COMMUNICATION CONGRUENCE

INVENTORY (CCI)
Marshall Sashkin and Leonard D. Goodstein
Manychildrenretainmoreofwhattheyhearthanwhattheysee,andviceversa.
AccordingtoFiske(1981),someevenlearnbestwhenstudyingwithinthereachoffood
orwhenworkingwiththeirhands,andanumberofschoolshavebuiltavarietyof
learningoptionsintotheirclassroomssothatstudentscangainknowledgewithintheir
preferredlearningsystems.
GrinderandBandler(1976)proposethatpeoplealsohavepreferencesintheir
languagebehaviorforoneofthreebasicrepresentationalsystems.Thatis,theysuggest
thatindividualstendtoprefertothinkandcommunicateintermsofoneofthethree
majorsensorysystems:seeing,hearing,andfeeling(i.e.,thesenseoftouch).Although
mostpeoplearenotlimitedtojustoneofthesethree,GrinderandBandlerarguethat
generallypeopleusespeechmetaphorsthatcenteroneithervisualexperienceor
auditoryexperienceorkinestheticexperience,andtheydevelopedamodelof
communicationstylesthatidentifiesthreemajorapproachestotheuseoflanguage.
Thisconceptispartoftheirlargermodel,whichtheycallneurolinguistic
programming(NLP).
AreviewofresearchonNLP(McCormick,1984)indicatedthattherewaslittle,if
any,realsupportforthebasictenetsofNLP.Althoughyoungchildrenoftendisplaya
preferenceforandevenlearnbetterthroughtheuseofoneoranotherofthethreemajor
sensorysystems,bythetimetheyreachadulthoodtheygenerallydonothavea
dominantrepresentationalsystem.EvenBandlerandGrinder(1975)notethatsucha
limitationwouldbeanindicatorofpathology.
Therewas,however,onesubstantialresearchfindingrelevanttorepresentational
systemsandtheirreflectioninlanguage.Brockman(1981)andFrieden(1981)found
thattherapistswhomatchedtheirownstyletothatusedbytheclientweremore
effectiveinestablishingclienttrustandrapport.RathandStoyanoff(1982)describethe
importanceofmatchinglanguagestylesinthefollowingway:
Iftwopeoplearehavingtroublecommunicating,theproblemcanbediagnosedbyanalyzingthe
principalrepresentationalsystembeingusedbyeachperson.Ifitisdiscoveredthatthesepeople
tendtoemphasizedifferenttypesofimagery,theircommunicationcanbeimprovedbyinvolvinga
thirdpersontotranslateforeachintermsofhisorherpreferredsystem.Asaresultofthisprocess,
eachoftheoriginalpartieshearsterminologyconsistentwithhisorherpreferencebutbasedonthe
othersrepresentationalsystem.Whensuchaprocesstakesplaceinagroupsetting,theotherswho
arepresentmaypointoutandexplainwhatisbeingobserved.Theseexplanationshelpthetwo
partiestounderstandthattheirinabilitytocommunicateisbasednotonunwillingnesstodosobut

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ratheronthefactthattheyhavedifferentstylesofcommunicationbecausetheyusedifferent
representationalsystems.Ultimately,eachofthetwomaybecomesensitivetotheothersstyle
andmaygeneralizethissensitivitysothatthecommunicationsofothersaremoreunderstandable
andacceptable.
Suchsensitivitycanbeavaluableassetwhencommunicatingwithsupervisors,clients,family
members,closefriends,andfellowgroupmembers.Theindividualwhocanidentifyanothers
preferredrepresentationalsystemcanemploythatsystemtocommunicateeffectivelywiththe
otherperson.(p.169)

Thesefindingsandobservationssuggestthataconsultantwhousesa
representationalsystemthatiscongruentwiththatusedbytheclientismorelikelyto
haveapositiveeffect.Inordertomeasureandimproveonthiscongruence,the
CommunicationCongruenceInventory(CCI)wasdeveloped.AlthoughtheCCImay
indicateasdoesTheLanguageSystemDiagnosticInstrument(Torres,1986)
whetherornottherespondenthasaparticularstylepreference,theprimarypurposeof
theCCIistoexperientiallydemonstratetheconceptofconsultantclientcommunication
congruenceandtoprovideamethodforimprovingthecongruence.

