score is your secondary communication style. Your combination of primary and secondary styles determines your place on the Straight Talk® Matrix. This is known as your specific style.
Let’s consider an example. You get the following scores:
Your primary communication style is Director, which means this is the dominant way you communicate. This puts you in the upper-left quadrant on the Matrix, as highlighted below.
Your secondary communication style determines your style within this quadrant – and your position on the Matrix. For example, if your second highest score is Expresser, your style will be in the upper-right corner of the Director quadrant. This means your specific style is Initiator, as shown here:
The graphic below shows how the Initiator specific style fits into the Matrix:
If your highest score is 10 or more points higher than your second highest score, you’ll have one of the corner styles on the Matrix. These four unique cases are shown below:
Consider the following scores:
Your specific style will be Entertainer because there’s a 13-point gap between your two highest scores.
A blended style occurs when your two highest scores are identical. This means you have two primary communication styles and thus two specific styles. You can even be a blend of three or four styles, although this is rare.
Let’s look at an example. You get the following scores:
Your two primary styles are Thinker and Harmonizer. This means your specific style is both Supporter and Provider (shown below).
Here’s how it works:
The Straight Talk® survey measures your preference for each of the four communication styles: Director, Expresser, Thinker, and Harmonizer. Your total score for each communication style can range from 8 to 40. The higher the number, the more often you display that style of communicating.
Based on your score for each communication style, the system generates an in-depth profile of you. The system can generate more than 1,000 unique profiles. Here’s an example of an in-depth profile:
You have a very high Director score, meaning you are very direct and assertive in your communication. You like to take charge and assume a leadership role. You are highly focused on results and like to make decisions quickly. You have great confidence in your ability to see the big picture. You like taking on big challenges and risks. At times you focus too much on results, not enough on people’s feelings.
You have a very high Expresser score, meaning you are highly animated and outgoing. You love talking in front of groups and performing. You are very effective when doing something that requires you to use your considerable charm – such as making a presentation or motivating a group of people. You love to try new things and “think out of the box.” You have little patience for routine tasks – or for anything that requires you to focus on getting every detail absolutely right.
You have a moderate Thinker score. You tend to enjoy tackling problems and solving them. You tend to be conservative in your approach.
You have a moderately high Harmonizer score, meaning you tend to focus on your relationships and making sure people feel happy and well cared for. Your natural inclination is to look after the group, whether it be family, friends, or co-workers. At times you can procrastinate.
When you compare styles with another person, you’ll get an explanation of how your scores are similar and different, and what that means about the way you communicate with that person.
You will also get suggestions about how to improve your communication. Suggestions are generated based on how your scores in each of the communication styles compare to the other person’s scores. Here’s an example of a comparison:
How you relate to Amy
You have a significantly higher score for Director than Amy, which means you are more assertive and speak more bluntly than Amy. You tend to jump to conclusions more quickly.
You have a higher Expresser score than Amy. You are more outgoing and like to speak your mind and engage in creative brainstorming. You’re spontaneous.
Amy has a higher score in the Thinker dimension than you. This means Amy is more likely to be analytical than you. Whereas Amy enjoys tackling complex problems and solving them, you find other approaches more natural.
You have a slightly higher score for Harmonizer than Amy. This means you’re a bit more likely to focus on supporting other people and making sure they are happy and satisfied. You may have a tendency to avoid dealing with conflicts.
How to improve your communication with Amy
To improve your relationship, you need to slow down and ask Amy questions. You need to find out what Amy thinks before making a decision. Soften your communication by speaking less bluntly.
Remember to give Amy equal opportunity to talk. Ask lots of questions and listen carefully. When it’s your turn, remember to say, “I’m just thinking out loud.” Otherwise people are likely to misinterpret your ideas for decisions.
Since Amy likes to analyze things, try asking Amy to analyze your relationship: Ask Amy to talk about the strengths of your relationship, and then how to make it better. Take turns talking about what you want from each other. Talk about how you can make each other’s life easier. Brainstorm ways to make that happen. Be honest with each other while also being respectful. Hiding conflicts won’t help your relationship in the long run.
Take the time to talk about your relationship with Amy. This should happen regularly, not once every other decade! Ask each other: “How can I make your life easier?” Draw up a list of commitments and refer to them each month. If you keep reinforcing the positive, you’ll see your relationship improve.
