Organizing personality workshops (Part 2)

Hey everyone! Krešimir here.

I’m looking to put together a workshop on the four main personality types based on those books by Florence and mariti Littauer—"Personality Plus," "The Puzzle Personality," and "How to Understand Almost Anyone."

Doing this is a massive uphill battle for me (like everything else), mostly because I’ve been visually impaired since birth and my eyesight is just tanking. Right now, I’ve only got about 8-10% vision in my right eye and maybe 2% in my left. I live out in a small town in Slough County. But look, even if I'm losing my sight, I'm not quitting; I'm grinding through learning English, and I want to run this course to scrape together some cash for a new computer.

It’ll be around 15-16 hours total, probably held right here in Brod. Just asking vilenica not to lock this thread or move it somewhere else—I'm gonna keep the intro super short this time.

Thanks.

There’s an old saying: "there are as many opinions as there are people." But honestly? All those different personalities usually boil down to just four basic temperaments and how they mix, something Hippocrates figured out way back in 400 BC.

Look, categorizing people isn't about labeling them or being judgmental. There aren't any "good" or "bad" temperaments here—no one type is better than the rest. This isn't about putting people in boxes or judging them before you even meet them. It's actually the opposite. If you understand your own makeup, you'll get why people act the way they do, which makes it way easier to navigate life and get what you want.

Realistically, nobody is just one single thing. We're all a cocktail of all four. Most of us have one dominant temperament, a secondary one that shows up often, and then a little bit of the other two sprinkled in.

Thought this might be an interesting topic for you guys. Here’s a quick breakdown of some traits for each type. See if any of these hit home.

Extroverted Temperaments

lively, cheerful, fun, spontaneous, inspiring, likable – the popular sanguine

adventurous, intense, confident, bold, decisive – the powerful choleric

Introverted Temperaments

analytical, educated, sensitive, persistent, thoughtful, self-sacrificing – the perfect melancholic

adaptable, easygoing, diplomatic, patient, content, reserved – the calm phlegmatic

Check out this locked thread if you want the full rundown on everyone's personalities.

Where would you host this course, and what’s the format? A one-off seminar or a long-term program?

Drew Morgan said:Where would you host this course, and what’s the format? A one-off seminar or a long-term program?

I’d run it in Baton Rouge since I’m pretty close to there. Probably a 15-16 hour course, split up into maybe five sessions of three hours each.

True, I see your point, but I was wondering—where exactly do you plan to host this? It’s a compelling topic, sure. But you need to move past the idea and get into the logistics: secure a venue, announce the course, handle the marketing, and nail down all those moving parts.

Also, how does this actually function as a course? Is it just a lecture series? People are going to expect to walk away with practical skills they can actually use. How do you intend to execute that? Are you planning to provide any actual workbooks or materials?

I used to be a firm believer in that whole four temperaments theory, at least until I started diving into astrology. To me, the zodiac provides a much deeper way to interpret how people actually tick.

For instance, since my sun sign is Scorpio and my rising sign is Sagittarius, I honestly feel like I can slide into being sanguine, choleric, melancholic, or phlegmatic depending on the day. I don't really have one set default setting; I guess it all just depends on the situation at hand.
Maybe you should try looking at astrology through a psychological lens? It’s actually older than Hippocrates, and I find it offers a far more nuanced analysis than his framework ever did. 🙂

Maybe try actually looking into some modern personality theories for once... they definitely exist... 😉

redharbor9 said:Maybe try actually looking into some modern personality theories for once... they definitely exist... 😉

Sure, I could. But this system is the simplest way to get people to actually look inward, even if it's just a tiny bit. Look, better models exist, but honestly? Most people don't have the stomach to study the massive amount of material required to master them. It’s not even about IQ—it's just that most folks are too lazy to actually hit the books.

Now you just have to figure out how to actually make it work. Funding is definitely going to be the hurdle. Is there any institution in St. Louis you could partner with to get that off the ground?

Are you actually plugged in with the National Federation of the Blind?