ADMINISTERING THE CCI

TheCCIconsistsoffifteenitems.Eachitemincludesoneinitialstatement,andthe
respondentshouldselectoneofthefouralternativerestatements.Oneofthefour
alternativesisaneutralrestatementandthreeareactivelisteningrestatementsthata
humanresourcedevelopmentororganizationdevelopmentconsultantmightmakein
responsetotheinitialstatementoftheclient.Ofthefifteenclientstatements,fiveuse
auditoryterminology;five,visualterminology;andfive,kinestheticterminology.The
fouralternativesincludeauditory,visual,kinesthetic,andneutralterminology.
Thisinstrumentisdesignedtoprovideconsultantswithexperientialfeedbackon
howtheyrelatetoclientsintermsofclarifyingspecificclientcommunications.Most
consultantsarefamiliarwiththeconceptofactivelisteningorlisteningwithempathy
forfeelingsandideasandrestatingtotheclientthoseexpressedfeelingsandideas.
Suchrestatementsareusedbytheconsultanttohelpclarifytheclientsownthinkingas
wellastheclientconsultantcommunications.Thescoringsystemwillhelpthe
respondenttoexplorethedegreeofcongruencebetweentheselectedalternativesandthe
initialstatements.

SCORING AND INTERPRETING THE CCI

Ascoringform,whichisalreadymarkedwiththecongruentresponses,isprovided.
Aftertherespondenthascompletedtheinstrument,hisorherselectionsshouldbe
transferredtothescoringformbycirclingthecorrespondingletteronthescoringform
foreachofthefifteenitems.Thenthenumberofcirclesineachofthefourcolumns
shouldbewrittenonthecorrespondingtotalcirclesline.Next,thenumberofsquares
thatwerecircledineachcolumniswrittenintheboxesunderneaththetotalcircles

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lines.Thetotalofthescoresinthethreeboxesbecomesthefinalscore.Nocreditis
givenforselectionsincolumnIV(theneutralalternatives).
Aconsultantwhoisabletouselanguagethatiscongruentwiththeclientsstyle
shouldselectthealternativethatmatchestheinitialstatementineachitem.Thatis,ifthe
initialstatementcontainsauditoryterminology,therespondentshouldselectthe
alternativethatcontainsauditoryterminology,andsoon.Innocaseshouldtheneutral
alternativebeselected.
Afterthescoringiscompleted,thefacilitatorcanleadadiscussionon(a)whythe
alternativesrepresentedbythelettersinthesquaresonthescoringsheetarecongruent
withtheinitialstatementsand(b)howaconsultantcanlistenforparticulartypesof
languageusedbytheclientandattempttorephrasethestatementwiththesametypeof
language.Thefacilitatoralsocanhelprespondentstodiscoverwhetherornottheir
selectionsindicateapreferenceforauditory,visual,orkinestheticterminology.

REFERENCES
Bandler,R.,&Grinder,J.(1975).Thestructureofmagic(Vol.1).PaloAlto,CA:ScienceandBehaviorBooks.
Brockman,W.P.(1981).Empathyrevisited:Theeffectofrepresentationalsystemmatchingoncertaincounseling
processandoutcomevariables(Doctoraldissertation,CollegeofWilliamandMaryinVirginia,1980).
DissertationAbstractsInternational,41(8),3421A.
Fiske,E.B.(1981,December29).Teachersadjustschoolingtofitstudentsindividuality.NewYorkTimes.
Frieden,F.P.(1981).Speakingtheclientslanguage(Doctoraldissertation,VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity,
1981).DissertationAbstractsInternational42(3),1171B.
Grinder,J.,&Bandler,R.(1976).Thestructureofmagic(Vol.2).PaloAlto,CA:ScienceandBehaviorBooks.
McCormick,D.W.(1984).Neurolinguisticprogramming:Aresourceguideandreviewoftheresearch.InJ.W.
Pfeiffer&L.D.Goodstein(Eds.),The1984annual:Developinghumanresources(pp.267281).SanDiego,
CA:Pfeiffer&Company.
Rath,G.J.,&Stoyanoff,K.S.(1982).Understandingandimprovingcommunicationeffectiveness.InJ.W.Pfeiffer
&L.D.Goodstein(Eds.),The1982annualforfacilitators,trainers,andconsultants(pp.166173).San
Diego,CA:Pfeiffer&Company.
Torres,C.(1986).Thelanguagesystemdiagnosticinstrument(LSDI).InJ.W.Pfeiffer&L.D.Goodstein(Eds.),
The1986annual:Developinghumanresources(pp.99110).SanDiego,CA:Pfeiffer&Company.

