CEU: Enneagram Insights for Athletic Trainers, Students, and Preceptors: From Conflict to Connection

Hey, this is Sandy. And Randy? And we're here on AT Corner. Being an Athi trainer comes with ups and downs, and we're here to showcase it all. Join us as we share our world in sports medicine. Welcome back to another episode of AT Corner. For this week's episode, we have another Education episode talking about the Enneagram. So this is a follow up to our previous Enneagram episode. So if you are listening to this, I recommend you actually go back to our Part 1 episode 212 before

diving into this one. Because this one is the last one kind of goes more of the overview of each of the nine different types of personality types that the Enneagram focuses on. And this one focuses a little bit more in depth and how those different personality types see the world and how they can communicate with other people. How like their strengths, their weaknesses, or their challenges.

And how we can really use them as like a preceptor to work with students or as a leader to work with people in in a committee or people around us. And just really how to facilitate connection rather than conflict. So this is a category A/C EU episode. Thank you so much to Clinically Pressed and athletic training chat. So if you're interested in the CEU, if you're listening to this as it comes out, it is free.

If you're listening to it as it is a little bit older and not within our latest couple episodes, then you can still purchase it regardless where whenever you're listening to this, you just have to do the quiz and course eval that is on clinically Pressed website. And if you're interested in the references, those are also on our website. So make sure you check all those things out and anything we mention is down below in the show notes.

So as a quick recap I guess or a review, what is the enneagram? So of all the different personality tests, the one that I really have focused in on for not only this episode, but something that I use a lot in my practice is the Enneagram. And it is actually a personality test that shows what motivates you rather than your outward personality.

So in the last episode we talked about how everyone can help an injured athlete, but the reason why you help an injured athlete is whatever personality type you are in the Enneagram. And it can really help identify people's more intrinsic motivation and why they do things and how they see the world rather than how others perceive them. For sure. It also just gives perspective.

Yeah, for sure. Like I do things different than how you do things, and if I understand the reason why you're doing it, I can understand a little bit better of why you chose the thing that you're. Doing for sure. I feel like it is very helpful to kind of just understand where like you said, just kind of what like, oh, gives you that perspective. OK. I understand why you thought of it this way or you did it this way. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So the way that I use this is

usually I have my two students. Every single time I have a new student come in, I have them take a quiz, which in the last episode I talked about how sometimes the quiz isn't the best thing to start with. But again, with my students, I'm not trying to give them another thing to study, you know, you know how hard it is to be a student. So I just have them take a quick quiz and then it kind of gives them a, a list of their top answers.

And then I go over the different types and ask them which one kind of resonates with them of their top types. And then we discuss different things, like I give them a whole handout that I put together that includes communication strategies, what we need from each other to succeed, how to identify moments that they might be headed towards burnout, and then different tips that they can find growth.

And again, I shared a lot of these in the last episode, so I was just going to be pretty brief about those. This episode's going to be really more about that conflict resolution communication, how preceptors can work with students, but you can apply it to your situation.

Maybe it's like you have this type of Co worker and this is how you want to like figure out how to work with this Co worker or you're a leader and the people who you're working with you're trying to like or a mentor mentee relationship like you're trying to get that out of. Yeah, I was going to say you do a really good job of using this for your like your students, like you said, like having them

do the quiz beforehand. Like, I think it's really cool to kind of really fully start to understand your students to give them the best experience as well. Thank you. Yeah, I I also just really believe that, like, the better you know yourself, the more that you can help others. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I know I've, I've always been impressed by that. That's been awesome. Thank you. Yeah, so why don't we just get started with just the the type

1? I know we always start with type one, but I feel like it's also the easiest to start with. The type 1 again, is the reformer, moralizer, perfectionist. Their core drive is to be good, ethical and right, and their core fear is to be wrong or to be a bad person. So in the example of like an athletic training student, these would be like very dependable students. They show up on time, they're

organized on top of things. They seem to be striving in school, you know, seem to be on the outside because it takes a lot to get there. They do have high expectations, but they also have a hard time making mistakes and the ups and downs of the learning process. So what anagram ones need from others to thrive? And it's this section I kind of put together ideas of what anagram ones want other people to know. But also if you do these things like it would be really beneficial for them.

OK, nice. So for Enneagram ones, they really do well when people show up prepared, punctual, organized and ready. Nice. So like if you're working with an Enneagram one that would be

really helpful to know they prefer a little bit more like this is what we said we're going to do so. We got to do that. Yeah, and that's another one. Do what you say you were going to do. They thrive in an ethical environment, especially honesty. So if you make a mistake, own up to your mistake. You got to treat everyone fairly AKA like no favorites 'cause that's not not fair, it's not ethical right? And they also need others to actually listen so their

expectations are clear. Nice. In their communication, they'll, they're very clear and have a very thorough communication, which is more on the logical side, like very detail oriented, they're precise, they're fact or

data-driven. So I, I like to give the example of like, if I have an admin who's an Enneagram one, I would present them like if I'm trying to, let's say, get another athletic trainer, I would present them with more data-driven and facts rather than just like the emotional side of why I feel like we need another athletic trainer. Yeah, for sure. If you have an anagram one student, their comfort zone is in the black and white.

And this is also why I like to start with the anagram one, because I feel like it's the easiest example it because they they see things the right way or the wrong way. It's really easy for them to like kind of categorize things just straightforward. So if you're working with someone, I like to start in their comfort zone. So start in the black and white, you know, just blow them up right away. No, not, not particularly. Break things down in black and white before introducing that

Gray area. So for example, if they're having trouble with coming up with a treatment plan, I'm really going to break it down into, OK, let's create a problem list. And we literally sit down and write out, are they in pain? Yes. No. OK, how's their range of motion? Is it lacking? No. What about their manual muscle test? Is their strength lacking? Yes. OK, so we need to increase their strength. So then it's like, OK, we have this list now.

If they're lacking strength, what are the things you need to do to get strength back? Or why are they lacking strength? And how do we address that? So it's literally like breaking it down. But then once I, once they start to get in the habit of that and start doing it themselves, then I can challenge them and then to move a little bit through that Gray area.

