Predictive Index® Breakout Session Handout
Fast, Good and Cheap – Pick All Three!
by Paul Dumouchelle
During a product design project I once encountered the product-design cliché: “Fast, Good or
Cheap – Pick Two.” This old saying makes sense in many cases but when it comes to
motivating your people, Predictive Index ® lets you do all three - fast, good and cheap.
You can do this by RECOGNIZING YOUR PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION in a way that best
matches their PI pattern.
Recognition is fast – you can start immediately and do it any day at any time.
Recognition is good – when done right, people respond extremely positively to recognition, it
energizes them and brings out their best efforts.
Recognition is cheap – it doesn’t cost an extra dime. It does take some time and effort to do it
well, but, with practice, the effort will decrease and the impact will grow.
Use the table below to identify the most-powerful type of recognition for a person. I would
typically focus on a person’s Highest Factor first and foremost, then the Lowest if I have time or
an opportunity.
Key Elements of Recognition Using PI
Low A
High A
Low B
High B
Low C
High C
Low D
High D
 Team Recognition
 Recognition for selfless team approach to work
 Recognition for their own ideas
 Recognition for winning in any form of competition
 Private, one-on-one recognition
 Recognition for technical or intellectual achievements
 Personal, public praise
 Social acceptance (about appearance, personality)
 Recognition involving symbols of prestige or status
Not Applicable – Recognition not a motivator for this drive & position.
 Recognition for seniority and/or loyalty
 Recognition as “belonging” to a group or team
Not Applicable – Recognition not a motivator for this drive & position.
 Recognition for depth of knowledge
 Recognition for error-free work
Training Program Design with Predictive Index®
Note: This Case Study comes from the PIcampus website – “Ask Dan” Column
Dear Dan,
I’m a Director of Training and it occurred to me that I could use PI to help me tailor my
training programs to be better-suited to the audiences I’m serving. In the next few
months, I’m designing two training programs. The first group is Outside Sales (mostly
High A+B, Low C+D people). The second group is Customer Service; people who take
inbound phone calls (mostly Low A+B, High C+D people). Can you please give me
some insights into how to design the training programs differently for these two
audiences?
Nate
Hi Nate,
You’ve hit on a great application of PI. Managers use PI every day to increase
productivity and retention by creating environments specifically designed to feed the
motivating needs of their employees. A training course can use the same approach to
increase productivity and efficiency in learning.
Given what you said about your first group (High A + B, Low C + D), their patterns are in
this range:
The second group (Low A + B, High C + D) will have PI patterns in this range:
Obviously, these two groups have very different motivating needs. As such, the design
of the training programs should be very different. Here are ideas for you:
Training Program for
High A + B, Low C + D
Training Program for
Low A + B, High C + D
Pre-work for
participants
Very little. If anything, present a few ideas
about what concepts they’ll be learning
and how it will help them reach their
personal goals.
A good idea. Provide written materials
that outline the concepts, relevant case
studies, and company
policies/procedures.
Classroom
atmosphere
Flexible and loose. Whenever possible,
honor requests to diverge from the
agenda or entertain special exceptions.
Open, highly interactive. Everyone should
have a chance to talk about themselves,
their goals, and their experiences.
Fun, upbeat, high-energy; keep it light
throughout. The tone is that we will
accomplish our goals before the day is
out, and we’ll have fun doing it.
Disciplined. Present a well-thought-out
agenda at the beginning of the day, and
stick to it.
Orderly. Don’t allow people to talk over
each other, and be systematic when
debriefing exercises.
Serious. While every training experience
should be engaging, the overall tone
should be that a specific goal will be
accomplished, and that you’re just the
expert to show the way.
Pace
Fast, varied. Leave very few pauses in
conversation; keep it lively and keep it
moving forward.
Methodical, even. Keep it relaxed and
focused. Leave pauses and “dead air”
during which nothing is said.
Kind of
interactivity
Real-time and socially interactive. Ask
many questions and solicit immediate
responses. When individual work is
required, always debrief it in large or small
groups afterwards.
In general, make room in conversation for
them to talk. Plan large and small group
discussions. Mix up the groups.
Allow thinking time before interacting
socially. Call on people for answers after
they’ve had a chance to think, or work an
exercise independently. Plan individual
interactivity (e.g., working an individual
example or computer program) and
debrief after.
Plan fewer group discussions, and keep
smaller groups the same all day.
Presentation of
information
Ways to practice
Conceptual and interactive. Written
material is usually necessary, but spend
more time interacting than reading.
Discuss benefits to the participants. Show
social and/or emotional impact (e.g., how
an upset customer feels and as a result
what they say about the company).
Give details and specifics sparingly; focus
on why to do things, and point out where
specifics can be looked up later.
Group exercises, open discussions, even
“game shows” where participants yell the
right answer and get a prize immediately.
Teams competing against each other for
prizes also works.
Practice is less important, let them “go
live” quickly. Ensure they know the basics
and let them go.
Written and specific, with graphs and
other pictures to illustrate. Allow time to
read independently.
Discuss how participants can help the
team/company. Show impact in
measurable ways (e.g., 30% of upset
customers don’t come back, which
impacts revenue $10M per year).
Plenty of details and proof. Focus on how
to do things correctly, within company
policy, and show consequences if
incorrect.
Individual exercises where participants
digest presented information and read to
gain deeper understanding. Private
thinking time.
Practice is important and should be
plentiful; ensure mastery before moving
on to the next topic. Confirm their comfort
before asking them to “go live.”
Use of role play
to rehearse
putting learning
into practice
A good idea. Participants can act out
customer situations and show good ways
to handle them. Allow plenty of latitude in
how these skits are presented. If time
permits, allow each group to present to
the entire class.
How to celebrate
successful
Public celebrations, even fanfare.
learning
How to correct
mistakes
Opportunities for
participants to
ask private
questions
Time structure
Ways to followup after the
training class
If it’s public, keep it light, with a “try again”
tone. If it’s private, simply be
straightforward. Tie corrections back into
the overall goal.
In private, ensure they see the impact and
severity of mistakes.
Very few. Most will be asked during the
session.
Shorter chunks of time.
If possible, break class into different days
and give them time to practice on real
prospects/customers between classes.
In person, face-to-face. Discuss how the
training is helping them reach their
personal goals. Another group session is
also a good idea.
Make sure they have plenty of
opportunities to experiment.
Avoid asking the participants to role play.
If anything, customer situations should be
shown with video, audio, or with the
facilitator presenting them. Show correct
and incorrect responses to customer
situations, and give reasons for each.
Low-key, one-on-one discussions.
Emphasize specifics. When public,
recognize groups more than individuals.
If at all possible, always do so privately.
Be factual, supportive and encouraging.
Provide reasoning, details, and proof.
Downplay the impact of mistakes.
A good idea. Leave extra time during the
breaks or before/after class.
Longer, focused chunks of time.
After class, and before they’re on the
phones, give them time to digest
information and ask questions.
Emails, newsletters, and one-on-one
conversations. Be calm, supportive, and
very specific in giving feedback. Give
written accolades.
Make sure they have plenty of practice
time when things change.