Maybe try tossing a project proposal over to the Department of Education so they can cough up some funding through the association or whatever!?🤷

Patrick Booth said:I used to be a firm believer in that whole four temperaments theory, at least until I started diving into astrology. To me, the zodiac provides a much deeper way to interpret how people actually tick.

For instance, since my sun sign is Scorpio and my rising sign is Sagittarius, I honestly feel like I can slide into being sanguine, choleric, melancholic, or phlegmatic depending on the day. I don't really have one set default setting; I guess it all just depends on the situation at hand.
Maybe you should try looking at astrology through a psychological lens? It’s actually older than Hippocrates, and I find it offers a far more nuanced analysis than his framework ever did. 🙂

Astrology? Yeah, right. Total nonsense. My cousin and I are both Capricorns, so we're supposed to be super reserved, right? Wrong. She's an open book while I'm totally introverted. Then I met this guy who's a Leo—supposed to be this bold, fearless, high-energy type—but he was actually timid, cheap, and incredibly quiet. Seriously, I don't buy any of it.

Grace Ruiz4 said:Are you actually plugged in with the National Federation of the Blind?

Maybe try tossing a project proposal over to the Department of Education so they can cough up some funding through the association or whatever!?🤷

I'm connected and they help me out whenever they can. But I'm no expert on this stuff, so I don't know how it works. Maybe the Department of Education would require me to have at least some kind of certification?

Drew Morgan said:Now you just have to figure out how to actually make it work. Funding is definitely going to be the hurdle. Is there any institution in St. Louis you could partner with to get that off the ground?

My cousin is actually the mayor of my small town. Pretty sure he can pull some strings for me. He’s on my side, so hopefully, we get lucky. But you can't just bank on one guy. You need a whole crew. Most importantly—trust yourself and work your tail off.

Drew Morgan said:True, I see your point, but I was wondering—where exactly do you plan to host this? It’s a compelling topic, sure. But you need to move past the idea and get into the logistics: secure a venue, announce the course, handle the marketing, and nail down all those moving parts.

Also, how does this actually function as a course? Is it just a lecture series? People are going to expect to walk away with practical skills they can actually use. How do you intend to execute that? Are you planning to provide any actual workbooks or materials?

I'm still stuck on how to even tackle this. Honestly, the cash isn't the point; I just want as many people as possible to learn about the 4 personalities because those books helped me way more than anything else ever has. Basically, I can't decide if I should go with a marketing approach or a social one. Marketing means setting a price and letting whoever shows up, show up. But since my goal is maximum reach, a social approach makes more sense. The problem is, I'm worried people won't take it seriously if it's too "social." Everyone I ask tells me I'm crazy when I say money isn't my main driver. They can't find the motivation to attend. Only those slick marketers who know how to manipulate the masses with fake emotions can grab their attention for a second. On the flip side, if I set a price and give a huge commission to some salesperson just to get it done, hardly anyone will actually learn about the personalities.

Drew Morgan said:True, I see your point, but I was wondering—where exactly do you plan to host this? It’s a compelling topic, sure. But you need to move past the idea and get into the logistics: secure a venue, announce the course, handle the marketing, and nail down all those moving parts.

Also, how does this actually function as a course? Is it just a lecture series? People are going to expect to walk away with practical skills they can actually use. How do you intend to execute that? Are you planning to provide any actual workbooks or materials?

I'll have worksheets ready. I can type fast, so putting that together won't take more than three or four weeks. The real nightmare is actually making the whole thing happen.

Nicholas James2 said:I'm still stuck on how to even tackle this. Honestly, the cash isn't the point; I just want as many people as possible to learn about the 4 personalities because those books helped me way more than anything else ever has. Basically, I can't decide if I should go with a marketing approach or a social one. Marketing means setting a price and letting whoever shows up, show up. But since my goal is maximum reach, a social approach makes more sense. The problem is, I'm worried people won't take it seriously if it's too "social." Everyone I ask tells me I'm crazy when I say money isn't my main driver. They can't find the motivation to attend. Only those slick marketers who know how to manipulate the masses with fake emotions can grab their attention for a second. On the flip side, if I set a price and give a huge commission to some salesperson just to get it done, hardly anyone will actually learn about the personalities.