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COMMUNICATION CONGRUENCE INVENTORY (CCI)

Marshall Sashkin and Leonard D. Goodstein
Instructions:Ineachofthefollowingfifteenitems,astatementispresentedthatis
typicalofsomethingaclientmightsaytoaconsultant.Imaginethattheclientis
speakingtoyou.Howwouldyouasaconsultantrephrasethestatementinorderto
lettheclientknowyouunderstoodwhatwasmeant?Fouralternativesaregivenfor
rephrasingeachstatement,andyoushouldselectone.Whenyouhavemadeyour
selection,writeanXintheappropriateblank.Afteryouhavecompletedthefifteen
items,waitforinstructionsfromthefacilitator.
1. Ithappenedagaininmydivisionjusttheotherday.Icannothelpbutfeelangry
whenpeoplegetaheadbypushingthemselvesandclimbingoverotherswhoare
justasorevenbetterqualified.
________a. Itmakesyouangrythatpeoplegetaheadinthiscompanyby
clawingtheirwayuptheladder,passingoverotherswhodeserveas
muchormoreconsideration.
________b. Youbelievethattheorganizationspromotionpoliciesdonotalways
resultinthebestpersonbeingselectingforthejob,thatself
promotionoftenplaysabigpart.
________c. Yougetburnedupoverpeoplewhoarepromotedbecausetheyblow
theirownhornsandareheardwhilethosewhoarejustasqualified,
orevenmoreso,aresilent.
________d. Youbecomeangrywhenitappearsthatmanagementisblindtothe
realqualificationsofpromotioncandidates,promotinginsteadthe
onesmostvisible.
2. RobertshasbeenmymentoreversinceIhavebeenonthisjob,andImgrateful
thatIcanseethingsthroughtheeyesofsomeonelikethat,someonewhohas
seenitallandyetstillhasarealvisionofthefuture.
________a. Youarethankfulforamentorwhoseesthesituationandthefuture
soclearly.
________b. Youfeelgratefultowardyourmentor,whohashelpedyoufeelout
yourcoursesofactionandmoveonthebasisofexperienceand
handsonplanning.

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________c. Youarethankfulforyourmentorswordsofwisdom;bylisteningto
andheedingRobertsadviceandstoriesofthefuture,youhave
benefitedgreatly.

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________d. YouaregratefultoRobertsforgivingyouthebenefitofboth
experienceandgoodideasofwhatistocome.
3. IoftenfeelfrustratedwhenImtryingtobuildaneffectiveteam;itsliketrying
toconductasymphonywheneachmemberoftheorchestrawantstoplayhisor
herowntuneloudly!
________a. Itsfrustratingtotrytoleadanddevelopateamwheneveryone
seemstobelookingatadifferentmaporseeingadifferentgoal.
________b. Youbelieveitisoftendifficulttodevelopacohesivegroupwhen
eachmembertriestobeindependent.
________c. Youbecomedistressedwhenyouaretryingtodevelopateam,
becauseinsteadoflisteningtoyou,eachmemberisshouting
forattention.
________d. Itfrustratesyouasateamleaderwhenyoufeelthepressureofall
themembersstrainingtogotheirownways.
4. Itwasbadenoughthattheerrorhurttheproject;butwhenAdamsmadetheerror
andtriedtohideitwiththattransparentlie,Ireallysawred!
________a. YoufeltangryenoughtotearintoAdams,rippingaparttheattempt
topaperoverthetruth.

