- You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energise them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information—whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson—to survive. You want to divert their attention towards you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you towards dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world and inspire them to act. - **Shared Theme Description** - People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters. - **Your Personalised Strengths Insights** - __What makes you stand out?__ - Chances are good that you relieve people of the burden of having to work out what you think, feel and need. How? You simply tell them. Your plainspoken approach enhances their understanding of you as a person. Your straightforward expression of your needs and desires usually eliminates any confusion. Because of your strengths, you are likely to recount — that is, tell in detail — the stories you have read in newspapers, books, magazines, research reports, correspondence or public records. Actually, the more you satisfy your desire to read, the more tales you have to tell. Few activities delight you as much as evoking images in your listeners’ minds that bring forth laughter and tears. Driven by your talents, you typically are described as a “what you see is what you get” person. There is very little mystery about who you are. You usually make a point of talking with strangers. You are apt to tell them about yourself without their having to ask you any questions. Your forthright approach encourages many individuals to be as open with you as you are with them. By nature, you have a facility — that is, an ease and readiness — for speaking. Under very few circumstances do you struggle to find just the right word to express a thought or feeling. Being able to put friends or strangers at ease quickly is one of your special gifts. Instinctively, you derive much personal pleasure from reading. Because you continually fill your mind with fresh ideas, you probably can enliven formal discussions or season casual conversations with many interesting facts or stories. - **Questions** - 1. As you read your personalised strengths insights, what words, phrases or lines stand out to you? - 2. Out of all the talents in this insight, what would you like for others to see most in you? - **Action Items** - o You will always do well in roles that require you to capture people’s attention. Think about a career in teaching, sales, marketing, ministry or the media. Your Communication talents are likely to flourish in these areas. - o Start a collection of stories or phrases that resonate with you. For example, cut out magazine articles that move you or write down powerful word combinations. Practise telling these stories or saying these words out loud, by yourself. Listen to yourself actually saying the words. Refine. - o When you are presenting, pay close attention to your audience. Watch their reactions to each part of your presentation. You will notice that some parts are especially engaging. Afterwards, take time to identify the moments that particularly caught the audience’s attention. Draft your next presentation around these highlights. - o Practise. Improvisation has a certain appeal, but in general, an audience will respond best to a presenter who knows where he or she is headed. Counterintuitively, the more prepared you are, the more natural your improvisations will appear. - o Identify your most beneficial sounding boards and audiences — the listeners who seem to bring out your best communication. Examine these individuals or groups to learn why you are so good when you speak with them or to them, and look for the same qualities in potential partners and audiences. - o Keep getting smarter about the words you use. They are a critical currency. Spend them wisely and monitor their impact. - o Your Communication talents can be highly effective when your message has substance. Don’t rely on your talents alone; take your communication to the level of strength by developing your knowledge and expertise in specific areas. - o You are gifted in fostering dialogue among peers and colleagues. Use your Communication talents to summarise the various points in a meeting and to build consensus by helping others see what they have in common. - o If you enjoy writing, consider publishing your work. If you enjoy public speaking, make a presentation at a professional meeting or convention. In either case, your Communication talents will serve to assist you in finding just the right way to frame your ideas and state your purpose. You delight in sharing your thoughts with others, so find the medium that best fits your voice and message. - o Volunteer for opportunities to present. You can become known as someone who helps people express their thoughts and ambitions in a captivating way.