🎤 + IAN MORGAN CRON = THE ENNEAGRAM DOESN’T PUT YOU IN A BOX. IT SHOWS YOU THE BOX YOU’RE ALREADY IN AND HOW TO GET OUT OF IT.
YOUR PERSONALITY SHAPES YOUR COMMUNICATION
🙄 Yes, that is the most obvious statement you have heard all day. It might even be the most obvious statement you read all week. AND…
HERE’S WHY IT MATTERS:
Understanding your personality type is crucial for effective communication. Most standard communication training takes a “one-size-fits-all” approach, ignoring the fact that different personalities perceive and express information in unique ways. Carl Jung highlighted this when he said, “The shoe that fits one person pinches another.”
Knowing whether you’re introverted or extroverted, detail-oriented or big-picture-focused, can help tailor your communication for better understanding and collaboration. In short, there’s no cookie-cutter solution for effective communication; it’s important to adapt based on personality types.
🤔 CONCESSION: CRITICS SAY PERSONALITY TESTS CAN BE “COOKIE-CUTTER” TOO!
Sure, personality tests can feel like they’re putting you in a box. But here’s the thing: not all tests are created equal. The Enneagram isn’t just about who you are now; it gives you a peek at who you could become. Plus, a test is only as good as what you do with the info. Most folks don’t use their results to grow, but if you do, it’s way more than just a label.
🎤 MIC CHECK: THREE PERSONALITY TRAITS TO CONSIDER WHEN COMMUNICATING
The Enneagram basically says we’ve got three main ways we process the world: thinking, feeling, and doing. Not only that, but we all have a “home base” or a lead. In other words:
🧠 Some of us think before we feel and act.
❤️ Some of us feel before we think and act.
🏃♀️ Some of us act before we feel and think.
And our lead center can often be a stumbling block to communication:
🧠 1. THINKING.
Thinking is all about using your noggin to analyze stuff and make plans. People with a dominant Thinking Center have these communication roadblocks:
- Overanalytical: Prone to analysis paralysis, making decision-making difficult.
- Disconnected from emotions: May neglect empathy and emotional experiences.
- Ignores gut instincts: Tends to prioritize logic over intuition.
❤️ 2. FEELING.
Feeling is where your emotions and values come into play, like how you relate to other people. Those with a dominant Feeling Center have these communication roadblocks:
- Overly emotional: May act impulsively based on temporary feelings.
- Relationship-focused: Could neglect rational thinking or practical tasks.
- Dependent on external validation: Risk of lacking self-reliance and emotional stability.
🏃♀️3. DOING.
Doing is all about action and going with your gut. Those with a dominant Action enter have these communication roadblocks:
- Impulsive: Prone to making rash decisions without thorough consideration.
- Impatient: Tendency to act before fully understanding a situation.
- Neglects emotional and rational aspects: May focus too much on action, causing strain in relationships or missing deeper insights.
By identifying whether we’re primarily thinkers, feelers, or doers, we can spot our communication roadblocks and work on them. After that, it’s easier to find a “cookie-cutter” solution that works specifically for us. Whether we tend to overthink, get swayed by emotions, or act impulsively, recognizing these traits helps us navigate life’s complexities more smoothly.
Keep speaking up your story,
ENCORE: MORE TO EXPLORE
A SPEAKER’S INTEGRITY AS THE FOUNDATION FOR CONFIDENCE
Speakers must care about their off-stage presence as much as their on-stage performance. In this video, I address three key elements of a speaker’s off-stage presence. Click on the button below to learn more!
THEN THERE WAS THE TIME I FAKED IT TO BECOME IT…
Then there was the time I faked it until I made it…I mean, BECAME it. Confidence was not about trying to be someone I was not, although it felt like that most days. Confidence was about accepting myself for who I was. Click on the button below to learn more!
