Cast your mind back to a primary school English class as a 10 year-old and you will probably remember learning the terms ‘verb’ and ‘noun’. To refresh your memory, a ‘doing’ or ‘action’ word is known as a verb, while a ‘naming’ word is a noun. This is worth remembering because when engaging with people in any aspect of your life, most people can either be grouped into what I call the ‘verbites’ or the ‘nounites’.
Nounites are a common bunch of people, and most of them do not realise they are nounites. They love to name things; the people they worked with, the jobs or projects they have done, the qualifications they have, the achievements they have accomplished, the things they have done, places they have been, people they know. Generally, they will focus on the past or the present, and their position in it.
Verbites are not quite as common and engage differently. They are the people of action, the doers; the people who see a problem, issue or opportunity and their brain goes into overdrive with solutions, actions or strategies. They will more than likely focus the conversation on you, your issues, concerns or problems, and how they can help to you achieve what you need. Verbites generally ask a lot of questions and are keen to learn and explore different options.
That’s not to say that one is better than the other. They are just different. As an inquisitive person by nature, I love to talk with nounites’, learn their stories and try to pick up some new perspectives or ideas from their experiences, but there are certain situations and careers that Nounites’ and verbites’ are better suited.
These two characteristic types are prevalent in every industry and profession and being able to identify the verbites from the nounites could have a sizable influence on the results achieved when engaging their services. Whether it be financial planning, medical care, education, trades, retail or any other service or support you require, you need to know that the person you are engaging with is focusing on you and your outcomes, not primarily on themselves. A quick verbite vs nounite test during the initial conversations will help you engage a person, company or institution who is there to serve you and your needs, not their own.
You need to consider with your financial planner (or adviser), your objectives, financial situation and your particular needs prior to making an investment decision. Sensibly Pty Ltd and its authorised representatives (or credit representatives) do not accept liability for any errors or omissions of information supplied on this website
Nick Shanley, Steve May, Luke Styles and Shanley Financial Planning T/A Steve May Financial Services are Authorised Representatives / Corporate Authorised Representative of Sensibly Pty Ltd, AFSL 533923. Please refer to our website at www.stevemayfs.com.au to reference our Financial Services Guides.
