As communicators and professionals, we’re always looking for ways to get better at our job, develop the skills critical to the current work environment, and advance our careers. While knowing where your skill gaps are and working to develop in those areas are crucial things to personal development (tune into our upcoming webinar to learn about the skills required for communications success in 2013), good personal development starts with awareness about your current strengths as a communicator. CEB’s Communications Executive Council has created 4 communicator profiles, based on our extensive dataset from the Skills Maturity Assessment. Most communicators will fall into one of these profiles (you could think of these as the personality test for communicators). How can you know which type of communicator you are? Take a look at the following questions and see which ones you identify with:
Do you enjoy….
- Writing and translating complex ideas and language into simple messages?
- Interacting with and motivating audiences?
- Presenting to large audiences live?
If your answer to these is “yes” then you are The Presenter profile. While you excel at core communication skills, our research indicates that critical thinking and strategic agility are likely to be among your top development areas.
CEC Members: Use the Presenter Development Pack to learn how to guide your development.
Do you enjoy…
- Focusing on understanding before communicating?
- Building relationships?
In this case, you are The Influencer profile – you’re the trusted advisor that business partners are looking for! However, influencers tend to be weaker in the areas of communications coaching and teaching, and measurement, so those are some areas to focus on.
CEC Members: Use the Influencer Development Pack to learn how to improve in those areas.
Do you prefer…
- Solving business problems?
- Asking why to business partner requests rather than automatically saying yes?
Then you are The Consultant profile. You are likely to excel at critical thinking and analytical skills and you probably have a background outside Communications, therefore core communication skills are among your likely development areas.
CEC Members: Check out the Consultant Development Pack for tips on planning your development.
Finally, do you like to …
- Teach and help others how to communicate?
- Help leaders and managers tell a story?
- Share your knowledge of stakeholders with the business?
Then, you might have guessed it, you are The Coach. If this is your profile, you are in luck, as coaches are the most well-rounded communicators. However, even coaches have development areas, and these tend to be in negotiation and purposeful writing.
CEC Members: Consult the Coach Development Pack to learn how to get better in these areas.
To learn more about the profiles and training resources, check out our full guide to Guiding Your Career in Communications.
CEC Related Resources:
- How to Guide Your Career in Communications
- Individual Development Plans for the 4 Profiles
- Skills Maturity Assessment
CEC Related Blogs:
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