________b. YouweresoangryathearingAdamsspeakalietohidethemistake
thatyouwantedtoliterallyshoutoutthetruth.
________c. ItwaswrongforAdamstomakesuchamistakeandthenlietoyou
aboutit.
________d. ItwaseasytoseethroughAdamslie,andtheattempttocoverup
themistakethatwaymadeyouveryangry.
5. WhenIreceivedthosefigures,IfeltsogoodIjumpedforjoy.
________a. Youweredelightedtohearthegoodnews.
________b. Youthoughttheresultswereexcellent.
________c. Youfeltgreatandreceivedarealboostfromtheimpactof
thosefigures.
________d. Seeingthosegreatresultsmadeyoufeelwonderful.
6. Theconstantrumorsthatwereflyingaround,themudslinging,andthepersonal
abuseontopofallthatreallygotmedown.

________a. Therumorsandaccusationsseemedunending.
________b. Itwasdepressingtoknowthatpeoplewouldlistentotherumorsand
talkabouttheviciouspersonalgossip.

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________c. Youweredepressedthatpeoplecouldlookattherumorsand
accusationsseriouslyandthatyouhadtowatchtheliesaboutyou
spreadaround.
________d. Thetalesthatweremakingtheroundsandtheimpactofthe
accusationsbeinghurledatyoumadeyoufeeldepressed.
7. Imsatisfiedwiththisproject,becauseitallowspeopletolistentoinformation
theyareentitledtohearandthatisbeneficialtothem.
________a. Youfeelgladthatthisprojecthandsovertopeopleinformationthat
reallyhitshome.
________b. Youbelievethatthisprojectwillprovidepeoplewith
beneficialinformation.
________c. Youaresatisfiedbecausethisprojectwillletpeoplehearwhatthey
needtohearandthatyourvoiceswillnothavebeeninvain.
________d. Itssatisfyingthatwhenpeopleseewhatyouhavedone,theywill
haveaclearpictureofhowtheinformationcanbeusefullyapplied.
8. AnyonecouldseethatBarneswasthebestcandidate.Iwasembarrassedbecause
Ihadtogothroughthecharadeofinterviewinghim,lookcarefullyateveryone,
andthenpickthepersonthatthechiefwanted.
________a. Youfeltembarrassedbecauseyouwereforcedtorubberstampthe
personthechiefhadalreadypicked.
________b. Youbelievedthattherewasnoalternativebuttoacceptthe
chiefschoice.
________c. Itwasobvioustoanyonewitheyestoseethatthechiefhadpointed
outthedecisioninadvance,anditwasembarrassingtoseethebest
choicewasnotmade.
________d. Youwereashamedthatafterhearingallthecandidates,theonly
voicethatcountedwasthatofthechief.
9. Iwasworriedabouttakingonthisjobafterhearingallthehorrorstoriesaboutit,
butIguessyoucantalwaysbelieveeverythingyouaretold.Imreallypleased
withthewaythingshaveworkedout.
________a. Youbelievedthatthisjobmighthavetoomanyproblems,butyour
concernsturnedouttobeunnecessary.
________b. Yourinitialfearsaboutthejob,basedonwhatothershadtoldyou,
wereunfounded;nowyouregladyoudidntlistentothem.

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________c. Youwereinitiallyconcerned,butyousoonsawthatthingswerenot
asyoufeared,thatnoneofthesupposedproblemswereappearingon
thehorizon.
________d. Yourhesitancyabouttakingthejobwasunfounded;movingahead
turnedouttobetherightaction,andyourepleasedthatyouturned
downtheadviceofthosewhotoldyoutobackout.
10. WhenIsawthatbootgounderthepress,IthoughtthatTerrywouldcomeout
lookinglikeasheetofpaper.IcanttellyouhowrelievedIwaswhenIsawthe
automaticsafetydisengage.
________a. YouwerereallyupsetwhenyouthoughtofTerrysmashedtoapulp
underthetonsofpressure,butyoufeltthetensionebbwhenthe
safetymechanismkickedin.
________b. Itwasfrighteningtoseetheaccidenthappenrightinfrontofyour
eyes,especiallywhenyoucoulddonothingbutwatch.Youwere
veryrelievedwhenyousawthatTerrywassafe.
________c. YouwerecertainTerrywasabouttodie,butthesafetyreleasecame
on,savingTerryslife.
________d. YouweredistressedwhenyouheardTerrycryout,expectingnextto
hearthesoundofthepress.Thehissofthesafetymechanism
disengagingwaslikemusictoyourears.
11. Atfirstitsoundedconfusing,butIkeptlisteningtotheexplanationandthe
instructionsandIfinallyrealizedwhythenewsystemsoundedsogreat.
________a. Yourinitialuncertaintywasresolvedbyyourattentiontowhatthey
weretryingtotellyou;themoreyouheardthebetteritsounded.