Straight Talk® was developed by Eric Douglas in 1998. The Straight Talk® survey was one of the first interactive surveys on the web and the first online survey to help people determine their communication style. Hundreds of thousands of people use Straight Talk® worldwide.
Straight Talk® has been validated through extensive testing by clinical psychologists using large samples of people. Both the methodology and the survey itself have been validated. See the research.
One way is to read the critically-acclaimed book, Straight Talk: Turning Communication Upside Down for Strategic Results. The book provides specific techniques and tools – along with dozens of stories and examples – to help people communicate productively.
You can also purchase tools related to Straight Talk® on our online store.
Yes, and they are a terrific way to build teamwork and communication. Straight Talk® workshops are available for teams and groups throughout the world. You can also contact Leading Resources Inc. by calling 1-800-598-7662 or emailing info@leadingresources.com.
Anyone who’s taken the Straight Talk® survey can create posts and replies on the Straight Talk® Forum.
Visit the Straight Talk® Forum and select a topic. Under the title and description of the topic, click “New Post.” Then create a subject, or title, for your post. Next, write the content of your post. Be sure that what you?re writing is clear and free of errors. When you’re finished, click the “Submit” button.
To reply to a post, click on the “Reply” button at the end of the post. Your reply will be linked to the original post. To reply to a comment, click on “Reply” under that specific comment.
Upvotes and downvotes let you rank certain posts or comments. They appear as arrows next to a post or comment, with a number that displays how well-liked the post or comment is.
The sort options let you organize posts or comments in different ways. The options are:
Straight Talk® Teams is a free feature that enables users to create and manage teams. For team leaders, this is a powerful tool to help build teamwork and improve team communication. The people you invite to your team can view their in-depth results and compare styles with anyone on the team. They can also view all of their team members’ results on the Team Profile.
First, take the Straight Talk® survey to sign up for a free account. Once you complete the survey, select “Manage Teams” on your Straight Talk® menu. Click the “Create New Team” button. You’ll then be able to name your team and give it a unique description.
Go to your “Manage Teams” page. You can either click “Invite People to Teams” or you can click on the team name and then click “Invite people to this team.”
Next, enter the email addresses of the people you’d like to invite, or select from your Google, Gmail, or Yahoo contacts. You can include a personal message with your invitation. Then, send your message!
Once the recipients have completed the Straight Talk® survey, they will be added to your team. Everyone in the same team can compare styles. However, people in one team can’t see the results of your other teams.
A sub-team is a smaller group of people within a team. Sub-team members have all of the same benefits as a regular team.
Sub-teams are useful if you want to divide a larger group into separate divisions. For example, a large company may want to have separate sub-teams for their sales staff and their administration staff.
To create a sub-team, click on a team’s name on the “Manage Teams” page. Then, click the Description: new sub-team symbol next to “Sub-teams.” You can then give the sub-team a name and description and invite people to that sub-team.
You can create an unlimited number of teams and sub-teams!
All of your teams are listed on the “Manage Teams” page. Teams that you have created are marked in blue.
To manage a team’s settings, click on that team’s name under “Manage Advanced Team Settings.” You can then edit the name and description of the team, delete team members, or change the administrative privileges of members.
Privileges are administrative controls that can be assigned to team members. The four privileges are:
To change the privileges of people in your team, go to your “Manage Teams” page and click on the team’s name. Scroll down to “Edit Memberships” and click on a person to edit their privileges.
To delete a team, go to that team’s management page. Under “Settings” click on the “Delete” button. You’ll get a pop-up confirmation to delete the team or sub-team.
The Team Profile provides a rich visual display of people’s styles and where they fall on the Matrix of Communication Styles.
When you first view the Team Profile, it will be blank. Begin by clicking on “Me” in the right-hand menu. You’ll see a red icon appear on the Team Profile, indicating your position on the Matrix.
You can select individuals to add to the Team Profile, or select an entire team. When you scroll over an individual or team in the list, you’ll see them highlighted on the Team Profile. Clicking on a pushpin on the Team Profile will bring up the option to compare styles with that person.
