How to Be More Receptive
Key Takeaways
- People with receptive personalities stay open to others' ideas and value compromise and curiosity.
- People of all personality types may want to call upon the receptive mindset when they need to make people feel heard or consider an issue from a different perspective.
- You can practice being more receptive by recognizing the thoughts standing in your way, setting goals, and practicing.
- Increase receptiveness by improving your listening skills, revisiting your assumptions, and promoting shared decision-making, among other tips.
Everyone has natural tendencies—instinctive responses that allow them to stay in their comfort zone. But when you over-rely on your innate attitudes, it can distort the way you look at the world. Learning to stretch into other mindsets expands your range and helps you find the best response to the situation at hand.
What are the qualities of a receptive person?
“I make people feel heard.”
Receptive people find value in other people’s ideas even when they conflict with their own. They excel at really considering the thoughts of others—not just letting them speak and then moving on. They don’t get locked into one vision but remain open to changing their approach as they gather new information and perspectives.
Source: Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™
Isn’t it exciting to see things in a way you’ve never considered before? Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of the expertise everyone brings? Receptive people value compromise and curiosity and tend to accommodate others’ needs. They are generally patient, flexible, and courteous, letting others share before speaking up.
A receptive personality often aligns with the DiSC® S style.
Which needs drive the receptive mindset?
The mindsets you call upon most often are driven by the needs of your personality, in this case:
- stability
- harmonious relationships
- acceptance and approval from others
- avoiding blame, criticism, or mistakes
- freedom from pressure
If these are your needs, showing up with a receptive attitude can encourage a friendly atmosphere without the tension that can be so uncomfortable for you. And while promoting your own ideas involves the risk of being wrong, letting other people’s ideas take center stage takes pressure off you. Further, listening to and supporting others can garner their acceptance and approval.
Benefits of a receptive mindset
It’s hard to overstate the benefits of being a good listener, something that comes more easily to receptive folks than others. A receptive inclination also allows you to:
- draw upon the knowledge and insight of colleagues
- arrive at stronger solutions because you’ve included multiple perspectives
- foster a harmonious environment respectful of everyone’s opinions
- act in a diplomatic way
- maintain an open mind
- set aside your own needs for the good of the group or another person
- build trust
- make room for compromise
- discover different approaches and gain critical info
Even if it takes some effort, increasing receptiveness has specific benefits for each personality style.
- DiSC D styles can create more buy-in for their ideas when the people around them know they’ve been heard.
- i styles can build trust by making sure their excitement doesn’t push out other perspectives.
- C styles can use deep listening to gain critical information that will lead to better outcomes.
- For S styles, receptivity probably feels quite natural, and is driven by their need for stability and harmony.
Limitations of the receptive mindset
Every inclination has its benefits and limitations. That’s why it is so important to adjust your approach based on the situation at hand. If you find yourself overusing the receptive mindset, you may:
- give up too readily on yourself and your ideas
- sacrifice your needs, which leads to resentment
- start to see other people’s preferences as more important than your own, or become too trusting of their judgment
- support watered-down compromises or mediocre ideas to avoid hurting others’ feelings
- not have your opinions heard
Situations in which you may want to be more receptive
Agile emotional intelligence is all about being able to read the needs of a situation and choose the best mindset from which to respond. It’s not just some innate, undefinable trait some people have and some don’t—it’s a skill that you can break down into action steps and practice.
This skill development will look different for each individual, and that’s what the personalized Everything DiSC Agile EQ profiles walk you through (see sample profile). But in general, you may need to be receptive when:
- collaborating in a healthy and respectful way
- finding the best solution when multiple ideas are on the table
- balancing the needs of several parties
- making it easier for other people to feel heard
- considering an issue from a different perspective, free of your own assumptions
How to be more receptive
Recognize your thoughts
The challenges of receptivity are different for each DiSC style and each individual. Being more receptive may start by recognizing and challenging thoughts such as:
- I’m not compromising when I know my way is right.
- I’m not letting them win this one.
- Why are we wasting time when it’s clear what we should do?
- I won’t lower my standards to do things their way.
Set goals
Based on the effort meter in your Agile EQ profile, you’ll see beginner, intermediate, and advanced goals for developing into someone who can more easily access receptivity when the situation calls for it. Some examples for different styles may be:
- I make sure everyone has a say in group decisions.
- I avoid criticizing and correcting others when it isn’t necessary.
- I hear people out even if their thoughts are a little disorganized.
- I seek out input from people with very different priorities.
- I take time to challenge my own assumptions.
Start practicing
While the particulars will differ for each person, here are some general tips for being more receptive:
- Don’t dismiss someone right away. Ask follow-up questions to learn the benefits of their idea.
- Let go of small errors or inconsistencies and try to see the larger argument someone is making.
- Improve your listening skills. For example, practice setting aside distractions when people are talking to you.
- Become an authentic listener. Hear what people are saying, not just what you want or expect to hear.
- Promote shared decision-making and learn when to compromise.
- Revisit your assumptions when you feel skeptical about someone else’s idea.
- Make a habit of consulting people with different areas of expertise.
- Look for ways to say yes.
If you’re not a naturally receptive person, it may seem difficult or even mistaken to try these things. The Agile EQ assessment and training follow a “discover, learn, act” format that gives you insight into your natural mindsets, helps you discover the value of other mindsets, and gives you action steps to gain skills in all eight of them. Some of the mindsets will always take more effort for you, but they’ll get easier with practice.
Posted 08/24/2020, Last Updated 12/26/2024
