Stop Communicating the Way YOU Want to Be Communicated With
THE B.A.N.K. SHOT 🏀
Read the Court. Adjust the Game Plan.
Stop Communicating the Way YOU Want to Be Communicated With
We’ve all heard the Golden Rule:
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
It’s a great principle.
But when it comes to communication, there’s a better approach:
Communicate with people the way THEY want to be communicated with.
Because the way you prefer to receive information may be completely different from the person sitting across from you.
Same Message. Different Person.
Imagine you’re presenting the exact same idea to two people.
The first says:
“Just give me the bottom line. What’s the opportunity?”
They want you to get to the point.
The second starts asking:
“How does this work?”
“What are the numbers?”
“Can you send me the details?”
They want more information before moving forward.
Same idea. Two very different responses.
Here’s where communication can break down.
If you like to move quickly, you may think the second person is overthinking it.
If you prefer details, you may think the first person is moving too fast.
But neither person is necessarily difficult.
They simply process information and make decisions differently.
That’s where B.A.N.K. comes in.
Read the Court
B.A.N.K. identifies four personality types—Blueprint, Action, Nurturer, and Knowledge—each with different values, communication preferences, and decision-making drivers.
Once you begin recognizing those differences, you start noticing clues everywhere.
The questions people ask.
The words they use.
What gets their attention.
What makes them hesitate.
What they need before they’re comfortable making a decision.
Most of us naturally communicate in the way we prefer to be communicated with.
We give the amount of detail we would want. We move at the pace we prefer. We focus on what matters most to us.
But great communication isn’t just about delivering your message.
It’s about understanding the person receiving it.
That’s what I mean by reading the court.
Adjust the Game Plan
Once you understand who’s in front of you, you can adjust your approach.
That doesn’t mean becoming someone you’re not.
It doesn’t mean manipulating someone into making a decision.
It means becoming a more adaptable communicator.
Maybe you need to get to the point faster.
Maybe you need to slow down and provide more information.
Maybe you need to explain how the decision affects other people.
Maybe you need to give someone time to understand the logic behind your recommendation.
And this isn’t just about sales.
Think about how often communication affects leadership, teams, customers, conflict, negotiations, networking, relationships, change, and decision-making.
The message may be the same.
The way you communicate it shouldn’t always be.
🏀 THE B.A.N.K. SHOT TIP
Before your next important conversation, don’t start by asking:
“What do I want to say?”
Start by asking:
“Who am I talking to, and what do they need from me?”
That’s how you begin to read the court.
Then you can adjust the game plan.
🏀 Try It This Week
Choose one important conversation this week and pay attention to the clues.
Does the person want the bottom line?
Are they asking for more details?
Are they focused on the people involved?
Do they want to understand the reasoning behind the decision?
Don’t worry about figuring out their entire B.A.N.K. code yet.
Just start noticing.
The clues are already there. You just have to learn how to see them.
Ready to Crack Your B.A.N.K. Code?
Understanding your own B.A.N.K. code is a great place to start. Discover how you naturally communicate, what you value, and what drives your decisions.
From there, you can begin recognizing those differences in others—and adjust your game plan.
THE B.A.N.K. SHOT 🏀
Read the Court. Adjust the Game Plan.
Dona Kappmeyer
CPA | Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Certified B.A.N.K. Master Facilitator
