Do you celebrate Halloween? Depending where you are in the world, October might be spooky season! There are many fun ways to incorporate Halloween themes into your DiSC trainings or staff meetings. DiSC can also be useful when deciding on a costume. Here are some Halloween-related DiSC ideas.

Fears of each DiSC® style

Zombies, goblins, yes—but also: Public speaking! Conflict! Data entry! Asking for help! Each DiSC style has core fears that drive their choices and behaviors. Scary season is a good time to review these fears.

The DiSC D style fears:

• appearing weak
• being taken advantage of
• being seen as vulnerable
• losing control

The DiSC i style fears:

• loss of influence
• disapproval
• being ignored
• fixed environments

The DiSC S style fears:

• offending others or letting people down
• fast changes
• confrontation
• loss of stability

The DiSC C style fears:

• criticism
• being seen as incompetent
• being wrong
• strong emotional displays

Halloween activities for DiSC trainings

Facilitators: You can incorporate a quick Halloween activity in your trainings or team meetings. Consider:

• In small groups, have learners plan a haunted house for each style. Before starting, have the full group generate lists of what each style fears (see above). Add in any important ones that the group hasn’t listed. Using these core fears, what kind of haunted house or scary party would you design for maximum fright to that style? For example, when you walk through the front door of the C-style haunted house, you step onto a stage where you must improvise a speech about a topic you aren’t familiar with. A panel of judges gives you a bad score. Also, you were late to the party because someone told you the wrong time. You walk to another room where everyone’s crying or yelling and you must interact with all these upset people to figure out what’s wrong. Etc., etc.
• Have learners draw a picture of what it might look like to dress as their style for Halloween. What does an S-style Halloween costume look like, etc?
• Go around the room and have people share one of their favorite Halloween costumes and what it might say about their DiSC style or about stretching outside their style.
• Share the list of costume ideas in this post (below) and have people say what they agree and disagree with and why.
• Discuss/debate: Which classic Halloween candy best represents each style, and why?

Halloween costume ideas by DiSC style

Dressing up for Halloween can be a chance to try out a different personality for a night. Or, a chance to be extra-you. Here are some Halloween costume ideas by DiSC style.

DiSC D-style Halloween costume suggestions

People with D styles like competition. They are quick to take action and embrace a challenge. If you have a DiSC D style, perhaps your competitive spirit can result in a Janelle Monae- or Heidi Klum-caliber costume for your local costume contest. Here are some DiSC D-style Halloween costume ideas:

• Olympic athlete. This style loves to win, and it’s hard to beat Olympic gold!
• World’s fastest animals. D-style folks tend to be fast-paced. Amplify that by dressing as the fastest animals of land (cheetah, antelope), sea (sailfish, swordfish, marlin), or sky (falcon, eagle, bat).
• Famous trailblazers. People with D styles are generally ambitious people who like making progress. They might enjoy portraying well-known groundbreakers such as Amelia Earhart, Nikola Tesla, Ada Lovelace, Ida Wells, Billie Jean King, Neil Armstrong, Catherine the Great, Galileo, Muhammad Ali, Joan of Arc, etc.
• Superhero. Classic for a reason! Dressed as Wonder Woman or Superman, it’s easy to feel powerful and in control.

See our Pinterest board of D-style costume ideas.

DiSC i-style Halloween costume suggestions

People with i styles usually like attention. They’d be thrilled to wear an outlandish costume that everyone wants to be photographed with. Halloween is one night people are unlikely to tell extraverted i styles they are “too much.” Go big! DiSC i-style Halloween costume ideas:

• Group costumes. Social i styles will have fun gathering their crew for a group costume. You can go as a band, characters from your favorite TV show or movie, a box of crayons, M&Ms, condiments, other complementary foods (marshmallow, graham cracker, chocolate bar, and fire), a sports team, etc.
• Bright costumes. People with i styles often “light up the room” with their energy and enthusiasm. You can make this literal by incorporating LED lights or glow sticks into your costume. Showing up dressed as the sun is quite style-appropriate. Or, choose a costume with bright colors (rainbow, gumball machine, Sporty Barbie and Ken, etc.).
• Changing costumes. DiSC i-style folks love novelty and excitement. Can they really be expected to wear only one costume this season? i styles may want a different costume for each spooky season engagement. Or, they may enjoy incorporating a few costume changes into one evening, whether they’re hosting a party or handing out candy. Another option is to select a costume that will evolve throughout the night, like an LED mask with various patterns you can cycle through.
• Interactive costumes. Folks with i styles like meeting new people, and interactive costumes are a great way to facilitate this! Be a whiteboard or graffiti wall and ask people to draw on you. Dress as Operation or another board game with parts people can move. Or be a fortune-teller complete with booth, and tell people their fates. Be a paper doll and bring different outfits people can put on you.

See our Pinterest board of i-style costume ideas.

DiSC S-style Halloween costume suggestions

Like i styles, S-type folks may enjoy a good group costume, especially if the group is smaller. They like contributing to team efforts and nurturing sincere relationships. People with S styles might enjoy paying homage to someone who inspires them, or they might want to shake off their reserve for a night with something wild. DiSC S-style Halloween costume ideas:

• Overlooked heroes. Because S-type people value humility, they might not always tell you about the amazing work they’re doing. But things can sure fall apart fast if they leave. S styles: celebrate overlooked-but-essential beings this spooky season. Ideas from nature: mushroom, spider, opossum, bat. (Author note: I’m an S style and have dressed as all of these in the past, plus a snail.) Look into unsung heroes from history. Or celebrate an unappreciated profession that nevertheless makes our day-to-day lives possible.
• Peacemakers and diplomats. S-style folks like harmony and are often skilled mediators. Honor that by dressing as a seeker of peace, whether fictional (e.g., Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender) or historical.
• Big loud alter-ego. Halloween is a great opportunity to be a different person for a few hours, in a socially-approved way! If you have an S style, you might have fun shrugging off your usual reserve. Choose a costume that takes up a lot of physical space, like a peacock with a big tail (yes, it might inconvenience someone!). Or channel your inner Han Solo or SpongeBob and really commit to the character.
• Inspiring animals. S-type individuals are loyal folks who value sincere and trusting relationships. They’re soft-spoken, but if you mess with someone they love, look out—they can be fierce! If you’re an S-style person in the mood for an animal costume, why not look to animals known for their strong family bonds, like orcas and wolves?

See our Pinterest board of S-style costume ideas.

DiSC C-style Halloween costume suggestions

People with DiSC C styles may enjoy the challenge of thinking up a clever costume. Or they may gravitate toward the comfort of a costume built to keep them at a bit of a distance from others. C-type people rarely do something halfway, so they might be tempted to skip out on a party if they don’t have time to put together a costume they’re proud of. Luckily, there are lots of punny/smart costumes you can put together even last minute (not that C types would wait until the last minute).

DiSC C-style Halloween costume ideas:

• Cryptid or mysterious person. C-style people often like privacy. Celebrate this trait with a mysterious costume. Try a cryptid (Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Jersey Devil, etc.) mysterious person (Banksy), or enigmatic character (Yoda). To remain ultra-mysterious (and be able to hide a bit if you’re feeling social overwhelm), choose a costume with a mask.
• Detective or skeptic. Speaking of mystery, C-style folks have a natural skepticism and love solving a juicy puzzle. They would make an excellent fictional detective: Sherlock Holmes, Veronica Mars, Benoit Blanc, Temperance Brennan, Columbo, Nancy Drew, etc.
• Very easy or very difficult costumes. C types, if you’re going to do something, you’re going to do it thoroughly. So it’s likely that you’re looking for one of two things: 1. A low-effort costume, because you’re focusing your time and energy on other big priorities (we like “life handing out lemons”); or 2. An intricate, elaborate costume that can show off your special skills and precision.
• Puns. Clever C-styles will enjoy thinking up punny costumes: ceiling fan, internet explorer, pumpkin pi, card shark, raining cats and dogs… the options are endless!

See our Pinterest board of C-style costume ideas.

These ideas pull from DiSC style character traits, but the great thing about Halloween is that you can pretend to be whomever you’d like! There are likely costume ideas under each style that would be fun for you to consider. Happy spooky season!