The results are in…
YOUR PRIMARY AUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION STYLE IS…
The Visionary!
You’re the one who thinks big picture, Visionary. When it’s your turn to speak up, you’re not afraid to innovate and think outside the box. Where others see disparate bits and pieces, you see a world of possibilities.
As a Visionary, you’re great at…
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Helping other people “zoom out” and think holistically
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Posing thought-provoking questions and challenging others to think creatively
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Painting a compelling picture with metaphors and visuals
You're in great company,
Visionary!
You want to...
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Be known for how capable and forward thinking you are.
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Have your ideas taken seriously and acted upon. (Because they’re that good!)
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Challenge the status quo—because doing things differently is the only path to innovation and progress.
On your journey to becoming the sort of communicator that wows others—while staying true to who you are—you’d likely benefit from practicing how to…
Align on expectations
You tend to have excellent vision, and can intuit which direction to head in. But sometimes, in your excitement to take on new, exciting opportunities, you might breeze over the logistical realities—causing you to aim for stars that are simply out of reach—only to have to back track and reality-check your expectations.
Instead of setting yourself up for disappointment and avoidable back-tracking, practice getting on the same page about expectations from the get-go.
How to do it
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“Painting done” is all about painting a clear and detailed picture of your final vision. Spell out what “done” means to you. Or if a task is being delegated to you, ask: “What does ‘done’ look like to you?”
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Explain how your vision fits into your overall goals, or get curious about how someone else’s vision fits into your shared, bigger-picture objectives.
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If necessary, have a conversation about the steps it’ll take to get to “done.” For more complicated projects, it can be helpful to talk out what the individual steps are to get to “done,” so that the road is just as clear as the destination.
Make your audience feel seen, heard and fired up
Before you invite your audience to think outside the box, it’s important to first establish common ground through shared problems and goals.
It’s all in the way you phrase what you’re “selling,” Visionary. Whether you’re suggesting an idea, connecting with a potential client, or “pitching” yourself to a future employer… There’s an art and science to persuading people to take a specific action in a not “icky” way.
How to do it
Here’s the deal: human beings are generally programmed to want to fight for something more strongly than they want to fight against something.
This is because of the “framing effect,” a cognitive bias explained by good ol’ psychology. The “framing effect” is when people react to information based on whether it’s presented positively or negatively.
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Consider a project you’re working on or a service you’re selling:
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What will the recipient gain from this deliverable or partnership? List all of the benefits.
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What concerns or problems are they facing, and how can you position your deliverable or partnership as a solution?
Balance your conviction with approachability.
Your conviction is something to be admired, Visionary, but sometimes it can prevent you from seeing things from other people’s perspectives. Anticipation of the end goal can make tunnel vision tempting, but remember: making the people around you feel seen is just as important as focusing on the road ahead.
Trust me, I know this can be frustrating—especially when YOU see the big picture clearly, but you’re not sure how to make others see
(and support!) it, too. The key? Balancing that beautiful conviction and passion of yours with language that signals curiosity and openness.
How to do it
The more intentional you are about noticing the language your audience uses to describe their issues, and the more consistent you are about reflecting their words back to them, the more they’ll feel seen, understood, and like YOU’RE uniquely suited to help them.
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Be curious. Start by asking questions that get to the root of what your audience is up against and listen for the common threads in their language.
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Reflect those common threads back to them and highlight what you’re hearing in their language before you make any suggestions.
EXAMPLE:
It sounds like one of your primary challenges is…
OR: Since you mentioned [insert direct quote], you might be wondering how to [inferred desire].
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Build your follow-up conversation around their specific thoughts, questions and challenges – not just your suggestions. The key is specificity. Lead with what they’re up against, in their language, THEN follow with what you can do to help them.
EXAMPLE:
If you want to tackle [insert concern or challenge verbatim], I’d suggest setting up [insert specific solution].
Looking for more practical support in becoming the communicator you most wanna be?
I’ve got ya covered!
Check out the Confident Communicator—my holistic, step-by-step course, designed to teach you practical tools and frameworks for:
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dialing down nerves when the pressure’s on
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exuding authentic confidence when you speak
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sharing your knowledge with more authority (and a truly empowered mindset!)
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and articulating your ideas more clearly and succinctly than ever before.
