The DISG model in everyday TYPO3 life: Better communication with customers and project teams

Why communication determines project success

As a TYPO3 freelancer or agency owner, you spend a large part of your working time in discussions: Clarifying requirements, presenting interim statuses, bringing about decisions, classifying feedback. The technical work is often less of a problem than the communication around it.

I got to know the DISG model a few years ago and have been consciously using it in customer meetings and project situations ever since. It is not a panacea, but it helps to better classify the behavior of customers and project participants and to adapt your own communication accordingly.

What is the DISC model?

The DISC model describes four basic types of behavior, each of which is assigned a color:

• D (Dominant, red): Decisive, direct, results-oriented. Wants to get to the point quickly.
• I (Initiative, yellow): Communicative, enthusiastic, full of ideas. Needs a personal relationship and a positive environment.
• S (Steady, green): Reliable, patient, team-oriented. Needs security, trust and time for change.
• G (Conscientious, blue): Analytical, precise, structured. Needs facts, data and comprehensible logic.

Every person has parts of all four types. However, one or two of them usually dominate. The idea is not to pigeonhole people, but to recognize behavioural tendencies and consciously adapt your own communication.

The four types in everyday TYPO3 project work

The D-type as a customer

You can recognize him by the fact that he asks after five minutes in the kick-off meeting: "And when will that be ready?" Long presentations with slides about the technical structure bore them.

What works: Results first, details only on request. Clear schedules, short status updates, concrete recommendations instead of open questions. If you have three options for the relaunch, name the best one and briefly explain why.

Typical formulations: "The result is...", "My recommendation is...", "We will achieve the goal by..."

The I-type customer

You can recognize this customer by their extensive small talk before the meeting and their enthusiasm for new ideas. The challenge: He likes to jump from topic to topic.

What works: Establish personal contact before getting down to business. Picking up on and appreciating ideas, even if not everything can be implemented. Visual presentations instead of long emails. Provide a clear structure without restricting creativity.

Typical formulations: "This opens up exciting possibilities...", "Let's think this through together...", "We can implement your idea like this..."

The S-type as a customer

The S-type wants security. He doesn't ask for the quickest way, but for the most reliable one. He is worried about changes to the current system.

What works: Building trust through reliability. No surprises. Announce changes early and introduce them gradually. When upgrading TYPO3, explain what will change and what will stay the same. Allow time for queries.

Typical formulations: "This is changing, this is staying the same...", "We'll take it step by step...", "I'll take care of it..."

The G-type as a customer

The G-type wants to understand everything before agreeing. They read your offer down to the last line and come back with questions that you haven't thought of yourself.

What works: Detailed documentation. Technical justifications for decisions. No approximate information such as "takes about two weeks", but concrete plans. Written summaries after discussions. Allow enough time for analysis.

Typical formulations: "The technical basis for this is...", "In detail, it looks like this...", "Here is the documented basis for the decision..."

Recognize your own type

Understanding your own type is at least as important as recognizing your customers. Because your communication style influences how you harmonize or clash with other types.

A few clues:

• Do you make decisions quickly and expect others to do the same? (D tendency)
• Do you need personal interaction and enthusiasm to stay motivated? (I-tendency)
• Do you value stability, clear processes and reliability? (S tendency)
• Do you prefer to analyze things thoroughly before committing yourself? (G tendency)

If you want to find out more: there are free online tests, for example at disg-schnelltest.de or 123test.com. The results are not scientifically accurate, but they are a good starting point for your own reflection.

Conclusion

The DISG model is a tool, not a pigeonhole system. It helps you to better classify customer behavior and to shape your communication more consciously. Especially as a TYPO3 freelancer or agency owner, where you work with different people and requirements every day, this can make the difference between a project that runs smoothly and one that fails due to misunderstandings.