________b. Althoughyoucouldntseeitatfirst,youpersisteduntilthe
confusionwasclearedup,anditbecameapparentwhythenew
systemworkedsowell.
________c. Youcouldntgraspitatfirst;butyougrappledwiththeinstructions
untilyoufinallymasteredthem.
________d. Youwereuncertainatfirst,buteventuallyyouunderstoodtheway
thenewsystemworkedanditsadvantages.
12. Ivestruggledtobecomeabettercoachtomyemployees,sowhenCarsoncame
tomeforhelpwithoutbeingpushed,Ifeltreallygreat.
________a. HearingabouttheproblemdirectlyfromCarsonmadeyou
realizethatthehoursyouspenttalkingandlisteningwere
reallyworthwhile.

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________b. ItfeltgreatwhenCarsonactivelysoughtyourhelp.Yourealized
yourstrugglestobecomeagoodcoachhadmadeanimpact.
________c. WhenCarsoncametoyouforhelp,yourealizedyourcoaching
skillshadapositiveresult.
________d. Yousawthefruitofyoureffortstoputcoachinginapositivelight
whenCarsoncametoseeyou,andyoufeltgreataboutthat.
13. Inasense,Ifeltsorryforthem.Theconcepttheyweretryingtodeliverhasits
goodpoints.ButthepresentationwassopoorandcameacrosssobadlythatI
thoughtIdlaughsohardIdfalloutofmychair.
________a. Althoughsympathetic,youwereamusedwhenitwasclearthatthe
picturetheywerepaintinglookedsoridiculous.
________b. Althoughyoufeltsorryforthem,theirperformancewassopoorthat
youalmostfelloverwithlaughter.
________c. Youconsideredtheirpresentationanamusingfailure.
________d. Thelongeryoulistenedtotheirpresentation,themoreyour
sympathywasreplacedbyamusement.Finally,itwassobadthat
youthoughtyouwouldlaughoutloud.
14. IwasntsurethatIshoulddoitatfirst,butIshowedmybosswheretolookfor
theflawsintheproposalandoutlinedmyviewpoint.Whenmybosssawthat
whathadbeenpicturedwasnotreallypossibleandthatmyviewwascorrect,I
feltvindicated.
________a. Youbelieveyoudidtherightthingbyreviewingtheflawsofthe
proposalwithyourboss,whoagreedwithyourcritique.
________b. Althoughyouwereuncertain,yourbosslistenedcloselytoyour
analysis,hearingoutyourassessmentoftheproposalsproblemsand
leavingyoufeelingprettygood.
________c. Youaregladyouovercameyourhesitancyandextendedyourselfto
makethepresentation,becauseonceyoulaidoutallthefactsand
problems,yourbossagreedwithyou.
________d. Youfeelgreatthatyoushowedyourbosstheproblemswiththat
proposal,givingamorerealisticviewandachancetoreview
theoptions.

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15.

I was shocked by top managements announcement of the reorganization. I heard

the words, but it took a while for me to hear all the implications.
________a. Youweresosurprisedwhentheytoldyouabouttheplanned
changesintheorganizationthatyoureallydidnotcomprehendwhat
youhadheard.
________b. Youweretakenabackbythenews,becauseyouhadntseenit
coming.Whenmanagementsuddenlyunveiledtheplan,youdidnot
evenunderstandit.
________c. Youwereknockedoffyourfeetwhentheydumpedthenewsofthe
reorganizationonyou.Atfirstyoucouldnotevenpickupwhatthey
weretryingtogetacross.

