ICANA Intermediate Conversation: People - Different Types Ho # 1 of 5

Activity 1

1. What ideas spring to mind when you hear the word “personality”?
2. Can a person have no personality?
3. Do you like taking personality tests? Are they accurate?
4. Do you think you have a strong personality?
5. What word would sum up your personality?
6. Is your true personality always on show or do you hide parts of it?

Activity 2

Ambitious Brave Careless Mature

Bad-tempered Forgetful Conservative Stingy
Big-headed Carefree Abusive Reflective
Selfish Cantankerous Conventional Vivacious
Scary Helpful Cruel Enthusiastic
Generous Snobbish Adaptable Arrogant
Shy Stubborn Determined Quarrelsome

1. Are the adjectives above positive or negative in meaning?

2. Could any of them be neutral?
3. Which ones would you use to describe yourself?
4. Which ones would you use to describe people you know?
ICANA Intermediate Conversation: People - Different Types Ho # 2 of 5
Activity 3

1. What do you think are your strengths? And your weaknesses?

2. Are you happy with your personality?
3. What or who has helped shape your personality?
4. How has your personality changed over the years?
5. If you could change any aspect of your personality, what would it be?

1. Which of your personality traits do you like most?

2. What are the personality differences between yourself and members of your family?
3. Do you think you can change a major characteristic of your personality if you try?
4. What personality types are you most attracted to?
5. What is one thing people usually don’t know about you?

Activity 4

We all come in different SHAPES and SIZES .

We all have STRENGTHS and weaknesses.

What's right for one person may not be right for another.
There are things that are important to me, that you don't care about at all!

And sometimes your behavior doesn't make any sense to me.

But I want for us to understand each other, and communicate well,
because we live together in the same world.

I know I can't expect you to want the same things that I want.
We are not the same person, so we will not always see things the same way.

I have my own Thoughts and my own Ideas,

that may or may not fit into your vision of who I should be.

By learning more about my own Personality, and about other Personality Types,
I can come to a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses.

I can improve my interpersonal relationships, realign my expectations towards others,

and gain a better self-knowledge that will help me define and achieve goals.
Source: http://www.personalitypage.com

1. Do you agree with the ideas expressed in the reading above?

2. Which ones do you like best?
3. Do you believe that learning about different personality types can help to
understand your own personality better?
4. Would you say that knowing about your weaknesses can give you a better
understanding of other people’s?
ICANA Intermediate Conversation: People - Different Types Ho # 3 of 5

Activity 5

We all have difficult people we need to deal with in our lives on a daily basis.
While such characteristics may be exaggerations, you may find traits of them in
a few of the people in your workplace, amongst your friends, or even a loved
one.

1. The Hostile Co-worker or Boss

Dealing with hostile people requires both tact and strength. Persons who feel they have been wronged are more likely
to be belligerent and violent, so you should first try to deal with them fairly.
In addition, it would be wise to help them meet as many of their needs as possible without reinforcing their
aggressiveness or discriminating in their favor. Likewise, avoid interactions with them that encourage intense emotions
or threats of violence. Certainly do not interact with your angry “enemies” when they are drinking or carrying weapons.
Say or do nothing that would incite more anger or, on the other hand, cause you to appear to be scared or weak. If you
can divert the angry person’s attention to some meaningful task or a calm discussion of the situation, the anger should
give way.

2. The Chronic Complainer

What about the chronic complainers? They always find fault with everything, blame other people, and are certain
about what should be done but they never seem able to correct the situation by themselves. Often they have a point —
there are real problems — but their complaining is not effective.
Coping with complainers involves, first, listening and asking clarifying questions. There are several don’ts: don’t agree
with the complaints, don’t apologize (not immediately), and don’t become too defensive or counter-attack because this
only causes them to restate their complaints more heatedly. Secondly, as you gather facts, create a problem-solving
attitude. Be serious and supportive and get others, including the complainer, involved in collecting more data that
might lead to a solution. In addition to what is wrong, ask “What should happen?”

3. The Super-Agreeable
What about the persons who are super nice and smilingly agree with your ideas until some action is
required, then they back down or disappear. Such people seek approval. They have learned,
probably as children, that one method for getting “love” is by telling people (or pretending) you
really care for and/or admire them. Reassure the super-agreeable that you will still like them even if they tell you the
truth. Ask them to be candid and make it easy for them to be frank: “What part of my plan is okay but not as good as it
could be?” Help them avoid making promises they can’t keep: “Are you sure you can have the money by then? How
about two weeks later?” Tell and show them you value their friendship.

