My childhood was filled with many opportunities to become an expert in communication. I learned very early in life that words had consequences. CHAT was created out of my deep desire to understand people and how we connect, to stop the conflicts in my life that had me either falling on the sword to make them stop or hiding in a corner, praying they would be over soon.

I teach individuals and organizations how to quickly identify someone’s communication style so we can understand each other’s needs and meet people where they are. The idea behind it is to stop practicing the Golden Rule of treating others the way we want to be treated and to embrace the Platinum Rule of treating people the way they want to be treated. This creates an opportunity for people to hear us and for us to resolve conflicts or misunderstandings quickly and peacefully.

Mastering the methodology is about becoming a chameleon in CHAT and being fluent in all four communication styles so that, regardless of who you are speaking to, you can connect with them on a deeper level. CHAT creates office cultures that thrive on effective communication, and it also fosters awareness and positive change at the personal level in homes, relationships, communities, etc.

During the current CHAT Conversations Cohort, when speaking with a participant about their goals, I realized it is also about self-mastery for ourselves. It is about learning to embrace different communication styles to help us achieve our goals, whether personal or professional. For instance, my communication style is CHAT. I can see the big picture and care deeply for humanity. Sometimes I take action; other times I want to hide. And if there are too many details or rules, I want to avoid them like the plague.

That means I could be held back from achieving my goals because I sometimes don’t take action, or I tap out when I get overwhelmed by administrative tasks. With CHAT, there are a few different ways that I can engage the Action and Template communication styles to support me. I can hire someone to coach me on the tasks I don’t enjoy. I can hire someone to handle those tasks, or I can learn to embrace each communication style and call on it when I need it.

My word for my business this year is Visibility. To be more visible, I have to embrace the Action communication style and be willing to put myself out there and promote myself with passion and purpose. For me, that can feel very uncomfortable at first, but like everything else, the more I do it, the easier it gets.

When we embrace the Creative communication style, we can zoom out, see the big picture, and create new solutions or resources we might not have seen before.

When we connect with our Harmony communication style, we get in touch with our own feelings and discern whether we are aligned with our goals and relationships.

The Action communication style creates a fire in us that reminds us of why we are passionate and ignites our energy, giving us the fuel to take the necessary actions to achieve our goals.

Embracing the Template communication style allows us to tap into the necessary structure and discipline.

Which communication style do you need to embrace right now to help you achieve one of your personal or professional goals?