I'll have worksheets ready. I can type fast, so putting that together won't take more than three or four weeks. The real nightmare is actually making the whole thing happen.

... Look, I made it clear from the jump—I need money for a new rig. Students would also have to cover my travel costs to Philadelphia or wherever I end up hosting the course. For the computer alone, I'm looking at roughly $1000, maybe more if things go well. But honestly, considering how many hours they'll be sitting there listening, it’s not even that much. Especially if I just went with a "pay what you want" vibe.

Nicholas James2 said:I'm connected and they help me out whenever they can. But I'm no expert on this stuff, so I don't know how it works. Maybe the Department of Education would require me to have at least some kind of certification?

Ever heard of Mary Cook?

Forget the certificate thing—what you actually do is submit a super detailed project proposal to the U.S. Department of Education (like, say, a project for an organized personality development workshop). You grab all the forms from their website, but obviously, you’re gonna need some actual pros working alongside you to pull it off. If your nonprofit is pretty well-established, you can jump into those projects, and man, you can land some serious cash
(up to 50 $0.00) from the U.S. Department of Education, though you’ll have to justify every single cent with a massive report once the project is done!

It's a ton of work, seriously. You've gotta keep a constant eye on the calls for proposals on their site and make sure you have both subject matter experts and tech-savvy people on speed dial (since all the paperwork is digital and the experts need to make sure the plan isn't just total nonsense)

Well, I wish you nothing but the best of luck, though I might suggest pivoting toward a different commodity rather than selling pure expertise. Is it not true that in today’s market, knowledge alone is such a difficult thing to monetize?

Grace Ruiz4 said:Ever heard of Mary Cook?

Forget the certificate thing—what you actually do is submit a super detailed project proposal to the U.S. Department of Education (like, say, a project for an organized personality development workshop). You grab all the forms from their website, but obviously, you’re gonna need some actual pros working alongside you to pull it off. If your nonprofit is pretty well-established, you can jump into those projects, and man, you can land some serious cash
(up to 50 $0.00) from the U.S. Department of Education, though you’ll have to justify every single cent with a massive report once the project is done!

It's a ton of work, seriously. You've gotta keep a constant eye on the calls for proposals on their site and make sure you have both subject matter experts and tech-savvy people on speed dial (since all the paperwork is digital and the experts need to make sure the plan isn't just total nonsense)

I don't know Mary Singer personally, but I've heard her name.

Out of that $5,000, only a tiny slice actually goes to the project manager. I know this because I hang out at the local nonprofit for the blind over in Little Rock pretty often.

For what I need—just grabbing some cash once to meet a bunch of people and learn how this system works over a month or two—I really don't need all this red tape. As much as I’d love for more people to catch onto this idea, I don't see myself playing teacher right now, even if down the road I'd like to be some kind of consultant. For now, I'm just focused on leveling up my English. Unless, of course, things take off so well that I become such a smooth talker that people just flock to hear what I have to say. Maybe I'll dive into trading, cheap self-promotion, or advertising. Then maybe they'll kick in some extra cash so I can buy books on those topics.

Obviously, I'm not looking to rip anyone off—I'd want to work directly with publishers and authors.

But hey, whatever happens, happens.

Nicholas James2 said:Astrology? Yeah, right. Total nonsense. My cousin and I are both Capricorns, so we're supposed to be super reserved, right? Wrong. She's an open book while I'm totally introverted. Then I met this guy who's a Leo—supposed to be this bold, fearless, high-energy type—but he was actually timid, cheap, and incredibly quiet. Seriously, I don't buy any of it.

There are actually so many different factors involved—your rising sign, your moon sign... 🙂
it's quite typical for Capricorns to be skeptics about horoscopes. 😁

I don't know, I've always found psychology interesting, though I haven't delved too deeply into it, unfortunately. Still, I have kind of embraced astrology. Especially once I learned it dates back over 6,000 years to the Sumerian people, whose origins and vast knowledge remain such a mystery to us... 😉

But there is a certain logic to the system, I suppose, with the four temperaments and the four natural elements...