4. The Know-It-All Expert

Know-it-all experts are of two types: the truly competent, productive, self-assured, genuine
expert and the partially informed person pretending to be an expert. Both can be a pain.
The true expert may act superior and make others feel stupid; they may be stubborn and
impatient with differing opinions; they are often self-reliant, don’t need or want any help, and don’t want to change. If
you are going to deal with the true expert as an equal, you must do your homework carefully; otherwise, they will
dismiss you. The pretentious-but-not-real expert is relatively easy to deal with because he/she (unlike
liars or cons) is often unaware of how little he/she knows. Such a person can be gently confronted with
the facts. Do it when alone with them. Help them save face. They simply want to be admired.

5. The Pessimist
Another “burden” to any group is the pessimist –the person who always says, “It won’t work” or “We tried that.” These
angry, bitter people have the power to drag us down because they set into motion the doubt and disappointment
within us. Don’t argue with the pessimist; don’t immediately offer solutions to the difficulties predicted by the
pessimist.
Instead, make optimistic statements — showing that change is possible — and encourage the group to brainstorm
ideas leading to several possible alternatives. Then ask what are the worst possible consequences of each alternative
and also ask, “What will happen if we do nothing?” Finally, welcome everyone’s help but be willing to do it alone
because the pessimist won’t volunteer.

6. The Staller
Every group has a “staller,” a person who puts off decisions for fear someone will be unhappy. Unlike the
super-agreeable, the staller is truly interested in being helpful. So, make it easier for him/her to discuss
and make decisions. Try to find out what the staller’s real concerns are (he/she won’t easily reveal
negative opinions of you). Don’t make demands for quick action. Instead, help the staller examine the
facts and make compromises or develop alternative plans (and decide which ones take priority). Give the
staller reassurance about his/her decision and support the effective carrying out of the decision.
Source: Adapted from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/04/15/6-difficult-types-of-people-and-how-to-deal-with-them/
ICANA Intermediate Conversation: People - Different Types Ho # 4 of 5
Activity 6

1. Do you agree that these difficult types exist?

2. Would you consider yourself to be any of them?
3. Do you know people who might fit into these categories?
4. Are they coworkers, friends or members of your family?
5. Do you find the advice given to deal with them to be helpful?

Activity 7

Before you listen

We’re going to listen to Julia and Todd talking about 4 different kinds of people:
a fitness freak, a party animal, a couch potato and a bookworm.
What do you think the expressions mean?

 Listen and check your ideas

 Now, listen again and answer the questions and complete the sentence below:
1. Why does Julia say she’s not a fitness freak?
2. Who was a party animal?
a) Julia
b) Todd
c) Julia and Todd
d) Neither of them

3. In Julia’s family, her _____________________________________ has some couch potato traits

because ______________________________________________________________________.
4. Who is a bookworm in her family?
5. What do Julia and Todd say about reading?

What about you?

1. Are you a fitness freak, a party animal, a couch potato or a bookworm?
2. Is anybody in your family?
3. What about your friends?
Source of listening: http://www.elllo.org/english/1201/1237-Julia-Types.htm
Activity 8

Can you match the descriptions to the pictures?

1. People who are in front of you on the stairs, going sooooo slowly, and they just won’t speed up.
2. People with a ton of stuff in their cart who sneak into line just before you at the grocery store checkout.
3. Anyone who knowingly cuts in line.
4. People who eat so loudly that you can’t focus on anything but their incessant chewing.
5. The person in front of you at the ATM who can’t figure out how to use the machine when you’re just
trying to get some quick cash.
6. People who push their way into the subway before letting everyone else out.
7. Or People who spread their legs wider than necessary and end up taking more than one seat.
8. Those strangers who are always trying to read over your shoulder in public.
9. People who don’t understand personal space and will basically shove themselves against you at
concerts, in lines, etc.
ICANA Intermediate Conversation: People - Different Types Ho # 5 of 5
A)
B) C)

D) F)

E)
G)

H)
I)

Source: Adapted from http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamdavis/people-are-the-worst

Activity 9

How would YOU complete the list above?

Who are those kinds of people who annoy you most?
Activity 10

You are sharing ideas with a friend about the people you work with. Some of them are a real pain in the
neck but others are just wonderful! Tell your friend about them and be curious about his / her coworkers as
well. You know you also have your positive AND negative traits; nobody is perfect! What are you like?
Suggested language:
 This person is really …
 He / She never / always …
 We’ve told him / her … and / but he / she has (not) changed a bit / a lot.
 If he / she … , I / we …
 Would you … if he / she …?
 What is …like?
 What kind of person would you say he /she is / you are?