So like maybe someone is, and I kind of hinted at it, maybe someone is having a lack of strength because they because like, let's say it's more of a muscle inhibition rather than just plain lack of strength. So but why is there that muscle inhibition? Maybe it's because it's the like their neofusion or for example. And so then I need to really get them to instead of just looking straight at like the facts like kind of broaden or even like someone's insurance.

Like insurance can be tough, right? Oh, this person has an HMO and we usually don't send Hmos to our team doc, for example, you know, so, but maybe this one's a special case, Like how are we going to fit in that Gray area? For sure, there's so much Gray area in athletic. Training big time. So I just remind them that you have to lean into that flexibility and also there's more than one right way to do this. Ones are already beating themselves up for making

mistakes. So as a preceptor, you don't need to also providing a safe space for them to make mistakes and remind them that that's how you learn. This is going to be a pretty common theme in a lot of different Enneagram types because I feel like no one really likes to make mistakes, but you'll see why each type is a little bit different in why, why they don't want to make that mistake. You also want to just help them value the effort and progress like along the way rather than

just being correct itself. Cause Enneagram ones really valued just that being correct, being right. This is how it's done. But like that progress and that journey is kind of forgotten along the way for sure. So that's really helpful to get them still to engage throughout

the process. And then lastly, for Enneagram ones, a feedback strategy, rather than correcting them or standing over the shoulder and telling them what they're doing wrong, which is like a really good way to break an intergram one down, you could provide gentle guidance and examples of other pathways. So for example, something that I would do is like I'd walk them through their thought process.

I'd validate the parts that like, hey, you know, that was a really good like train of thought, but then I'd show them other options. So like, if we're coming up with that treatment plan again, I would help them identify like, OK, so I, I like that you chose this option, but have you thought about this and like why this might be a better option or why this could also be an option for someone in the future or

why, you know, whatever. So then walking through that thought process and showing them that they don't have to pick just one like, oh, for pain relief, it's always STEM for pain relief, you know, for sure. What are some other ways we can get that? Yeah. And the more specifics that you can give them to improve making goals like that, that's really helpful for them as well. So it's a little bit more concrete for them for sure.

And again, I think, and maybe because I'm more of like a like a logical person, but I feel like anagram 1 is like the easiest to start with anyway because it's pretty straightforward. Yeah, I feel like it's easier to visualize it better. Right. And I feel like there are a lot of, not that there are a lot of Enneagram one students, but there are a lot of students who identify with being like a perfectionist. And I feel like you can also use those strategies with people who

like struggle with that too. Yeah, for sure. So moving on to my type, the type 2 AKA the helper giver

mentor. So the type 2, their core drive is to be needed and appreciated. Their core fear is being not needed or being unloved. So these are the type of students who have great rapport with student athletes, with other students, with their preceptors. They love to share their study supplies like no questions asked. Like they'll, they'll even probably share them before you ask.

They would jump with the opportunity to help out with tasks that they know that other people don't want to do just to show that like, they're really helpful and you know they're going to take the initiative to do it. They also often stay way too late in the ATR because they know that even even though they were supposed to leave an hour ago, people still needed them. So like, why would they leave? It makes sense. They often struggle with boundaries, asking for help and saying no.

Makes sense? Yep. Does that sound familiar? That's like spot on for you. Probably Actually, No, I know you. That's spot on Enneagram twos need from others. They need more of an approving, encouraging environment. Negativity can be taken the wrong way. So just be mindful if you're like starting to stray towards the negative realm. Twos, threes and fours are people pleasers. So as I talk about them, you can kind of get the idea of like where some of these traits come

along as well. Allow twos to help you, but don't take advantage of their helpness, helpfulness, helpness. They need, again, their core fear is of being unloved and their core desire is being like loved or needed or appreciated. So if you show them genuine appreciation of or like even acknowledging them, it goes a really long way. Yeah. And then they can also steer clear of that little like pathway to burnout. For sure. You want to respect their

boundaries. Boundaries are already tough for twos to set. Twos are already set in a boundary. Right, if they already set one like, it's already hard for them to get to that point, so respect it. It's also hard once A2 has already set a precedent like, oh, I'm going to do this for you. You can't just expect them to do it again. Yeah, so if they set a boundary and say like, hey, I did that last time, but like, I'm not going to do this this time. Like respect to that.

This one I think is really interesting. Do not rush them 'cause we talked about a couple other types that move pretty quickly. Like don't rush twos. They need time to process what they need and sometimes they do not know what they need. Fair. This and we'll talk about nines later and how they kind of neglect their own needs too. But twos neglect their needs but have a hard time identifying what they are.

So sometimes people like they just want to include twos and and ask them like what they need. But sometimes like. It's not that easy. Yeah, exactly. Like your intention is good asking them what they need, but sometimes it's a little bit harder to get to that actual like point. Communication styles of a 2 are warm, personal, amiable.

They prefer more like a a smaller group or more like one-on-one communication rather than like a general communication because again, they're aiming for that connection and they want to make you feel good in the conversation. If it comes to the point that they need something, they may actually struggle to ask directly for what they need as we kind of like you see the theme with twos. We're not trying to put you out.

So you can already kind of see the difference between like the Enneagram 2 communication and Enneagram one communication where like 1 is going to be a little bit more like straightforward and 2 is going to be like more, I like to say like the scenic route versus like the direct route. Yeah. If you have an Enneagram 2 student, their comfort zone's going to be really again in that helping others, helping with tasks. They're not going to, again, recognize their own needs as

readily. So usually with twos, I like to challenge them to figure out if we can identify what they need to get out of this rotation, not what other students need to get out of this rotation. I also know that with them and their relationship with me as their preceptor, I know that they're going to want to please me and do what I need them to do and be helpful for me. But I want to switch that role

and see what I can do for them. So I got to remind them that they matter to they're, they're going to be an athletic trainer one day and they need to get something out of this rotation, not just helping me. I'm always going to have someone to help me. Like they need to figure out what they need from this rotation for sure.

Something that you can do as a preceptor to help guide this is provide them with independent roles and responsibilities so that they have a direct thing to do rather than like seeing other people do things and kind of jumping in and helping their role. If they know that someone else's role, it can kind of help them stay in their lane and then they can. And then that also helps empower them to start to identify how to stay in their own lane and figure out their own role over time.

