Predicting Personality

The ultimate playbook for using artificial intelligence to communicate effectively, build teams, and win customers

Not long ago, we imagined a hyper-connected world full of trust and openness—a world where effortless communication would bring about a new understanding between people everywhere. Judging from our current environment, this vision of the future may have been overly optimistic. With infinite channels and countless voices flooding them with messages, most people have become highly skeptical and guarded by necessity. As a result, communication is much harder than ever before.

Despite the unprecedented connectivity enabled by modern technology, we are far less likely to trust and to invest the time needed to build strong relationships. How can we use technology to reverse this trend? A groundbreaking new branch of artificial intelligence—Personality AI—may be the answer. Combining traditional machine learning, data analytics, and behavioral psychology, Personality AI helps professional communicators tear down walls, establish trust with their audiences, and utilize data to build meaningful relationships, strengthen empathy, and win more customers.

Predicting Personality is a practical, real-world playbook for any individual or business whose success hinges on the ability to communicate effectively and build teams. Authors Drew D’Agostino and Greg Skloot—CEO and President, respectively, of Crystal, the app that tells you anyone's personality—show you how businesses can leverage Personality AI and machine learning to grow faster and communicate more effectively than was previously possible. This reader-friendly guide teaches you what Personality AI is, how it works, and demonstrates its practical applications in both life and business. This book:

● Explains how to understand personality types in various contexts, including sales, recruiting, coaching

● Provides guidelines for using personality data to learn and execute

● Explores ethics and compliance considerations surrounding the use of Personality AI

● Offers valuable insights from a leader in the business applications of Personality AI

Predicting Personality: Using AI to Understand People and Win More Business is a must-have guide for C-suite executives, sales and marketing professionals, coaches, recruiters, and business owners.

Introduction ix

Part One The Truth About Personality 1
Making sense of human behavior in an unpredictable world

1: The High Cost of Not Understanding People 3

2: The Ingredients of a Unique Personality 17

3: The Biggest Challenges to Successful Communication 22

4: How to Understand Anyone’s Personality 30

5: The Personality Map 42

Part Two Read Your Own User Manual 51
Understanding your personality and how to harness it

6: Personality Differences Shape Every Relationship 53

7: How to Find Your Personality Type 56

8: Take a Personality Assessment 59

9: The 16 Personality Types 61

10: How I Fired (and then Rehired) Myself 139

Part Three How Personality AI Works 149
Understanding the technology driving the personality revolution

11: Why the Soft Skills are the Hardest 151

12: Before Personality AI: Flying Blind 156

13: How AI is Already Impacting You 158

14: A GPS for Communicating with People 161

15: Under the Hood of Personality AI 166

16: Using Personality AI to Understand Anyone 193

Part Four Communicate Better 197
Using personality insights for every conversation

17: Communicating with Ignorance versus Empathy 199

18: Adapting to Different Personality Types 201

19: Personality AI for Email Outreach 204

20: Personality AI for Sales Meetings 220

21: Personality AI for Difficult Conversations 235

22: Personality AI for More Situations 244

Part Five Lead Better 247
Using personality profiles to build teams with chemistry

23: Understanding the Dynamics of Your Team 249

24: Facilitating One-on-One Chemistry between Others 259

25: Creating Chemistry within an Entire Group 270

26: Becoming an Empathy-Driven Leader 277

Part Six Predict Responsibly 299
Understanding the proper, ethical use of Personality AI

27: How to Properly Use Personality Data 301

28: Restoring Empathy in a Hyper-Skeptical World 311

Acknowledgments 313

About the Authors 315

Index 317

DREW D'AGOSTINO is CEO of Crystal, an app that uses AI to accurately reveal people's motivations, communication styles, and other behavioral traits. Crystal has been featured in Inc., Fortune, CNN, Fast Company, MIT Technology Review, Wired, and The Guardian. Previously, Drew was CTO of Attend.com, an event management software firm.

GREG SKLOOT is President and COO of Crystal and a passionate evangelist for leveraging AI to better understand personality and build stronger relationships. Previously, Greg was Vice President of Growth at fitness-technology startup Netpulse and CEO of Attend.com.

The ultimate playbook for using artificial intelligence to communicate better than ever before

In this hyper-connected world, effective communication is key to winning business. But there is one piece of the communication puzzle that many of us are still missing—personality. Our customers' personality traits drive how they think, what they value, and who they decide to trust. When we can accurately understand all of that—and we can, using the Personality AI tools in Predicting Personality—then we have the power to meet people where they are, establishing connections and influence that will lead to real growth.

This book is your introduction to the artificial intelligence technology that can bring the power of personality to your fingertips today. You'll learn to understand your own personality and use AI to drive next-generation sales, recruiting, coaching, team building, and more. Anyone whose work depends on effective communication can use data to generate personality insights and accelerate business. The end result of the Personality AI process is pure and simple: empathy. Learn these lessons to build trust, connection, and strong relationships in the digital era.

PRAISE FOR PREDICTING PERSONALITY

"Effective communication starts with empathy. You need to understand the other person's core motivations and desires before you can make an impact. This book is a powerful, comprehensive guide to personality differences and how to navigate them, so you can be more persuasive, create better relationships with your customers, and thrive in the modern economy. It is insanely valuable advice for any business leader!" —Tony Robbins, Life Coach

"The pillar of successful companies is culture, and the foundation of a positive culture is relationships built from empathy. With this book, Drew and Greg explain how anyone can weave more empathy into their everyday conversations with AI. The book provides a set of straightforward, helpful ways to understand others on a deeper level. These lessons are essential for anyone in sales, marketing, or leadership." —Dharmesh Shah, Co-founder of HubSpot

"Companies that are trying to grow in the 21st century economy must understand two critical things: how to empower people and how to harness data. This book draws from multiple fields like data science, artificial intelligence, psychology, and leadership to explain how enterprises of any size can use Personality AI to grow and thrive." —Sheila Jordan, CIO of Symantec

"A must-read for any leader who wants to accelerate their relationships and help their team be more productive!" —Tom Proulx, Co-founder of Intuit

"If you want to succeed in sales today, you need to understand how to connect with your clients on a deep level. In this book, Drew and Greg show you how AI can give you the kinds of insights that have never been available before. Highly recommend for any sales leader and their team!" —John Barrows, Sales Trainer

"In a landscape filled with technology solutions that reduce human engagement, it's refreshing in this book to see technology built around enhancing human relationships—not replacing them." —Jessica Yarmey, CMO of Club Pilates

"Sales is communication, pure and simple. The age-old saying, 'people buy from people' still rings true. With this book, Drew and Greg explain how you can use new technology to better understand and communicate with the millions of people who may become your customers." —Dave Mattson, CEO of Sandler Sales Training