To change views, select either the “Basic” or “Specific” beneath the Team Profile. “Basic” shows the four communication styles, while “Specific” shows the 16 specific styles on the Matrix. “Show names” will toggle the names beneath each pushpin, while “Clear” will erase everyone from the Team Profile.
Welcome to Leading Resources Inc.’s website. You are reading these Terms & Conditions of Use (“Terms & Conditions”) because you are using a LRI website, mobile app, social media platform, or accessing one of our products or services, and are receiving access to certain proprietary information, all of which are part of LRI’s program (collectively, the “Products and Services”). Eric Douglas Enterprises, a California sole proprietorship (“EDE”), owns all Straight Talk®, Leadership Culture©, and The Leadership Equation© websites, products, services and other offerings (collectively, “EDE Products and Services”), which comprise a portion of LRI’s Products and Services. LRI’s rights with respect to the EDE Products and Services are subject to a reseller license agreement with EDE.
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING ANY LRI PRODUCT, SERVICE, THIS WEBSITE OR ANY OTHER ELEMENT OF THE LRI PROGRAM:
This website is owned and operated by Leading Resources Inc., a California corporation (“LRI”). Use of this website and any other portion of LRI’s Products and Services is conditioned upon each such user’s (each, a “User”) acceptance of all terms and conditions set forth in these Terms & Conditions. If any User chooses to continue using or accessing this website or any other aspect of LRI’s Products and Services after having had an opportunity to read these Terms & Conditions, then by that User’s continued use of such Products and Services, the User evidences that the User recognizes, acknowledges, and agrees that LRI has provided the User with valuable consideration by offering access to this website, to descriptions of any of LRI’s Products and Services, or to LRI’s Products and Services on this website. Each User, by such continued use, also understands and agrees that in exchange for that right, the User has consented to and accepted all Terms & Conditions of Use. The User agrees that he, she or it uses this website and other portions of LRI’s Products and Services at the User’s own risk. If any User does not agree to these Terms & Conditions, that User may not use any element of LRI’s Products and Services, must exit this website and any related Products and Services, and stop using any LRI Products and Services immediately.
No past practice, industry standard, course of dealing, or trade usage shall constitute a modification of any provision of this agreement, nor shall the same add any such provision to this agreement. LRI may send occasional updates to Users that are related to LRI’s Products and Services. Users can opt out for these notices by emailing LRI a request to opt-out or in such other manner as is set forth on the website for the applicable Product or Service. Article headings used in these Terms & Conditions are for convenience only and do not interpret any provision hereof.
LRI reserves the right to terminate or modify these Terms & Conditions and its Products and Services from time to time without notice. Any User who continues to use LRI’s website or any other portion of LRI’s Products and Services after such changes are made, by such continued use, consents to the changed terms and conditions.
The LRI Products and Services contain trademarks, copyrighted information, trade names, service marks, logos, images, graphics, text, and other proprietary content (collectively, “marks”). LRI’s Products and Services contain patented and patent-pending technology as well (together with marks, “IP”). All of the rights to the IP that are not expressly granted to User under these Terms & Conditions are reserved to LRI, EDE, or the third party owner(s) of such rights, as applicable. Users of LRI’s Products and Services, or any portion thereof, recognize and acknowledge that the Users do not own such IP, and understand that Users of this website, of materials provided by LRI, and/or of other aspects of LRI’s Products and Services do not, by such use, acquire any right, title or interest in the marks or other IP. User agrees to preserve the confidentiality of LRI’s intellectual property and other proprietary information. User agrees that User will not modify, reverse engineer, copy, distribute, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, sell or exploit in any other manner the IP or LRI’s Products and Services ; nor shall User permit any third party subject to User’s control to commit any of the aforementioned acts, and nor shall User participate in any activity that modifies, reverse engineers, copies, distributes, reproduces, publishes, licenses, creates derivative works from, transfers, sells or exploits in any other manner, the IP, LRI products, or any portion of LRI’s Products and Services. Any use of such IP or the LRI Products and Services, or any portion thereof, is prohibited without the express, signed, written authorization of an authorized signatory for LRI authorizing the specific use for which such IP will be employed.