For sure. Something that I leave with them. And in the last episode, I talked about like affirmations that I give for twos. I like to say like not everything is yours to do. It's true. Do you use that like not everything is yours to do? I guess I never thought of it that way, but yeah, there are times I have to just be like, that's not, that's not my fight. Exactly, exactly. With twos, you also want to make sure to check in on their well-being and not just their performance.

Especially like as a preceptor, it's really easy to check in like hey, how are you doing with, you know, your evals or you know, stuff like that. But I think sometimes it gets lost, especially if you are one of the more analytical types, like more of like an anagram 135. Maybe even A7, I don't know all the odd numbers. I guess you might not automatically think to check on like the more emotional side, but checking in on their well-being, especially for twos is going to be really helpful

for them. Boundaries remind them that they are not responsible for anything for sight outside of their hours here. So like I see a lot of twos bring home like documentation because they know that it needs to get done. It's like, OK, you need to prioritize getting that done at site so you're not doing this at home and burning yourself out more. So if you as our preceptor need to set boundaries for them in the first place so that they can recognize like, Oh, this is how

whatever. Or even like I had a preceptor when I was a student who someone walked in as we were about to leave and they said, well, I could see you tomorrow. Like it's not an emergency. Like I can help you tomorrow. And that made me realize like, Oh, I don't have to say yes to everyone. I'm not a two, but like, just as a personal example, like students see what your, what the preceptors do as an example as well.

So if you help them set those boundaries, or if you even set those boundaries yourself, the students will really take those on. Yeah, for sure. So then how would you give feedback for a 2?

So twos, you have to be careful with how you say, with how you give feedback to A2. You want to share whatever concerns. Obviously with sensitivity, they don't really do well-being blunt. You just want to make sure that the feedback that you give them is more based on like their actual learning as a student rather than like how they are as a person because they might mistake your disagreement with them as disapproval and that's

going to shut them down. So just reframing it that also like improving or like like making changes to their practice now will be more helpful to others and they that's how they can be motivated to share that growth or share that change. Yeah, for sure. And then also for them, it'd be really beneficial to do like that sandwich method where you share something positive and then you kind of sneak in some something that you want to see improvements on.

And then you share another thing that you've noticed like, hey, you know, last time we talked about this, I, I saw that you made that change. That was a really great change. Look at all these things that that have come of it. Because they just want to feel like they helped. And they want to feel appreciated in life. Exactly. So moving on from the type 2 to

the type 3. So Type 3 is an achiever, performer or producer, their core drive. Or a. Sandra or a me their core drive is to be successful, admired and efficient. Their core fear is of failing or of being worthless. So you're going to start to see some similarities between the three and the one especially, but the three is specifically are more afraid of failure and and they are success driven rather than like ones are more driven for what's right versus

wrong or like making mistakes. So threes are naturally driven. They they're going to want to be the best you've ever had. They are the ones, they're the leaders of the clubs. They're chasing awards, scholarships. If you could put on your resume honestly, like they're going to want it. They do struggle when they aren't the best students. They struggle with their authentic self. They struggle because they're

people pleasers. I could go on and on with that list but I personally when I have an underground three student I call them the professional hiders because they'll they'll literally fake it till they'll make it and they will not admit or show when they're struggling. Interesting. Which is hard as a student because then you fall through the cracks on things that you probably should have exactly because you told your preceptor that you knew it. Yeah, there are a lot of.

Before we move on, I just want to make a point. There are a lot of students when I do the anagram quiz because sometimes again, the quiz doesn't really show like perfect results, especially if you don't know yourself that well. You could type yourself as a different type of something that like maybe you admire or something you want to be. And because the three sounds so appealing from the outside, it sounds so impressive and it sounds like what a perfect

student should be like. A lot of student a lot of students type as a three. And so a lot of times when I have a student type as a three, I usually go over a couple different types of them so they can see what they actually are and not what they want me to be impressed by them. Or what you what? They. Think you want? Exactly So what anagram 3 is need from others is they need to know where they stand with

others. They're threes are also called the chameleon because they just kind of adapt into whatever they're they're usually pretty quiet at first because they're reading the room and trying to figure out like how to blend in. If if you see a three in like different friend groups, like they're going to be different with each friend group because they're going to take on some of those personality traits of wherever they are so that they can exactly keep up with their

fast-paced nature. So again, like twos don't like to be rushed. Threes move quickly. So try to keep up. Take the most efficient route, not the scenic route. Keep interruptions to minimum, if at all, because again, that momentum is. Important. Very important. Momentum's important. Yes, similar to ones, you have to do what you say you're going to do because they like that

follow through. And again, if you don't say what you're going to do, that's not efficient and it interrupts them and it their productivity goes down and that just sucks. Lastly, they you just want to credit and acknowledge them for their hard work, even if they shy away from praise because they're going to. They threes don't ask to be in the limelight, but they want to be credited. Yeah. And the same as a one, you're not going to want to point out their flaws like that is a big

no no for a three. So then how should you communicate with a three? Threes are very direct communication and bullet points cause again, they just want to go, go, go get things done. This is one of the things that as a preceptor I stress to my students a lot that my communication is a very straightforward and very direct and sometimes lacks a lot of emotion, especially during football season because I just want to like we just need to get

this done. So sometimes I tell them like I will, when I catch it, I will apologize and I will try to fix it and try to make it a little bit more personal. And if you're offended by it, please bring it up to me and please let me fix it because I'm aware that I can be very direct and very short. But again, that's because I know

that this is how I communicate. But if someone who is used to a lot more like personal communication or like again, that like scenic route communication rather than like the more efficient route or the, the straightforward whatever, like it's going to be a shock. So I like to go over that so that it's not like I'm not mad at you. That's just how I talk. So if you have type 3 students, their comfort zone is going to be doing the things that they're good at and faking it till they make it.

So you're going to want to challenge them to work on their challenge points while they still have a safety net of you as a preceptor and remind them and reframe it that it will make them better. So if they learn it now right, they they can just strengthen it as they go rather than when they're 78121520 years down in their career and they still don't know how to do a Lachman because they don't have anyone to teach them at that point. That's when they rock the lever

sign or the lilies. Right, You wanna take the time with three is to set goals with them 'cause they need a clear measure to determine success. They're gonna they're gonna be driven by themselves, but they need to feel successful. And if you they don't have something to measure that success, it's gonna be hard for them to feel like they've

reached something. Also a good point that this is where you can kind of stretch them and challenge them and remind them that success isn't just measured by those goals, though. They can also find success along the way, not just in the destination. Yeah, and I'd also just say that that doesn't define you. Absolutely. It it does not. It does not. Also just this reminds them to slow down because 3 is just go so fast.

