It has always been my belief that if we each take responsibility for our impact and are honest enough to hear feedback, then we can grow as people and as leaders. I have worked with TA for over 20 years. It remains a constant reference point and also helps us to understand our own personal patterns and their impact.
We can all get hooked by the communication and behaviours of others, especially if they reconnect with old patterns of behaviour. To develop as people, whatever our role, we need to minimise the impact of the assumptions that we have about others, maximise listening, and importantly maximise the impact of our personal communication.
In the early 1950s, Dr. Eric Berne developed a theory about personality development tied to communication, which he called ‘Transactional Analysis’ (TA). It is a very useful and fascinating framework for analysing the behaviour of both ourselves and other people.
Hear an introduction to Transactional Analysis
- Identifying personal preferences, how much time is spent in each of the ‘ego states’, and what the impact is on us and on others
- Exploring and recording what types of behaviour and communication you respond well to and what types of behaviour and communication ‘pushes your buttons’
- Planning a challenging conversation, thinking about the players and the potential communication patterns, enabling you to get to your Adult place and use the type of language that is likely to enable you to get the best outcome