Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2016 - 18

A LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
OF CONTENT ON
FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN
AND TWITTER CAN
PREDICT PERSONALITY
TYPE WITH A FAIR
DEGREE OF ACCURACY.
development. But sites like www.
crystalknows.com (see Social Analytics
sidebar) could change that. Users can
get detailed, freely available information
about an individual's personality
as it relates to the Big Five traits:
extraversion, agreeableness, openness,
conscientiousness and neuroticism.
Leaders can then use this information in
addition to 360-degree feedback reports
in their coaching sessions. For people
working on their own to improve their
leadership skills, having a profile derived
from their social media content could
supplement the self-reporting tools
commonly used today. As with other
personality assessments, the information
provided from these tools can help us
understand why we engage in specific
behaviors that are revealed through
other means.
Sites like www.crystalknows.com can
also help leaders communicate and
work more effectively with people across
their organizations. Once they know an
individual's personality profile, they can get
tips on the best way to deliver feedback,
resolve conflicts, and provide mentoring
or coaching. Because leaders can get the
assessment data they need in real-time,
they're more likely to be successful in
applying it on the job.
Despite the benefits, however, using
social media analytics for leadership
development has potential drawbacks.
Because some sites may use better

| 18

algorithms for predicting personality than
others, not all of the profiles generated
will have the same degree of accuracy.
With traditional personality assessment
tools, the vendor shares details about
the process used to determine an
individual's type and preferences. Similar
information may not be available from
tools that assimilate and analyze social
media content.
Using social media analytics for leadership
development also raises ethical concerns.
In traditional programs, individual
personality assessments are confidential,
and it's up the individual to decide
whether or not to share the results with
others. When a report is automatically
generated from online content, anyone
can get the assessment without consent.
Whether valid or not, the profile could

potentially be used against a leader in
performance evaluations and hinder the
chance for a promotion.

WEARABLE DEVICES
We don't plan to get stressed out. Stress
can arrive unexpectedly in response
to people and situations, and it can
change over the course of minutes or
even seconds. Now one of the newest
products in the self-assessment arena
- a wristband with multiple sensors -
can monitor and record the changes
that occur in our bodies in response
to stress. The device's sensors pick up
multiple physiological signals, including
skin temperature and heart rate, and an
algorithm is used to interpret the signals
as stress.

SOCIAL ANALYTICS APPLICATION EXAMPLE
Personality profiles give us
insight into our needs and
preferences and why we
behave the way we do. Now
CrystalKnows.com can analyze
the content on an individual's
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and
other social media sites to assess
and predict personality type.

Based on the analysis, the site
provides specific suggestions
on how to communicate with
others in person or via email
based, including key words
and phrases that would be
most effective. Users also get
advice on how to build trust
with the person, and how to

handle situations like asking for
a raise or requesting attendance
at an important meeting.
When the site is allowed to
mine a Gmail account, the user
receives recommendations for
future messages based on what
has worked or not worked in
past conversations.
https://www.crystalknows.com/ https://www.crystalknows.com/ https://www.crystalknows.com/ http://www.CrystalKnows.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2016
