4 Understandings about Social Typology and Reading People

"Reading people is not about manipulation but about fostering genuine connections."

I'm no Rae Sremmurd and this is not an article about 'types' in the typical sociological sense of attractions based on physical traits. Recently, we (me and the students in class) have been discussing social identity theory and psychological connections that people have to various identity communities and customs. In our last class, we talked about the concept of team identification and we got into a dense discussion about what connects us to places, teams, people, and communities. For some of us, our connection is to a sport team...and for others it may be a person, sci-fi phenomenon, or friends who play chess. Regardless, we are connected to various people for a number of reasons...but we would be foolish to think that those things are by mere accident or coincidence...right? Perhaps there is a system!

When I was younger, I utilized my skills of reading body language and became quite aware that such a skill set would also be useful when reading people and figuring out who might be people that I could connect with. Like most people, I have always wanted to be most connected to my family...but learning the typology of that space was difficult because there were such inconsistencies in their behavior--until I started paying attention to the details and developing an understanding of the patterns. This helped me to determine the people that I could count on to help me through troubling times, assist me in figuring out certain dilemmas, talk to about particular things, or even sneak me a few extra oreos before I hit the hay (thanks, Auntie)! I am also someone who has moved around a lot (I've had about 25 different addresses so far) and lived in numerous states (and countries), so I have been able to use that same skill set to learn the importance of social typology and understand how different people (and social groups) operate. I was able to learn how damaging stereotypes can be and the negative stigmas that come with them because I simply took a look at the patterns and sought to understand why people behave this way. From there, I began to notice certain characteristics that provided a baseline of identifiable human types that I still use to this day!

Think of it like this: after having a few friends (or perhaps, romantic partners), we begin to develop a typology of patterns in our head. This typology includes different signs, behaviors, thought processes, actions, and 'red flags' that let us know what type of person we could be dealing with. That understanding and attention to patterns, along with the potential predictability of outcomes...is the development of social typography!

Social typography (which can also be used to understand how stereotypes function in society) is a great skill that allows us to more easily read people and can be a shortcut to analyzing the various types of people we may meet--just by using context clues and people's manners of expressions (i.e., clothing, body language, facial expressions, accessory choice, etc.).

Here are four things that I have gained from my life studies of typology!

1. Read for rapport! - When I used to work in sales, we were taught that aside from the first impression, building rapport was the most important part of the sales process because only then could we understand what the customer actually needed...and what we could offer them. Understanding social typography allows us to build rapport much easier because it makes it easier to identify shared values or common ground. This is paramount to establishing rapport and trust in both personal and professional settings because even something small (like an identifiable love of fashion or sport team) can spark a conversation and offer various points of topical discussion related to things that connect us. Granted, I am not saying that people's genuine interests are always readily observable, but more to say that all of us have various points of interest that are layered in the way we walk, talk, speak, and even dress. In that manner, reading people becomes a little easier when carefully using those clues, paying attention to the details, and building common ground on shared interests that can quickly establish a connection (or let us know to disengage).
2. Identification of communication preference - Reading people is no easy task, but paying attention to their communication style and preferences is a great way to understand the type of person they are. Some of us are far more 'loud' (in personality or verbiage) and outgoing, while others may be more reserved and perhaps shy. Reading between the lines here is not a surefire way to understand how people fully operate, but it is a great way to understand the differences in the ways that people communicate! Of course we know that different social types tend to communicate in different ways, but understanding the best way to communicate with people is step one to connecting with them. For some, they may prefer direct and task-oriented approaches to communication, while others might focus on spending more time building relationships through more emotional or value-driven conversations. If we spend time learning social typography and the ways that people operate within society, communicating with them can become easier because we then understand the general signs of those who may (for example) favor sarcasm, vs those who may value blunt truths.
3. "I knew what you would do" - Understanding social typography helps in both business and personal lives because it can also give us a good idea of predicting how certain people will respond/react to various stimuli. For example, think about some of the people you know. We can typically read the people around us, especially those that we spend considerable time with, and notice how they typically approach decisions in life. Some may be more risk-averse, while others may be more risk-takers who are open to new possibilities and innovations. As we pay attention and continue to read people, clues like this will help when trying to determine how to work with particular people, who we enlist for help, or even how to be around them in social settings without things going awry.
4. Motivations and conflict resolution - Last but perhaps the most important (in a cohesion sense), understanding social typography in general can help us when navigating the delicate social landscape in which we live. If we become better at reading people (by using social typography), this can help us to understand how people behave, their motivations for behaving that way, and how best to operate with them when in spaces where conflict arise. Conflict is as natural as breathing, so we cannot avoid conflict (even though many of us would love to). Instead, gaining a general understanding and paying attention to the clues may make it easier for us to both understand people's motivations and best handle conflict when around them. For example, some people may say I am hard to read at times but generally, I am quite vocal, expressive, and in some cases...confrontational. I certainly don't go around looking to pick a metaphorical fight, but it doesn't take much to understand that I operate from a motivation of practicality and prefer to tackle my problems head on (for the most part). A general understanding of social typography can be just the tool we need to gain clues and read people in a way that leads to more connection through understandings of how we all operate, our motivations, and how we handle conflict.

I want to be clear that understanding social typography is not some academic way to stereotype, but rather a way to understand stereotypes and identify patterns in human behavior. When considering social groups, we can be classified into a number of groups at once (also known as intersectionality)...but it is important for us to also pay attention and use our experiential knowledge in a way that allows the wins and losses of our past connections to help to create better ones in the future. The truth is really in the details, and I can personally say that I have found great success in both reading people and finding my tribe by paying attention to the clues that people wear on their sleeves.

Much like you, I can feel when someone doesn't like me...just as well as I can feel when someone does. This is mainly because I use all of the information provided to figure out what 'type' of person I am dealing with, followed by careful actions to best connect with that person. Social typography is simply a way to quickly analyze (or, read) human behavior, in conjunction with existing social systems, to draw connections, understand values, and make sense of broader social dynamics. This can be useful in various facets of life (whether it be business, relationships, etc.), and all it takes...is a little attention to detail!

Now more than ever, we must work to understand each other more...and it starts with reading the fine print.

Be smooth, y'all!

-Dr. Savant ??