Apprehensive Articulator
Your self-expression style aligns with the Apprehensive Articulator. You feel calm and confident in certain situations but under pressure, you lose your focus (or your train of thought). You are deeply empathetic and collaborative and value thoroughness and thoughtfulness in all you do.
You intrinsically know how to communicate when your role is clear but when you’re put on the spot by senior leaders or asked to talk about yourself, you clam up or shut down. You care deeply about the outcome of your interactions and work really hard, which disrupts your ability to be present. Instead of feeling centered, you tend to think ahead or over-think, focusing on what words to say instead of the ideas you want to contribute.
You want to be engaging when you present ideas and captivate your audience, but cave under pressure when the stakes are high. You over-prepare or script for spontaneous moments which makes you defer your expertise or splinter your attention as you try to recall what you wanted to say.
You may have physiological sensations or racing thoughts that distract you in the present moment and find that you over-prioritize how you’re perceived instead of focusing on what you want to say.
To enhance this style, focus on stability in your body language. Lean back and take up space. Breathe into your belly to slow your rate of thinking. Focus on taking up space, especially if you tend to shrink or make yourself small.
Use conscious pausing to create more space for you to think (and for your audience to catch up with you). This approach will help you regulate your nervous system and stimulate your vagus nerve which is important for strategic thinking and communication.
Can I change my communication style?
Our self-expression style is rarely innate or fixed. It’s the combination of our lived experience, societal feedback, and natural tendencies. Communication is dynamic and it changes with each audience and interaction. Instead of believing that your style is fixed and stagnant, change what you’re focusing on in the moment—this changes up your approach. If you tend to shrink or rush, focus instead on taking up space and taking your time.
You will inevitably return to your habitual style, and when you do, refocus on your comfort (and that of your audience) so you remain centered and grounded.
Instead of vilifying habits or beating yourself up, remember that your power lives in your presence, not perfection. Keep practicing and see your self-expression style as a muscle to strengthen, not some plateau to achieve.