They forget to be present to be in the moment and look at how far they've come and the places that they are now they were wishing and working for just prior. For threes, you're going to want to help them focus on their own strengths and where they fit best, not what others see as the best job or the best strengths. A lot of times 3 is will say like I want to work in professional sports because that's like the and exactly, exactly like it's, it's with the

highest athletes. Like I want to work with the best athletes. And it's like, OK, do you want to work with the best athletes because you want to work with the best athletes or because you think that you can, because you'd be the best at it and other people would regard you as the best? Like, would you actually enjoy that job or would you get burnt out? Yeah. So, things to think about.

For sure. You want to provide safe ways for enneagram threes to fail because again, failure is something that their core, core fear is. So you don't want to like throw them out to the wolves and have them fail in front of a bunch of athletes or or their peers. Like that would just absolutely destroy 3. But if you could guide them through a way that will help them learn, like maybe you help them pack for or I mean, maybe you have them write down everything and pack for an away

game. But like year to the safety net of like, Oh, I I have this other stuff that I packed that you forgot to pack, right. You'd also like not pointing out to the whole group that they forgot to pack things. Maybe just like that's a one-on-one conversation. Yeah. Because again, like, that's a good way to get them to shut down. So then what should be the feedback kind of strategy to

follow for a three? I would definitely not do anything in front of like the group because threes are very worried about like how they're perceived and how they're coming off to other people. You want to praise their growth. So, so the threes know like you are seeing their growth and you're seeing their successes like but and again in again, in addition to the successes you're you're seeing the process of that growth. I feel like it validates the that the process is just as important.

Right, right. You also want threes to self reflect on what they did. This will have them identify their own challenges and then you can agree with them on those. And you'll see this is a strategy to use for a couple different types as well. Because like Threes ones, like we already said, like ones are already beating themselves up. Like Threes are probably also already beating themselves up for things.

And so you can take those and you can run with them and work with them on what they could do in the future. And again, this is ideally in a one-on-one setting, not in front of others. So moving on from the three going to the four. So the Type 4 is an

individualist, dreamer, romantic and creative. Their core drive is to be authentic and deeply understood, whereas their core fear is having no personal identity or being insignificant. Yeah, Mic drop. So these are the really creative students that are very comfortable with the mental and emotional side of things. They're very comfortable with their own emotions. So they connect well with others who are willing to like sit through that with them. They connect to a deeper meaning

in things. And they might take a different path than others. Actually probably will take a different path than others because they are not afraid to be different. They don't really like cook cutter things. So usually they'll do things their own way or come up with some really like out-of-the-box like rehab ideas or like solutions to things that other

people don't think about. They struggle when you they have to deal with like superficial conversation or feeling rejected, especially when people don't understand them. Anagram fours need from others a couple of different things specifically like support in their efforts. An important thing for a four is not to judge their choices just because they're different from yours. That's interesting. OK. So this is where a perspective really comes in.

You want to see if you can try to see where they're coming from. Don't just write them off because it's really easy for people to just see something that's they're not used to and just be like, oh, well, that's not the right way. Like why aren't you doing? What are you doing? Yeah, why aren't you doing this

for this sort of rehab like. But they are more likely to think outside the box and they have a reason for why they're doing the things, even if it's just something like meaningful to them or some sort of connection that they've made. I mean, if you asked them, they'd be happy to talk about it. Let them know that you value them and their unique perspective, and then validate their feelings and experiences. So then what does communication

look like? Communication for a 4 is really unique and I say that for a reason. They're very expressive. They're they're comfortable in sharing their emotions, especially kind of with the more negative emotions that people aren't as willing to share. They also share a lot of personal experience and they are self referencing, which which is really important to note if

you're talking to a four. A lot of times they'll bring up themselves and it's not with the intention to take it away from you, but rather to connect with you. So if that's good to know Exactly. So like if you are sharing a story and then they share something that's like very similar, but then they're talking about themselves again and you're thinking like, man, we just keep turning it back to like you again. It's really because they hear you and they're like, oh, I can

really understand that. And, and I'm showing you how I understand that if you have type 4 students, their comfort zone is going to be that deep thought and feeling. So what you can do to challenge them is encourage them to follow through and stay action oriented. I guess when they lose their inspiration that they had. So a lot of times they'll start with like, oh man, I'm, I'm really interested in this. And like they have an emotional

connection with something. But if they like lose that emotional connection, they might like jump to something that kind of gives them that feeling again. So encourage them to really stay with it or like stay with even an athlete who maybe they're working with, who they're not connecting with as well. Maybe one day they're going to be an athletic trainer when then they're going to be the only athletic trainer. So that's like the only option

for that athlete to go with. So they need to be able to work with several different people, even the ones who they aren't connecting on a deeper level with. And they're going to have to do the boring things. And they are going to have to do the boring things. Them and sevens don't like to do boring things. So you want to provide opportunities to express creativity and individuality. So if you have them doing like repetitive things over and over again, that might be tough for

them. But if you do have them do that, make sure you're encouraging them to find the meaning in that boring stuff. Find the meaning and how to connect with the cookie cutter repetitive task in athletic training so that they don't just see it as mundane. Yeah. Even if they start to feel misunderstood, remind them that they belong. That's going to be really important for Nanogram 4. Allow them space to share that emotional side and then for feedback, ask them to self reflect.

They probably already are. Don't give them only one way to do things. They don't see just the right way to do things. And then anytime that you're giving them constructive criticism, you just want to remind them that they're being projected. Exactly. It's not rejection. Interesting. All right, so going from 4, just going up the numerical values to type 5. So Type 5 is the investigator, observer, or thinker.

Their core drive is to be competent and capable, and their core fear is to be useless, helpless, or incapable. So they're very knowledgeable, they're very curious. They believe that you can never know enough. They're highly analytical and often independent. These are the ones who, like, turn to the evidence without you having asked them. And they always want to know the why. Like, why is like their favorite

question. They don't need reminders to observe learning opportunities when they can. So like, if you're doing something cool, like, hell yeah, they're going to walk over there. They can struggle more with connection with others. And then if there's like a more emotional side of things, they they kind of stray away from that a little bit. Oh, interesting. So then what does Enneagram 5 need from others to thrive? Definitely fives are a little bit more on the independent side.

