The Social Styles Handbook: Find Your Comfort Zone and Make People Feel Comfortable with You [Paperback]

Larry Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2004

More than 8 million people have been trained in Social Styles by Wilson Learning and use it every day at work and home. Many say it's a life-changing experience. Your Social Style - whether you're a Driver, Analytical, Amiable, or Expressive - is the behavior you feel most comfortable with. When you know your own style and adapt it to others' Social Styles, communication gets easier, conflict lessens, and your influence increases. No wonder entire corporations have put all their employees through the course. Graduates will refresh themselves and newcomers will master the principles of Social Styles with this easy-reading handbook. Helps you understand yourself and others in a non-judgmental, proven, productive way. Wilson Learning is a global leader in human performance improvement solutions for Fortune 500 and emerging companies worldwide, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and Tokyo.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wilson Learning is a global leader in human performance improvement solutions for Fortune 500 and emerging organizations internationally, with operations in the US and 30 countries worldwide. Wilson Learning links human capability to business strategy through best-in-class experts, original and on-going research, and practical field experience. The company's integrated offerings include research, strategy implementation, assessment-based employee development, consultation and customization, learning resources, and leading edge multi-media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Nova Vista Publishing (June 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9077256040
• ISBN-13: 978-9077256046
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Oughta Be Taught in Grade School, July 14, 2006

By 

H. L. Maurer "Old Time Harold" (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Social Styles Handbook: Find Your Comfort Zone and Make People Feel Comfortable with You (Paperback)

The Wilson Learning version of the social styles matrix is one of the most valuable interpersonal vocabulary lessons most of us should take. Although there have been modifications and restructuring of these principles over time, the basic message remains very clear and timely: There are recognizable patterns of social interaction; they can all be successful; they can be accomodated positively and negatively; and we can reach each other and encourage each other effectively by recognizing them and training ourselves to be flexible and empowering in our relationships with others.

The book is an excellent recap for those, like myself, who were formally trained by the folks at Wilson Learning. It is also an introduction worthy of passing on to any who have not had the privilege. I have purchased and shared three copies of this volume with my co-workers in the past two months, and we are having (once again) a whale of a time discovering how we behave towards each other and how those behaviors affect our productivity and job satisfaction.

Invaluable.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wilson Learning Could Do More, June 13, 2008

By 

John Lipp (Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Social Styles Handbook: Find Your Comfort Zone and Make People Feel Comfortable with You (Paperback)

Social styles is one of many two-quadrant systems for explaining people's personalities and interactions. The unique perspective of this system is it is concerned with how other people perceive you. On one axis you are rated if you are concerned with people, or with tasks. On the other axis you are rated if you ask, or if you tell, when you want someone else to do something. No one social style is superior to another. The key to being effective is your ability to be flexible and work with the various social styles. Thus, style versatility is the second portion of the book.

I found this model very useful in all facets of my life. Where I work the dominant personality quadrant outnumbers the others 2:1 and determines the site's personality. We have a companion division with a different dominant personality - friction between the two sites on projects is just as the social styles predicts.

In my workplace this material is taught as Leadership Styles using materials Wilson Learning also prepared. The class to me presented the material much better than this book. The book is missing something - thus, minus a star.

Another book on the topic is "Personal Styles & Effective Performance" by
David W. Merrill and Roger H. Reid. According to my instructor, it is the original source which Wilson Learning and The Trane Co. created their respective training programs.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Social Styles Handbook--a must!, January 16, 2012

By 

lizzie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Social Styles Handbook: Find Your Comfort Zone and Make People Feel Comfortable with You (Paperback)

This book is a must if you interact at all with people...in or outside of a family, in public or at work. It addresses issues that all of us share and helps us to see how we act and how that develops how we interact w/ others and how that determines how they interact w/ us. Excellent book. I highly recommend it.