What is it?

This workshop helps your team understand how they should naturally work and communicate. Through hands-on activities, you'll map your team's DISC styles, discover why certain interactions create friction, and build concrete strategies for better collaboration. This is experiential learning, not lecture. You'll leave with tools you can use immediately.

Why is it useful?

It eliminates everyday friction that drains productivity. When teams understand that different working styles aren't personality clashes, they stop judging and start adapting. You'll gain a shared language for navigating differences, leading to clearer communication, faster decisions, and stronger relationships. The result? Measurable improvements in team effectiveness within weeks, all from a two-hour investment.

DISC was developed by psychologist William Moulton Marston in the 1920s, based on his theories about human emotions and behaviour.

Marston's theoretical work was later adapted into practical assessment tools by industrial psychologist Walter Clarke in the 1950s, and subsequently refined by John Geier in the 1970s who created the widely used Personal Profile System (DiSC).

Objectives

• Understand your individual DISC profile and how your style shows up at work
• Recognise the DISC styles of your teammates and appreciate their strengths
• Identify how your team's style composition affects collaboration and decision-making
• Learn practical strategies for adapting your communication to different styles
• Reduce common team tensions by understanding the underlying style differences
• Create team norms that honour all four DISC styles
• Develop a shared language for ongoing team development and feedback

Resources Required

• DISC assessments (completed beforehand or first 15 minutes)
• Printed DISC profile summaries for each participant
• Flip charts and markers
• Sticky notes
• Name tents with DISC styles displayed

Process

Opening & Foundation (20 minutes)

Welcome & Icebreaker (5 min)

Open with a quick energiser: "In one word, describe how you prefer to work." Write responses on a flip chart. You'll refer back to these later.

Workshop Objectives (3 min)

Share what participants will gain: self-awareness, understanding teammates, practical communication strategies, and reduced friction.

DISC Foundation (12 min)

Present the framework using the two core dimensions:

• Vertical axis: Task-focused (D/C) vs. People-focused (I/S)
• Horizontal axis: Outgoing/Fast-paced (D/I) vs. Reserved/Thoughtful (S/C)

Draw the quadrant model on flip chart. Explain each style briefly with real workplace examples: D is the person pushing for decisions in meetings, I is building relationships over coffee, S is the steady team anchor, C is ensuring quality and accuracy.

Individual Discovery (25 minutes)

Profile Review (10 min)

Have participants review their individual DISC reports. Provide a one-page "cheat sheet" highlighting:

• Primary and secondary styles
• Strengths of their style
• Potential blind spots
• What energises/drains them

Silent Reflection (5 min)

Ask participants to reflect individually:

• What resonated most about your profile?
• What surprised you?
• Think of a recent workplace challenge. How did your style show up?

Pair Share (10 min)

Partner people with different primary styles. Have them share:

• Their top strength
• One thing they want the team to know about working with them
• One aspect they're working to develop

Team Mapping Activity (20 minutes)

Create Your Team Map (15 min)

Post a large DISC quadrant on the wall. Have each person:

1. Write their name on a sticky note
2. Place it in their primary style quadrant
3. Step back and observe the distribution

Facilitate discussion:

• What do you notice about our team composition?
• Where are we strong? Where might we have gaps?
• How might our makeup affect how we work?

Real Example: "If you're heavy on C's and S's, you might be thorough and harmonious but slow to make bold decisions. If you're loaded with D's and I's, you might move fast but miss important details."

Gap Analysis (5 min)

Identify potential team challenges based on the distribution:

• All high D's? Might clash over control
• No I's? May lack energy and relationship building
• Missing C's? Quality might suffer
• Light on S's? Team cohesion could be fragile

Communication Workshop (30 minutes)

The Adaptation Challenge (20 min)

Divide into style-based groups (all D's together, all I's together, etc.). If you have a small team, pair similar styles.

Round 1: Same Style Communication (7 min) Give each group a scenario: "Your team needs to pitch a new project to leadership next week."

Have groups discuss: How would you naturally approach this? What would you focus on? What's your timeline?

Each group reports out. You'll see stark differences in approach.

Round 2: Cross-Style Communication (13 min) Now remix groups to ensure style diversity. Give them a new challenge: "A major client is unhappy with a deliverable and wants a meeting tomorrow."

Task: Create a response plan that honours all four styles. They must:

• Make a quick decision (D)
• Consider team morale and client relationship (I)
• Ensure everyone's on board and comfortable (S)
• Review what went wrong with quality/process (C)

Have groups present their balanced approaches. Highlight how considering all styles creates better solutions.

Communication Quick Tips (10 min)

Provide a practical reference guide for adapting to each style:

When working with D's:

• Be direct and brief
• Focus on results and bottom line
• Come with solutions, not just problems
• Don't take bluntness personally

When working with I's:

• Start with relationship building
• Allow time for discussion and brainstorming
• Provide enthusiasm and recognition
• Help them focus and follow through

When working with S's:

• Give advance notice of changes
• Provide sincere appreciation
• Create safe environment for input
• Be patient. They need processing time

When working with C's:

• Provide data and details
• Allow time for analysis
• Respect their need for accuracy
• Don't rush decisions or skip process

Practical Application (25 minutes)

Team Tensions Exercise (15 min)

Present three common team scenarios. Have the full group analyse each through a DISC lens:

Scenario 1: "Sarah (D) is frustrated that meetings drag on. Mike (C) feels rushed and needs time to analyse before deciding. How do we bridge this?"

Scenario 2: "Jamie (I) keeps suggesting team social events. Alex (C) thinks they're a waste of time. What's really happening here?"

Scenario 3: "The team needs to give critical feedback to a struggling colleague (S). Everyone's uncomfortable. How should different styles approach this?"

For each scenario, ask:

• What does each style need?
• What's the underlying value conflict?
• What's a compromise that honours both styles?

Personal Action Planning (10 min)

Have each participant complete a personal commitment card:

Based on today's learning:

1. One way I'll adapt my style to work better with [specific teammate]
2. One thing I need from my teammates to be most effective
3. One team norm or practice I'd like us to adopt

Collect these. You'll use them in the closing.

Closing & Commitment (10 minutes)

Team Norms Co-Creation (7 min)

Based on action plans, facilitate quick agreement on 3 to 5 team norms:

• Example: "We'll provide agendas 24 hours before meetings" (helps C's and S's)
• Example: "We'll start meetings with 2-minute check-ins" (helps I's connect)
• Example: "We'll use a 'decision deadline' so we don't get stuck" (helps D's)

Write these on flip chart and commit to trying them for 30 days.

Closing Circle (3 min)

Quick go-around: "One word to describe how you're feeling about our team now."

Compare to the opening exercise. You'll likely see more empathy and understanding.

Next Steps:

• Send digital copy of team DISC map
• Schedule 30-day check-in to review norms
• Provide one-page DISC reference card for desks

Secret Sauce

Energy Management:

• Keep D's engaged with pace and challenges
• Give I's opportunities to share and connect
• Ensure S's feel safe and included
• Provide C's with clear structure and rationale

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Don't stereotype or box people in ("You're such a D!")
• Emphasise that everyone uses all four styles. It's about preferences
• Remind people that context matters. We adapt based on situations
• Stress that no style is better; all are essential

Follow-up Success:

The workshop is just the beginning. Real impact comes from ongoing application. Consider monthly "DISC moments" in team meetings where you explicitly discuss style dynamics in current projects.