So you got to respect their need for space and independence. And like, and I'm not saying that like there they there can't be any like extroverted fives. Like maybe they love being around people, but they are going to eventually need that space. Make sure you understand that their need for privacy has nothing to do with you, but rather that's just what they're more comfortable with.

So don't take it personally if you have a timeline already set, like you got to stick to it. They don't really like surprises. So anytime you are changing something, make sure you give them a heads up, which is kind of hard as an athletic trainer, an athletic training student, like there's going to be a lot of changes all the time. So they might exactly, they might strive in a non traditional setting where there's like not as much change,

for example. Or if they are in a setting like that, make sure that they they are in constant communication with whatever coaches to make sure that they're prepared. You want to make sure to give them clear expectations. Kind of the same idea like they want to be prepared. They like they're curious. They want to know why behind things. They want to be prepared and and ready. And because they're so curious, you don't want to stifle their curiosity. Interesting. So then what does the

communication style look like? So it's kind of similar to an anagram one that's like very data-driven, but they're going to be a little bit more technical, precise. It's going to be pretty brief. They're not really into small talk and they're definitely not ones to go in the scenic route. Interesting. So if you're talking to A5, you are not going to want to spend a long time describing different things that they're kind of just going to get lost in, yeah. They just want the facts. Right.

I mean, kind of same thing going back to a three, like with my students when I, I tell them at the beginning, like if you go do an eval and you're going to come present the eval to me the way that I want the eval structured is give me the Moi. Give me kind of the idea, even if it's completely far off.

Give me the idea of what you think is going on and then give me the supporting details because that's going to allow me to follow it a lot better than if you come in here and you tell me every single special test that you did and all the I can't follow that. It's got to be like, tell me what you're thinking and then and then I can piece and skim through my mind the rest of the conversation. I like that. So then what are some like kind

of considerations for like as a preceptor if you have a type 5 student? So if you have a five student, there are comfort zones definitely going to be in that research, knowledge, evidence, analytics, like data. So anytime they're doing like an evaluation, it's a lot easier for them to focus on the objective side of things when they're just starting out, like go ahead, lean into that.

But then as they're ready, you can challenge them to do a little bit more of that patient perspective, patient experience. Take that into consideration when making decisions. Like even though their range of motion and strength is 100%, they, they don't feel ready. And that's really important to take into consideration if you just put them right back out

there. So challenge them into taking that into perspective, even though it's not that typical objective measure, even if you bring out like patient rated outcomes that can make that patient experience a little bit more objective for them or something that can kind of bridge that gap. Another comfort zone for them is thinking, but their challenge is the actual application of it.

So you want to give them space for that thinking, but allow them to and actually not allow them because they're not going to necessarily want to do it on their own if they don't feel prepared, but just invite them gently into that action, even if they do feel unprepared. Another comfort zone for them is having answers, mastering subjects. So I like to have them jump in and see it as far as they can get without needing me because, for example, like I'll have a

student their favorite tagline. And I'm sure you've had a student that say this before. I'm like, Hey, can you start that shoulder eval? And they're like, oh, I don't know shoulder yet. Oh, oh, we haven't, we haven't, we haven't taken that class yet. And I'm like, oh, you want to learn? Let's do it. We'll learn today. Well, the shoulder is very similar to a lot of other body parts. You're still going to have to observe it. You're still going to have to take a history.

You're still going to have to do your palpations. Maybe you don't know the special test part of it, but there's a lot of things that you do know. So why don't you apply what you do know to the situation that is that unknown for sure? So that I have them start and then I show them that they know more than they think. Yeah, for sure.

For fives, you're going to want to provide space away from the group so they can be independent, especially if you have like a lot of students, you want to check in on five specifically because they not might not voice when they are feeling overwhelmed. Interesting.

You also want to highlight opportunities to dive into points of interest so then they can gather their own knowledge on it. So let's say we saw like for example, we saw we sent someone to our doc for thoracic outlet syndrome, but then doc was like, actually I was thinking more of like quadrangular syndrome. And we're like, whoa, we've never heard of that. So we're like, this is a great

point to like look into. And then, you know, some of our students, especially like an Enneagram 5 student is going to be a lot more like eager and like that's like a highlight point for them that they can look more into this or see how they can, what they can learn about this. For sure. So then how would you give feedback for a type 5? Definitely keep it brief. You want to allow them for space to share their thought process out loud so then you can see where they're getting stuck.

OK, nice. And then later you can start to apply that. Nice, that's cool.

So now we have the Loyalist Guardian and team player AKA Type 6. So Type Sixes want to feel secure, want to feel supported, and their core fear is of being without support or guidance. So Enneagram Sixes typically are really prepared. They're great team players and they ask a lot of questions. Just like the Fives, they probably ask more questions than an Enneagram 5 just mostly

because they love to plan ahead. They love to create systems and they love to have that knowledge backing to do those things. They may seek constant reassurance of their preceptors and others and peers. They have a lot more trouble with confidence and second guessing themselves. And of all the types, I would probably say the Sixes have the most trouble with that. That's interesting.

I have had Anagram 6 students who have had more confidence than my other students, but I could see where their confidence is lacking in places that don't make sense. For sure. So then what do do they need to thrive? Predictability, consistency. They need things to go to plan. They love to plan things ahead.

So when the things change last minute, it could be hard for them to pivot because they have all these what if, what if questions in their head and they do everything in their power to not be stuck in a what if position. For sure. You don't want to make things a competition for them because they need a little bit of that reassurance. You want to be patient with them as they ask questions because that's how they feel

comfortable. So if you stifle that, they're just going to feel uncomfortable. And no one wants that. Right. If you are with an Enneagram 6 asking a lot of questions, see if you can actually reframe it and see the value in their ability to assess all those risks and troubleshoot rather than just thinking that they ask a ton of questions. For my sixes, I say it's so such a superpower that they are able to see plans through so well that they're not going to have

any holes in their plans. Yeah, for sure. And asking questions is always good. It is, it is. I hate that people try to stifle that. I think that there is a time and a place for questions and we I'll talk about that a little bit. I think in, in, in the feedback strategy or kind of like for students specifically because there there's not always a good time to ask questions. Yeah, but questions are good. It's how you learn. You mean when a bone's sticking out?