The contents of this website, and all elements of the LRI Products and Services are owned by or licensed to LRI for LRI’s use. User’s use of this website or any other portion of the Products and Services does not constitute LRI’s consent to or grant of any license to use LRI’s website content or the IP. Individual Users of Straight Talk® are granted a limited sublicense hereunder to use, copy, and share their personal Straight Talk® survey results, invite others to take the Straight Talk® survey, and to share the information they learn from the Straight Talk® survey. Each person who desires to take the Straight Talk® survey must access such survey through an authorized distributor of such survey, and consent to these Terms & Conditions or substantially similar terms and conditions of use before such User will be granted access to the survey or any other EDE or LRI Products and Services. In no circumstance do the rights granted to any User under these Terms & Conditions constitute a license to train third parties in the Straight Talk® materials. Such licenses are available only through the Straight Talk® license program. https://lr.fieldsagency.com/store/video-courses/straight-talk-communication-styles-workshop/. LRI makes reasonable efforts to accurately describe the attributes of the Products and Services, however, LRI does not and cannot guarantee the actual impact of its Products and Services on the User or on any other person.
LRI or other authorized distributor will invoice each User or User’s credit card or alternate payment method offered by LRI or other authorized distributor for all Products and Services elements sold on the website or other platform. Should legal action be necessary to collect any balances due, User agrees to reimburse LRI for all expenses it incurs in recovering the sums due, including without limitation, attorneys’ fees and other legal expenses. Users are responsible for purchasing and for paying all related charges for Internet access and telecommunications services necessary to access and use any website that sells or facilitates User’s use of LRI Products and Services.
Users are responsible for ascertaining and following all applicable laws, including minimum age requirements, with respect to the use, possession and sale of any LRI Products and Services, whether purchased through this website or elsewhere. Each User agrees that by placing an order with LRI, the User will use all Products and Services ordered in a lawful manner, and in compliance with the use intended therefor by LRI, as described in all information provided with such LRI Products and Services.
LRI produces and sells leadership programs and services. Certain services provided by LRI contain features intended to promote self-awareness and the awareness of a User’s impact on others who come into contact with the User. And this website or other aspects of the LRI Products and Services may contain images of people learning or in other situations. However, the Products and Services and information provided through this website and in association with the images herein are provided for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be or replace therapy, coaching, or any other counseling services, and are not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Therefore, LRI is not responsible for any decision that any User makes to participate in or use LRI’s Products and Services or to purchase or use any LRI Product or Service, or for the uses for which any LRI Product or Service is employed by any User, except to the extent any such use might infringe upon LRI’s or any LRI licensor’s intellectual property rights.
LRI stands by its Products and Services old on this website and elsewhere. LRI hopes that all Users fully benefit from LRI’s Products and Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, LRI’s website and its content, and all other elements of LRI’s Products and Services are provided to Users AS-IS, WHERE-IS, with all faults to the full extent allowable under applicable law, and LRI does not guaranty any results from the use of the Products and Services. EVERY USER OF LRI’S PROGRAM ASSUMES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH USER’S USE OF THE PROGRAM AND THIS WEBSITE. LRI disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this website, its content, the IP, anY lri products and services, AND PARTICIPATION IN ANY LRI activity in connection with the lri products and services. this disclaimer includes, but is not limited to, implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose. in no event shall LRI or ede be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, punitive, consequential, or exemplary damages, including any lost profits or lost data, that IN ANY WAY relate to or arise in connection with this website, its content, or LRI’s products and services, regardless of whether either party had or should have had any actual or constructive knowledge that such damages might occur.
LRI expressly disclaims all liability for product defect or failure, claims that are due to normal wear and tear, product misuse, abuse, product modification, infringement, improper product selection, non-compliance with any laws or instructions for use, or misappropriation, except to the extent expressly prohibited by applicable law. .
User agrees that User may not send unsolicited email advertisements to any user of this website or of the Products and Services through any means. User agrees not to use any scraper, spider, robot or other automated means of accessing this website for any purpose without LRI’s express, written permission. User will not (a) act in any way that may or does impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on LRI’s infrastructure, as determined in LRI’s discretion, or (b) attempt to interfere or interfere with the proper operation of the website or any activities conducted thereon, or (c) bypass any measures LRI employs to restrict or prevent access to its website. . User will not post or send any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, profane or obscene material or any material that could encourage or constitute such conduct that would be considered a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law. Any of the prohibited uses of LRI’s website and computer systems listed in this Section violates these Terms & Conditions.
User agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless LRI, its officers, directors, affiliates, employees, contractors, agents and partners (collectively “LRI Parties”) from and against all claims, actions, suits, demands, costs and damages, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, asserted by any third party as a result of User’s use of the Products and Services, this website or their content in violation of these Terms & Conditions, or any law, or the rights of any third party. Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law, User, on behalf of User and User’s heirs, estate, insurers, successors and assigns, hereby fully and forever releases and discharges LRI Parties from all claims or causes of action that User may have for damages relating in any manner to User’s use of the Products and Services or any portion thereof, including, without limitation, any LRI product, service or this website. LRI has the right to control any defense provided by User.
Neither User nor LRI shall be responsible for any damages, delays or failures in performance due to acts or occurrences beyond their reasonable control, including, without limitation: Acts of God, national or state or local emergencies of any sort, vandalism, war, revolution, civil commotion, embargoes, riots, sabotage, strikes, work stoppages or other labor difficulties, supplier failures, unavailability of materials, blockages of rights of way or governmental acts, epidemic or pandemic, storm, earthquake, flood, water, fire, lightning, explosion, or utility failure or power surge; provided that LRI will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly resolve any such failure or delay in performance to the extent consistent with applicable law and regulatory requirements as appropriate in light of the applicable circumstances.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions is intended to or shall be construed to constitute or establish an agency, joint venture, partnership, or fiduciary relationship between User and LRI, and neither party shall have the right or authority to act for or on behalf of the other party.
LRI may assign its rights and obligations under these Terms & Conditions to any person at any time without notice to any User, unless such notice is legally required; but any such assignment will not affect User’s rights or LRI’s obligations under these Terms & Conditions through the assignment date. LRI shall have no further obligation to Users for LRI acts or omissions that occur after the date on which any such assignment is completed. LRI’s failure to strictly enforce these Terms & Conditions is not a waiver of any of its rights under these Terms & Conditions. Users should assume that these Terms & Conditions apply at all times. User and LRI agree that if any provision of these Terms & Conditions is held to be ineffective, unenforceable or illegal for any reason, that decision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of these Terms & Conditions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Terms & Conditions, the protections for the EDE Products and Services and all rights held by LRI with respect thereto are enforceable by EDE as the owner of the EDE Products and Services.
This Agreement and the conduct of the parties will be governed by and construed in accordance with California state law and applicable federal U.S. law, without regard to choice of law provisions.
Jurisdiction and Venue. User hereby agrees and irrevocably consents to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the arbitral tribunals and, where arbitratition is not allowed by law, the courts of the State of California and of the United States of America that are located within Sacramento County, California, for any and all claims that arise from or are related in whole or in part to the LRI Products and Services or this website. User waives and agrees to waive in the future all defenses to “lack of personal jurisdiction” and “inconvenient forum” with respect to venue and jurisdiction in the state and federal courts of Sacramento County, California, and any arbitral tribunal in Sacramento County, California.
Notice of Claims – 1 Year. User must notify LRI of any claims within one (1) year after the claim arises, except when a longer period is required by applicable law.
Arbitration Requirement. By User’s use of LRI’s website or any portion of the LRI Products and Services, User thereby agrees that any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in connection with this Agreement (whether contractually or in tort), and including disputes regarding the validity of this Section 15, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the American Arbitration Association Rules, which will be governed by the United States Arbitration Act, or if that organization no longer exists or the parties agree otherwise, then by an organization of similar purpose. The arbitration proceedings shall be held within Sacramento County, California, unless the parties mutually agree otherwise. The arbitration panel shall award the prevailing party compensation for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
User’s use of this website and/or any portion of the Products and Services constitutes User’s consent to receive certain electronic communications from LRI, subject to applicable law. User hereby agrees that any communications, including notices, agreements, and disclosures, that LRI delivers to User electronically will satisfy any legal communication requirements, including any requirements that such communications be in writing.
These Terms & Conditions constitute the entire understanding between User and LRI pertaining to the subject matter addressed in these Terms & Conditions, and supersede in their entirety any and all written or oral agreements previously existing between the parties with respect to the subject matter.