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Which Communication Season Are You:
Summer, Autumn,
Winter, or Spring?
Read the following descriptions to find out
which season best fits your communication style, or that of someone you
know.
Summers
are fun-loving and highly active;
they seem always to be doing something exciting and are often described as
the life of the party. Summers
like to be the center of attention, and usually seem
to be in the limelight without really trying.
Summers can sometimes
become moody if they do not receive the amount of attention or recognition
they feel they deserve. When it comes to communication,
Summers
like for the conversation to be about them
and their achievements, and their attention may wander if they feel the
topic strays too far away from themselves. Highly enthusiastic about new
ideas, Summers can run short on follow-through. It is not that they lack
the ability to meet a commitment, but they often have other things on
their minds. If you need to communicate with a
Summer, plan to do it over lunch at a new place, or while the two
of you are on a fun outing, as Summers do not
like to spend a great deal of time being serious. If you need to find
some energy for starting a new project, talk to a
Summer because nothing excites them more than a new idea or
something different to do. If your group lacks fizz, consider asking a
Summer to join in.
Autumns
are deep thinkers and excellent problem
solvers. Good at working puzzles of all kinds,
Autumns are equally willing to put their skills to use solving
your problems -- sometimes even without being asked. If you are
trying to figure out how something went wrong or where a problem started,
ask an Autumn. Don't ask an
Autumn for their opinion on a subject unless
you really want to know, because they will probably give you
a dissertation with footnotes. Autumns care
deeply about the world around them, and usually take the broader view in
any conflict. In communication, an Autumn
will likely want to examine a situation from all sides, taking time
to thoroughly consider every possible viewpoint.
Autumns prefer planning for the season ahead, rather than leaving
things until the last minute -- although they are very good at thinking on
their feet and taking action in emergencies when the situation requires
it. If you need to communicate with an Autumn,
plan to spend an entire afternoon or evening discussing the subject in
order to give them the time they need to work it through in their own
way. Rest assured, if you discuss something with an
Autumn, they will leave no stone unturned in giving you a
thoughtful and thorough answer.
Winters
are action-oriented, and prefer to spend their time doing rather than
contemplating. Able to put the necessary pieces together very quickly, a
Winter may begin to take action before any
decision to proceed has actually been made. For this reason,
Winters can sometimes proceed as though a
matter is a done deal while some of the other seasonal styles are still
trying to gather their resources or come to a decision. When
communicating with others, Winters will often
push for an answer or encourage those around them to "cut to the chase."
For this reason, Winters may seem blunt or
harsh when they are actually very caring individuals who simply do not see
the reason for wasting time once they have reached a conclusion themselves
as to what should be done. It can be frustrating to a
Winter, having
to wait for others to make up their minds and decide to take action. If
you need to communicate with a Winter, it
works best for you to have your thoughts in order and your ducks in a row
so that nothing stands between you and progress once a
Winter points the way.
Springs
are tender-hearted individuals who will gladly give you their support and
encouragement. Compassionate and caring, Springs
want to make sure that everyone in their circle feels comfortable
and loved. In any group, Springs will always
strive to do their part but prefer not to be the leader. A
Spring will feel most comfortable giving you
a candid opinion one-on-one rather than in front of other people.
Springs do not like the feeling of being put
on the spot, and may not respond at all if you ask for their opinion in
front of others. Springs do not like
conflict, and will avoid it if they can because it makes them
uncomfortable. Even a lively discussion may register as conflict to a
Spring, and they will fall silent when things
get too loud for their comfort level because they do not want to add to
the confusion. If you need to communicate with a
Spring, they will want to hear your side of the issue first in
order to see where things stand before giving their input. For this
reason, Springs are typically excellent
listeners who truly focus on what you are trying to say as well
as what you are actually saying.
No matter which season best represents your
communication style, when striving to get along with others it can be a
benefit to understand that each of us has his/her style of communicating.
If you want to get your message across clearly and smoothly, it may help
to consider what works best for those whose communication style may be
different from your own.
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