When's the best time to start asking? No, not particularly going back to like the holes in the plans. I think I didn't write this down, but when you are talking to an Enneagram 6, they might poke holes in your plan. And again, their intention is to be prepared and see through any situation. They're not trying to poke holes in your plan, so don't take it personally. They're not trying to break your plan apart, they're actually

just trying to make it better. So if you can see it that way and try not to get offended by them asking questions, it's actually a really good thing that they're doing for sure. Try to understand 6's fears and worries and don't judge them for being too fearful or anxious. They need a really organized environment. Remember they have all the what ifs already, but they need the what ifs covered.

And then just be open, honest and clear about what you think and want so they can kind of predict and it's consistent for them. So then how how should someone communicate with the type 6? Well, sixes are very clear and thorough. So if you are short, brief, not able to like sit through and answer all their questions, you're going to have like kind of that that communication gap. Sixes can also be one or the other. They can be really highly supportive or they can be more

reactive and skeptical. And it's kind of also how you present things. So if you present things in a way that you kind of have all those what ifs covered, like they're going to be supportive of that, but if they're not really feeling comfortable, they're going to be more skeptical. Interesting. So then as a preceptor, what are some things to look for in the

type 6 student? You want to know like we like, I keep bringing up the same example. Sixes are going to want to be prepared. They're going to want to be prepared for every scenario. They are having a hard time being a student who doesn't know everything, and they're probably going to have be a hard time as an athletic trainer who doesn't know everything, right? So you want to, especially early on, encourage their decision making even when not all of their questions are answered.

Something that someone said in our On the Field episode that I bring up in so many episodes and actually to my students that I just really love is you have to be thorough enough. You're never going to have all the answers. And honestly, I'm just applying that to this because they were actually talking about on field evals, but you're you're never going to have all of the answers.

You are never going to know everything that you were going to see, but you can apply the knowledge that you do have to the situation and no one's ever 100% correct. You just have to be in the general ballpark and make the management plan appropriate for sure. So this also, if you remind Sixes that they're capable, even though they don't feel it, that can start to like help build that confidence. Interesting.

You can also help build their trust by having them take like a little bit more like miniscule risks, like if an acute injury made it to the ATR, like if they're working on like an on field eval, but they're not quite ready to do like an on field eval by themselves. Like maybe you have like an acute injury that's like in the athletic training room. Perfect. Send them out, see how they can

do acutely and know. Let them know that you're going to be there the entire time even though they're not 100% sure. This is a very safe risk for them to take for them to build up their or even like if you need to do a scenario or something. Just help them build their trust by having them do it and taking those little small risks. Oh, that's awesome. Oh yes, like we were saying

before, so this is the question. So a time and a place for questions whenever I have anagram 6 who is just needing a lot more questions answered, I have them bring a pen and paper or even like their phone notes and have them write them down because I want to make sure to get all of those questions answered because it's going to help them. But I don't want to take away the time in the middle of something that we're doing even if it's not the same day.

I'm like, hey, can we, can we get to those questions that you wrote down? Can we get to them tomorrow? Because boundaries we're going home today or we can't, we can't get to it today. So making sure to get to those questions, but writing them down or giving them a time and a place for those questions to get answered or even like a one-on-one or like, let's, let's take some time and really get those questions out so you can feel more comfortable.

For sure. You want to help them take actions on things they want to do. I think I kind of already spoke on that one. And then a feedback strategy for them. You're want to give them constructive feedback on the things they already know that they're going to get feedback on. So if you know that they're confident about something, maybe don't give them feedback on those. And I'm not saying like, don't

hear me wrong. I'm not saying to let things slip by, but instead to encourage the parts that they did well and encourage their confidence. You want to praise that and show them, look at how much you know so they can kind of build that for themselves and then find other ways to bring up the parts that they need to work on. So if they seemed confident on like even something as basic like a heel lock for example on someone, but it didn't like look

that good. But then another time they did another heel lock and they were kind of like you could tell they were a little easy on it. They already know that's your in to like talk about it. Like don't say OK, don't give them feedback when they are confident. Yeah, got it. OK. That's interesting. And honestly, they're probably even gonna guide the conversation because they already know that they are not confident in this area. Like OK solid, we can use that as a guide.

OK, so now we have type 7. So anagram sevens are the

enthusiasts, the dreamer, the visionary, the. Party people. The party people, definitely. They are the life of the party. Their core drive is to have their needs fulfilled to avoid pain and experience excitement. Their core fear is of being deprived and in pain. FOMO. Absolutely FOMO. So these students really enjoy the best parts of athletic training. They they find whatever it is that's exciting and they just absolutely thrive. They thrive on the energy and the ATR.

They bring the energy to the ATR. They love new rehab, they love new treatments, they love new modalities. They love everything that's like fun work is fun, fun. They're the opposite of routine, which they can struggle with in addition to paperwork and long, boring tasks. So some of the things in athletic training. Yeah. So then what does the Enneagram 7 need? So they're going to need a fun workplace that is not routine for sure. They need new interesting tasks,

ever changing, exciting things. You're going to want to stay upbeat and positive with them because negative is really draining to them. It's a bummer. Yeah, you don't want to be a bummer. Stay in tune with them as their plans may change quickly and with no notice. So as you can tell, like an anagram 6 or A5 like doesn't really like like that quick pivot of change. Whereas sevens like like to stay on their toes and they they don't like doing the same thing

over and over again. So you can kind of see where they, those types would have to like compromise or understand each other in a different way. So you want to support and encourage them to think through the possibilities in front of them. Like think through like all the way because they see so many possibilities and they just want

to jump on all of them. They don't like it when people tell them what to do. So you're, they're, they need that freedom, encourage that freedom and flexibility to get stuff done their own way. But you're also going to want to encourage them to sit in their discomfort because they're going to need to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable with the uncomfortable because that's like a lot of athletic training.