________d. Youwerepuzzledbythereorganizationplan,becauseitwasa
completesurprisetoyou.

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CCI SCORING SHEET

Instructions:AfteryouhavecompletedtheCommunicationCongruenceInventory,
transferyouranswerstothescoringforminthefollowingmanner:
1. Circletheletteronthescoringformthatcorrespondstotheresponseyou
selectedforeachofthefifteenitems.Youwillnoticethatthelettersonthe
scoringformarenotinalphabeticalorder,sobesuretocircletheletterthat
precededtheresponseyouselectedontheCCI.
2. CountthenumberofcirclesinColumnIandwritethetotalontheTotal
CircleslineunderColumnI.RepeatthisprocessforColumnsII,III,andIV.
3. CountthenumberofsquaresthatyoucircledinColumnIandwritethetotalin
theboxthatappearsabovethewordVisual.RepeatthisprocessforColumnII
andwritethetotalintheboxthatappearsabovethewordAuditory.Repeatthe
processforColumnIIIandwritethetotalintheboxabovetheword
Kinesthetic.(NosquaresappearinColumnIV.)
4. Addthefiguresthatappearinthethreeboxesandwritethetotalinthetriangle.
Thisisyourtotalscore.
5. Foravisualinterpretation,transferthescoresfromtheboxestothelargetriangle
thatprecedestheinterpretationsheet.Thedotinthecenterofthetriangleiszero.
Eachscoreshouldbeplottedonthelineinthedirectionofthecorresponding
cornerofthetriangle.Whenallthreepointshavebeenplotted,connecteachof
themtotheothertwopointswithaline.

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CCI SCORING FORM

Total
Circles

Item

Column
I

Column
II

Column
III

Column
IV

10

11

12

13

14

15

________

________

________

________

Visual

+ Auditory + Kinesthetic =TOTAL

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CCI INTERPRETATION SHEET

TheCommunicationCongruenceInventory(CCI)isbasedonBandlerandGrinders
conceptofpredicatematching,whichisderivedfromtheirtheoryofhuman
communication.BandlerandGrinderarguethatindividualsgenerallyprefertothinkand
communicateinoneofthethreemajorwaysofrepresentingthoughtandlanguage:
vision,hearing,andphysicalsensation(orkinesthetics).TheCCIwasdeveloped
becausethereissomeresearchevidencethatconsultantsaremoreeffectivewhenthey
matchtheirlinguisticmodestothoseusedbytheirclients.Thus,whenrespondingtoa
clientwhohasjustusedvisualterminology,theconsultantwouldbemoreeffectiveifhe
orshealsousedvisualterminology.Thesamewouldbetrueaboutauditoryand
kinestheticterminology.TheCCIindicateshowwellyou,asaconsultant,areableto
matchyourterminologytothatofaclient.
EachofthefifteeninitialstatementsontheCCIisfollowedbyfourrestatements,
whichrepresentauditory,visual,kinesthetic,andneutralterminology.Theneutral
statementsplaydownoromitaffectivecomponents,thusmakingthempooractive
listeningresponses.Aconsultantwhoisattunedtotherepresentationalsystemusedby
theclientwillselectthematchingrestatementforeachofthefifteenitems.Thatis,an
auditoryrestatementwouldbeselectedforanauditoryinitialstatement;avisual
restatement,foravisualstatement;andakinestheticrestatement,forakinesthetic
statement.Innocaseshouldtheneutralrestatementbeselected.
Iftherestatementsareperfectlymatchedtotheinitialstatements,theresultingscore
willbefifteen.Thehigherthescore,themoreeffectivetherespondentislikelytobein
buildingsoundconsultantclientcommunicationrelationships.
Whenyouexamineyourscoringform,youcandeterminewhetherornotyouhave
abiastowardaparticularmode.ColumnIrepresentsthevisualmode;ColumnII,the
auditorymode;ColumnIII,thekinestheticmode;andColumnIV,theneutralmode.If
youhavecircledmorethanfivelettersinanyoneofthefirstthreecolumns,youmay
haveatendencytousethatmode.Scoresoftenoraboveforoneofthosecolumns
suggestastrongbiasforthatmode.ScoresabovethreeforColumnIVsuggestthatthe
respondentlacksactivelisteningskills.
Neitherbiasesnorineffectivelisteningskillsshouldbethoughtofaspermanent
problems.Theycanbeimprovedthroughattentionandpractice.

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