Must a person have a license, or other certification, to use the SI Profile?

No. The Social Intelligence Profile (SI Profile) is an educational self-insight product, not a psychometric instrument. Therefore, we do not restrict its use to certified practitioners.

We recognize two kinds of users:

General Users - people who want to purchase one copy or a small number of copies for personal use or for use with a small group of people. These people can purchase profile booklets at the standard $35 "off the shelf" price,with no discounts for quantity purchases.

Registered Professional Users - qualified practitioners in the field of human development, who wish to use the SIP in training programs, coaching, counseling, career development and other related applications. There is no fee to register, but we do require that candidates for registration fill out an online form describing their experience and qualifications. We reserve the right to refuse to supply the SIP to people whose qualifications do not meet our minimum standards. The signup process includes purchase of one SIP booklet, which will be charged to your credit card at the general-user price of $35. After that, you can purchase profiles at the special rate of $20 each, with quantity discounts. Apply for enrollment as a Registered Professional user.

How much time does it take, on average, for a person to fill out and score the SIP questionnaire booklet?

The majority of people can complete the questionnaire and scoring procedure in 15-20 minutes. A few people may need more time, including some elderly people and people using a version of the profile not in their native language. In some programs, you might be able to have participants complete the profile beforehand. Or, your schedule may make it convenient to call a break after completing the profile and before reviewing the results. In that way, those who need a few extra minutes can keep working while the others begin their break.

It's possible to explain the essential elements of the model in just 10-15 minutes. Usually, it is advisable to move right into examples and practical workshop exercises without a great deal of conceptual discussion. Once the participants begin to assimilate the model and its implications, the workshop leader can return to the conceptual discussion and extend the discussion to various related topics.

How valid and reliable is the SI Profile as a measurement tool?

In evaluating measurement tools like the SI Profile, it is important to understand the implications of the terms validity and reliability. To say that an instrument is valid means that it measures what its designers or users claim that it measures. To say that it is reliable means that it gives similar or identical results when it is applied more than once under the same circumstances.

Because the SI Profile is based on a unique conceptual model, it cannot be validated against any known objective standard; therefore, the appropriate measure is what is known as "face validity," i.e. the extent to which it makes sense "on its face." Face validity is determined by asking a number of people who have taken the instrument "How well do you believe your profile scores accurately describe your social skills and interaction patterns?"

Reliability is a somewhat more complex issue, because the theoretical proposition behind the SI Profile supposes that a person's social skills and interaction style are not fixed for all time. Although most people tend to keep approximately the same overall interaction pattern, particularly in terms of the comparative levels of the four primary dimensions, many people report that their profiles may shift over time. With regard to social skills, obviously the objective of the SIP is to help people improve their skills over time. For that reason, the best measure of validity and reliability for the SIP would be the extent to which people feel it is instrumental in helping them intreract with others more successfully.

How can we be sure that a person will answer the questions on the profile honestly and realistically?

We can't. Every self-assessment instrument ultimately depends on the willingness of the person filling it out to answer the questions honestly and realistically. This is why instruments like the SIP and others work best when administered by an experienced and trained professional practitioner, who can guide and encourage people to approach the experience constructively and interpret their scores realistically.

The instruction page of the profile cautions the user to think carefully about each question, and to "answer as if someone who knows you very well is looking over your shoulder." Practitioners who use the SIP in their work should emphasize to their clients the value of realistic answers for their own self-understanding and personal development.

Is SIP a transcultural model?

We believe that the five key dimensions of social skill - Situational Awareness, Presence, Authenticity, Clarity and Empathy (the "S.P.A.C.E." formula) may be durable across cultures. However, the specific expression of those skills, as well as accepted behaviors associated with those skills, will certainly vary from one culture to another. In some cultures, for example, openness, candor, and even confrontation are valued; in others, they may be perceived as aggressive and destructive. Further, norms for various kinds of behaviors will certainly vary even within one culture.

We also believe that the SIP's interaction style model - Social Energy and Results Focus - may be durable across cultures. Again, however, it is reasonable to consider that specific behavioral options may be favored over others in a particular culture, even though the conceptual framework of the interaction styles may be portable.

The SIP, having originated in a Western, European-oriented business environment, and having been designed primarly for adults in a business setting, inevitably reflects the social viewpoints, values and norms of the West. We make no claims that it might be universal in its constructs, its applicability, or its usefulness.

Users of the SIP must ultimately accept responsibility for the choices they make in using the instrument with various populations, and in particular they need to think carefully about how to interpret the results and explain the basic concepts to people with diverse cultural experiences.

Is there a statistical data base of SI profiles?

Not yet. SIP is a new product, and we are in the process of gathering profiles for a comparative database. As this database accumulates, we will make the results available to Registered Professional Users at the appropriate time.

Is SIP available in other languages besides English?

Not at this time.

Is there an online version of SIP?

We are planning to offer an online version in the near future. If you're interested, send us an email message asking to be notified when it is operational.

It seems like SIP would be ideally suited for a 360-degree, or multi-rater application. Do you plan to offer a version that allows people to get feedback from others?

Depending on the demand, we will probably introduce a multi-rater version, available only to Registered Professional Users. As we foresee it, the professional practitioner will be able to issue passwords to individuals he or she is working with, and they as well as their selected raters will go to the website and fill out the SIP questionnaire, each giving his or her perceptions of the person being rated. The practitioner will be able to access the data for the specific individual, and generate online reports of comparative perceptions.

We have not set a target date for the availability of the multi-rater version.

How does a professional user get started using the SIP?

If you like, just purchase a single copy of the SI Profile (USD $35) and study it carefully. You'll find that you can readily understand the model and the conceptual background, and you'll begin to see the implications of the model for your training or counseling activities. You can submit your online application form for registration as a Professional User at the same time (we will charge your credit card for the $35 cost of the profile and the sign-up service). Or, you can register later if you like, and we will credit the $35 payment as part of the process.

Try including a module on the SIP in one of your workshops. Allow about 25 minutes for administering and scoring the profiles, 20 minutes or so to explain and discuss the model and participant profiles, and perhaps 30-60 minutes for an exercise to help participants experience the effects of social intelligence and interaction styles.

After you've used the SIP a few times, you'll find yourself thinking of new ways to apply it: personal skills training, supervisor-employee counseling, team building, sales training, coaching, counseling, conflict resolution and a host of other possibilities.

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