Yeah, for sure. So then how would you communicate with the seven? Something engaging, playful, not overly emotional, but also not overly like data-driven 'cause that could be depending on the person, like could be boring for them, you just. Whatever it is, you lost them. Right, whatever it is that's engaging, like maybe they are stats person, maybe they are an evidence person, like hell yeah,

I give that to them. But if they're not, then you know, you're just going to want something that's really engaging for them. So maybe like a really cool stat that would be like. Yeah, something. Something to engage them. Keep attention. Try not to have that negativity too much in conversation because it's going to lose and it's going to drain them. So then what are some things to like? Kind of keep in mind if your student is a 7 so.

Their comfort zone's definitely going to be jumping from one thing to the next, the next, the next, and it's all going to be like whatever fun thing to do. Like they're not going to want to do like the more repetitive task and stuff like that. So at first, you're going to want to keep things engaging and you're going to want to like encourage that they're doing

that. But you're also going to, when they're ready for a challenge, you're going to want to help them follow through those more repetitive tasks or like show them value on why you need to document or do some of those more mundane tasks. Nice. Their goals. If you're setting goals with them, you're going to want to set more like short term goals so they can keep that motivation high rather than those long term goals that they're going to have a lot harder time to stay

motivated for. Now I'm not saying don't set long term goals, maybe set like one or two, whereas like the rest are short term and then they maybe even the short term can keep building on each other. I was going to say, could it? Could you have a long term goal but then have all the short term goals that lead to the long term?

Goal, absolutely. It's kind of like when you know that study tip that's like you're trying to read and you're like, if I read like this paragraph, I get a gummy worm and then I read this paragraph and I get another gummy worm. But it's like oh now I2 or I had like 2 paragraphs. No, I had two gummy worms. Exactly. So like, you want to give them like little rewards along the way. You want to encourage more emotional connections with peers, patients, athletes,

mentors, whoever they're with. Encourage them to empathize with their pain or negativity. Obviously a lot of times when people come in, they're in a lot of pain 'cause that's kind of what we see. That's why they're coming in most time. Exactly. So that's not where they thrive, but they're going to see that. So make sure that they're getting a little bit more comfortable with those positions.

You also want to give them examples of how to have those hard conversations with coaches or like break bad news down to athletes because again, they're going to have to have these conversations. It's just not their favorite thing to do. So if you can figure out a way to either mock scenario those or have them get experience with those, it's going to benefit them a lot in the long run. So how do you give feedback? Feedback for sevens is

interesting. You're going to want to keep it positive, as you are for a lot of other types, but honestly they might respond even better to like sarcasm depending on the person rather than like a director a blunt feedback. So for example, if they keep making the same mistake, like look at them and be like, dude, I can't believe you keep doing this. And like, that's so much more positive and productive for them. And make sure it's like they actually know you're being

sarcastic. But like, but like, they're gonna, they're gonna like, gonna get it rather than like sitting them down, making it a very serious conversation. Like, hey. We can't have this. Like you can't keep doing this, but they, they like definitely would respond better to like that sarcastic manner. So they can kind of like brushed off, but they'll they'll take that intrinsic motivation. They'll take that and make it intrinsic motivation to kind of make that change.

So now we have type 8. So Type 8 is the Challenger, boss protector. Their core drive is to be strong

and protect themselves and others and their core fears of being harmed or controlled by others. So these students in general, AIDS don't really like authority. They like to be the authority. So they're going to take initiative right off the bat. They're really interesting as students 'cause they're very bold, assertive and confident, which is what you don't usually think of students like. Usually students kind of like lack that confidence. Eights want responsibility.

They kind of ask for forgiveness rather than permission, and they they often resist feedback but also struggle with vulnerability. So then what do they need in order to be successful? Absolutely do not tell them what to do. Like sevens do not tell them what to do. Eights do not tell them what to do. Eights have a very intense nature, but just understand that that's actually passion coming through. It's not anger.

It could be mistaken for that and people might be like intimidated, but it's it's good intention. It's passionate. They would love you to follow them when they do take that action. And then also listen, respect their ideas and be honest with them because they don't have time to deal with whatever inefficient and non direct. Yeah, exactly. So kind of like along those lines, what does like what's the best way to communicate with an 8?

Very similar to a three direct assertive, Eights can be intimidating. They're not afraid of conflict, so if they need to be, they could be reactive. They can kind of have a little bit more of that emotional side then threes might come off as and then they're they're more confrontational than a Threes can be confrontational, but eights are confrontational. So I feel like an 8 like this would be interesting to see in a student. Really interesting to see as a student because they they don't

feel like a student like they. It doesn't sound like. Yeah, I mean, obviously everyone's learning and everyone's a novice at some point, but they just want to do it and they're going to take the initiative and they're going to they want control. That's really the the main like and that's their comfort zone. So if you have a type 8 student, their comfort zone is going to be that control. Their challenge is going to be more that collaboration working

with others. So remind them that trusting others is a strength too, yeah? Yeah, that's true. You're gonna want to provide them like more team based responsibilities, even though they're gonna hate it because that is where they can grow. Yeah, I mean, but here's the thing. They might hate it because it's they just want to do it on their own. But if they are the leader of the pack, they actually probably won't need it. For sure.

If they can delegate to others, if they can tell others what to do, if they can have their own sense of autonomy and authority, yeah. It still could be working together right? Working as a team. Eights, you're going to want to give their autonomy. So if you're working football, for example, and they want to be on the other side of the football fields, you let them, but remind them that they still have to communicate with you.

And also you can reframe it as like, you want to work on their communication. Yeah, pretty much all of my students, I tell them we need to work on communication, even the ones who are good at communication because it's such an important skill. Yeah, it is for sure. So providing them concrete ways to communicate with you.

So for example, like, hey, when someone gets acutely injured, like I need to know about it and hear the things that I need to know specifically like name position, like whatever Moi if you want to know before, if you want to know after they got hurt, if you want like like as long as you are specific with them and direct and you, you can give them that the autonomy while still finding ways to have that preceptor student

relationship for sure. So I feel like like I feel like this would be an interesting student to be able to give feedback to. Oh yeah, for feedback, you're going to want to be more blunt and direct. They don't really like the sugar coating, but you don't want to do it in a way that's like obviously harmful to them. You're still showing them respect. It's just very direct. AIDS don't like to be micromanaged. So figure out which points of

feedback you want to give them. Maybe provide them more general feedback of something. They're going to be competitive. They're going to have that own nature within them that they're going to. It's going to drive them, so if you give them the general idea of something to work on, they can probably figure it out from there. If you need to sit down and remind them that you are there to guide them and not control them, that might be a good conversation to have. OK, interesting.

