Factfile: DISC profiling

DISC is a way of identifying the patterns present in anybody's behaviour. It's a system that's particularly apt for business applications, and it lies at the heart of the Discus profiling suite. All of Discus' range of features are based in some way on DISC or its underlying ideas.

Discus can create a DISC profile in a matter of a few minutes. Various different options are provided, and so a person's answers can be provided directly on the screen, or using a paper questionnaire, or even across the Internet.

A typical Discus DISC profile report. Note the wealth of information shown in the contents list on the right of this display.

Once the questionnaire is complete, Discus instantly and accurately calculates the results. A Discus DISC report contains a whole range of graphical and textual information, including breakdowns of the DISC style itself, as well as important traits and sources of tension in a person's approach.

Discus DISC reports also include analysis in natural language, covering any of up to twenty-one sections. These textual assessments range from general questions such as Advantages or Communication Style to more specific issues such as Guidelines in Sales, and even include suggested behavioural interview questions.

What is DISC?

At its most basic, DISC is a behavioural assessment tool that identifies four distinct factors in a person's style, and examines how those factors work together to describe key aspects of that person's individual style.

Four Factors

The DISC factors are:

• Dominance: directness and competition
• Influence: openness and communication
• Steadiness: patience and loyalty
• Compliance: precision and control

Together, the initials of these factors make up the acronym DISC.

Find out more

• DISC Reference Library
• The Discus Profiler
• Create your own DISC profile