2-2 Final Project Part I Milestone One: Self-Assessment KIM WOOD

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I Influencing

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COMMUNICATION €

PEOPLE EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED IN THE COMMUNICATION THEME GENERALLY FIND IT EASY TO PUT THEIR THOUGHTS INTO WORDS. THEY ARE GOOD CONVERSATIONALISTS AND PRESENTERS.

People with strong Communication talents like to explain, describe, host, present, and write. Their natural talents enable them to bring ideas and events vividly to life. They turn thoughts and actions into stories, images, examples, and metaphors. They want their information — whether an idea, an event, a discovery, or a lesson — to captivate the audience. This drives them to hunt for the perfect phrase and draws them toward dramatic words and powerful statements. In the end, this is why people like listening to them. Their word pictures pique interest, provide clarity, and inspire others to act.

ITS POWER AND EDGE

People with strong Communication talents bring attention and focus to important messages. They can find words for not only their own thoughts and feelings, but for those of others. This gives them the ability to reach out and connect with others in meaningful ways.

IF COMMUNICATION IS A DOMINANT THEME FOR YOU: IF COMMUNICATION IS A LESSER THEME FOR YOU:

Bring attention to messages that must be heard.

• You excel at capturing people’s attention. Keep your best stories in mind and practice telling them so you’ll get better each time.

• Use your Communication talents to help others put their ideas or feelings into words.

• When you are presenting, closely monitor your audience. Watch how they react to each part of your presentation to see which segments prove especially engaging. Afterward, identify the parts that particularly caught the audience’s attention. Re-draft your upcoming presentations around these highlights.

• Use your talents to build consensus among your peers by getting them talking.

• Listen to others’ stories. Partner with people who have powerful Empathy or Harmony talents to help develop your sensitivity to others’ views.

If you don’t have the intensity of the Communication theme, it doesn’t mean that you cannot connect with others. It likely indicates that you prefer to think or reflect a bit before you speak.

• Think about situations where you have been effective in presenting to a group. Identify the factors that contributed to your success (e.g., audience, preparation, format, or type of information).

• Collect stories, quotes, and experiences to emphasize key points related to your message. Keep in mind that information comes to life through stories.

• Consider joining a Toastmasters group where you can gain basic presentation skills, discover more about your own style, and find strengths you can leverage to communicate more effectively.

• Deliberately use the natural thinking and relationship-building talents you have when you need to communicate something important. These talents can help you understand and specifically address the personalities, challenges, questions, and assumptions of your audience.