Also like if you can reward them with leadership opportunities as as applicable like to show their value, they would also respond pretty well to that. OK, that's good to know. And then lastly, for an A, you want to invite them to slow down and find meaning in the slower movements, slower moments, because they don't like to do that. So if you were able to challenge them to do that, that's going to be really beneficial for them. Too. And last, but certainly not least, are type nines.

Type Nines are the peacemaker, mediators, peacekeepers, so their core drive is to maintain inner and outer peace. Their core fear is of conflict, loss or separation. These students are just really go with the flow. They're easy to work with and they're grounded. They're able to stay calm and stressful situations, which is such a good thing and we need more of that. They fit well in several different environments as they're constantly trying to keep the peace behind the

scenes. They may struggle with voicing their own needs, which is similar to an Engram 2. But if, again, like I kind of said this in the beginning when we were talking about twos, twos need help identifying their own needs. We don't know. Yeah, sometimes you guys don't know your own needs, whereas Nines know their own needs, but they just don't say them because it would not keep the peace. For sure. So Speaking of needs, what do nines need?

So nines need others to make it a point to ask them what they think or want because they will not necessarily take the initiative to raise their concerns. You don't want to try and pick a fight with them, especially over boundaries. They will shy away from that. They'll make the it'll make them pretty uncomfortable. Make sure you're recognizing their strength of being cool and collected and kind of praising them for that. Just because they keep the peace doesn't mean they want to be

behind the shadows. For sure. They just don't want that conflict to arise and then don't take advantage of their go with the flow nature. You want to make an effort to pay attention what they're actually interested in. So then like, how do you communicate with again, like a nine who's kind of like just kind of go with the flow? So yeah, nines are pretty

agreeable. They could be passive or unclear, especially if they're uncomfortable about something or if they're trying to communicate something that they just don't really feel like they want to go in ahead on conflict about. So if you have a nine in that situation and if they start to be passive or start to be unclear about something, you might be able to understand a little bit better that it's something that could cause conflict.

Or if you do have to ask follow up questions and kind of like steer more into the that conflict realm, be cognizant that they aren't comfortable in that. So the the least amount of time you can stay in that, the better for sure. Or you if you have like a way of mitigating that, that might be really helpful. So then, what are kind of some things to keep in mind for the students that might type as a nine? Their comfort zone is going with the flow.

So, you know, the athletes especially, like, for example, baseball, who comes in and they're like, can I get cups? I was going to say swim. I don't see swim a lot, but like we see baseball come in all the time and they're can I get scraped? Can I get cupped? And it's like the students love to just give them what they want, which is there's value to that. Time and place. But exactly, there's a time and

place. So you want to, for nines, they're going to want to go with the things that the athletes want or whoever they're working with their patients want. Their challenge is you have to remind them that they are the clinician, so they need to determine if that's what's best for them. But what if that makes conflict? I know. I mean, remind them like, it might, it might be what's good for them. Like I've had athletes come in, they're like, I want heat and stim. And I'm like, why?

Like what's going on? And like, actually, yeah, that is the thing that I was going to choose. Sure, we could do heat and stim. That sounds good. But I'm not doing it just because he walked in and said I want heat and stim. A good thing for a nine to remember is you want to remind them that disagreement is healthy and needed for growth. In a world without any disagreement, how many bad things would happen? Yeah, for sure. How many things would say stagnant? I was just saying nothing would

grow like no grow. How many things would change? Nothing. Yeah. You want to praise their ability to remain calm in stressful situations and under pressure? Make sure that's not forgotten. Nines can often get forgotten. That's tough. Encourage work life balance so they can rest and rejuvenate so they can come and give their best foot forward. You want to ask for their input directly as they might hesitate

to bring it up themselves. Or you could just provide them the space to. You don't necessarily need to ask them directly if you feel like if you provide enough space, they might be comfortable bringing up something. Especially if when they do bring something up, you don't want to have a big reaction because that might overwhelm them. If you provide the space, you're going to want to keep the space and make sure it's still comforting no matter what they say. So then how would you give

feedback? They're they're one of the types that you're going to want to use positive feedback, you're going to want to show them that they are doing well, communicate in that more comfortable manner for them so that they aren't shying away from or shutting down. Got it. So those are all nine types. Wow, that was really dope. Yeah. So like, I think they're really helpful in understanding like different relationships. So if I had an action item for this, I would say learn your

type. If you haven't from the last episode, in this episode, learn your type and either learn your Co workers type or your students type or figure out those people around you so you can kind of understand how you guys differ in communication strategies or what you need from others or how you can tailor your feedback to each other so that it doesn't end up in conflict I. Was gonna say, I feel like even though like we said like oh, like really applied it to like,

oh, if you have like this type student, a lot of those concepts are can translate to like Co workers, colleagues, supervisor. Yeah, even like the the Type 1 admin that we were talking about like. Yeah, so. If how to present data and really have them understand it? Yeah, so just cause like, Oh yeah, we mentioned oh, like this is how you would talk to students or how you direct your students. Like this is app applicable to many different like groups, like colleagues and so on and so

forth. Yeah. So if you are interested in the Ceus for this episode, again, go to clinicallypress.org. We have the link down below for the specific course in the show notes and then take the quiz and course evaluation and then you'll get your Category A certificate automatically generated for you. References are on our website if you are interested. I have an anagram handout that I've kind of put together based on some things with that that I've come across that I've

liked. I'm not going to put it up in one standard place because I do change it from time to [email protected] and I can give a copy of that, the current copy, I guess, of that to you. But yeah, other than that, if you guys are new, we do every episode as either Education, like this one ACU episode. Usually Randy's heading these. It's pretty rare for me to head them, but I just happened to get the last two.

Randy Randy heads them. He reads a ton of research articles and we sit and digest them in a very conversational format. Our other episodes include interviews with different athletic trainers or various other professionals and how they relate to athletic training. We also have story episodes where we bring stories from athletic trainers all over the world on highlight topics just to kind of over experiences and kind of share our share our our worldly views. Yeah, for sure.

Cool. Well, I think that's all I got. Thank you for helping us showcase athletic training behind the tape. Bye.