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Using DiSC in marriage and couple retreats

Help couples build trust and improve communication with Everything DiSC.
3 min read

Leading an enrichment retreat and looking for resources? Consider using DiSC® profiles. We recommend that you schedule a half day for explaining the DiSC concepts and to give the couples or families time to digest and work with their reports.

Why use Everything DiSC®?

DiSC circumplex showing dot in the C quadrant
Everything DiSC map showing priorities

Communication skills are a must-have in any relationship—even more so in a marriage or partnership. DiSC profiles are nonjudgmental and help each partner increase his or her self-knowledge: How do I respond to conflict? What motivates me? What causes me stress? How do I tend to solve problems? Sharing this information with your spouse or partner is a powerful step. DiSC also suggests ways individuals can adapt or flex their own style to get along better with others.

DiSC will not tell you that you’re compatible or not with your spouse. Couples with any mix of styles can have happy relationships. DiSC won’t tell you how to fix any specific problem. But it will help couples better understand themselves and their priorities, and their partner and their priorities. Discussions around the needs and preferences of each person can help them develop trust and understanding.

The Everything DiSC Workplace® profile ends with suggestions about behaviors that might make someone more effective in their personal interactions. These are great starting points for more in-depth conversations.

Facilitators, coaches, or clergy can focus their DiSC program on the topics of their choice. You can ask couples to reflect on and discuss issues a profile will address such as:

  • How does each of us prefer to communicate? What does each of us need from the other in order to feel heard?
  • How does our preferred pace affect our relationship?
  • What makes each of us stressed? How does each of us deal with stress?
  • How do our differing or similar priorities influence our relationship?
  • What strengths does each of us bring to our relationship?

Will DiSC work in conjunction with other programs?

Everything DiSC Comparison Report with rose and chocolates

DiSC profiles will not duplicate, but rather supplement, the content found in other tools such as The 5 Love Languages, appreciative inquiry, or active listening exercises. The DiSC assessment provides the facilitator and participants another way of looking at relationships.

The DiSC profile can be used with confidence by facilitators. DiSC has been well-researched and the profile has been validated and used by over 40 million people.

“I know it’s been so useful in my own life, with my husband and children too, and have had really positive feedback on how useful people have found it. Great for business partners too, both when they’re couples and when they’re just working together.” — Cathy

 

The Everything DiSC® Comparison Report is a great tool for showing just how two people are likely to interact with each other. There’s plenty there for couples to discuss. It might seem odd to ask someone to take a profile designed for use in an organizational setting, but think about what a marriage entails. There are questions about how to manage the household and big decisions about capital investments like a house or car. There are family and individual goals. A lot of marriages fail because the couple doesn’t work as a unit.

Everything DiSC Comparison Report sample page

Sample Comparison Report (PDF)

These free reports are available with Everything DiSC products such as Everything DiSC Workplace or Everything DiSC Productive Conflict and an EPIC administrative account. They are also available if both people are in the same organization and using the Everything DiSC on Catalyst platform. If you’re running a retreat with several couples, consider the benefits of using EPIC, both for pricing and access to free reports.

Will I need any special training to deliver a DiSC session?

You can administer any of the Everything DiSC profiles without any special training. Participants can complete the assessment before coming to a workshop.

A facilitator’s guide with fully annotated scripts, videos, and activities are available in facilitation kits such as the Everything DiSC Workplace Facilitation Kit. Becoming an Everything DiSC Certified Practitioner will give you even more experience and confidence with DiSC.

Author

Kristeen Bullwinkle

Steeped in Everything DiSC since 2010. Strongly inclined CD style. Leadership style and EQ mindset: resolute. Believes strongly in the serial comma.

Certifications from Wiley:
Everything DiSC, The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team

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