Communicate So Others Will Listen

Being in the military, Sharika Labrie has encountered many different personality types in the military, and what you can do to tell who you work best with. She challenges you to ask yourself: In the past few weeks, have you commented on a post on social media thinking that you are helping someone, only to get attacked or called out for being too direct? These may be people that don’t communicate like you. 

 

She recently read a book called Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson, which gives you reasons to look inward, and observe how someone is communicating with you and how you interpret it. 

Some key takeaways Sharika would like to share;

• Communication is on the listener
• The color meanings; knowing yourself and knowing how to listen to the different ‘colors’
• Adapting and giving feedback to those around you 

 

Color Personality Types: 

Red - dynamic and driven individual

Green - the most balanced. They counterbalance the other more extreme behavioral traits in an elegant way

Yellow - who live to live, always finding opportunities for enjoyment

Blue - has all the right answers. In the background, he analyzes: classifies, evaluates, assesses

Using these tools can help you best communicate with your loved ones, family members, and spouses. To be able to tackle issues in your day to day life, knowing how to communicate can make the process easier. As a leader in your environment, it takes work to really hone in on people around you and how they communicate, and then adapting to that style of communication. The reality is we cannot get through to others if we do not know how they hear us. 

Being married for almost 11 years, Sharika has learned how to communicate with her ‘Red/Blue’ husband while she considers herself ‘Green/Yellow’. Reflecting on her education as a Psychiatric Health Nurse Practitioner, she wanted to optimize her communication skills and see what roadblocks she can avoid to cultivate her own relationship and articulate her issues and adapt to her spouses’ style of communication.

Wonder what color you are and how you can use these exercises to best communicate with others? Take a listen to this week’s episode!  

Quotes: 

• “I spent much of my twenties developing my intellect and my profession, taking tests and certifications to really hone in on my professional skills, when I should have been spending time studying on personal development and looking inward.”
• “The more self awareness you have, the more aware of others you surround yourself with.”

 

Links: 

@themilitarywoman (Instagram)