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Dentists’ Most Common Personality Types And Communication Styles

Dentists’ Most Common Personality Types And Communication Styles
by Kathy Morrow

When much of your customer face time is spent with your fingers in their mouths, you may not think communication ranks as one of your most vital skills in your dental repertoire. But in reality, your ability to communicate well has a great impact on how you interact with everyone in your life, whether it’s your customers, your coworkers, or your family. Regardless of your personality and natural communication style, though, there are ways you can improve your business and your personal life by understanding your personality type.

A 20-year longitudinal study conducted by Creighton University of dental graduate students revealed that a striking number of them fell into two similar personality types, as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): introversion, sensing, thinking, and judgement (ISTJ) and extroversion, sensing, thinking, and judgement (ESTJ).

The MBTI classifies personalities into 16 types across four axes: Introversion versus Extroversion, Sensing versus iNtuition, Thinking versus Feeling, and Judgment versus Prospecting. The “dentist” personality types are typically pragmatic and practical (S), logical and objective (T), and organized and decisive (J). The difference between ISTJs and ESTJs is how they recover their energy, be it through alone time or social interaction. Sound familiar?

Applying Traits to Your Office

But what does all that mean, and how can understanding our personality and communication style make us better dentists, managers, and coworkers?

Read full article on Dentistry Today.