The Six Feminine Powers and Communication styles
Who we are is how we communicate. Communication is one of the most important components of any workshop on leadership. Communication and its variants- Executive Presence, Influencing, Assertiveness, Collaboration and conflict resolution are also critical aspects of coaching when I work with women.
Yet, there is no one perfect communication style or the best way to communicate in a specific situation. Each person has a unique yet authentic way of expressing themselves in the world. Some love to tell stories, others prefer to just listen, some are expressive, others are direct.
I have found that the Six Feminine Powers also express themselves in different ways. The way a typical Veera communicates is different from the way a dominant Kanya communicates. The powers work well together but sometimes they also get in the way of our effectiveness.
One of my coaching clients is a dominant Veera. She is blunt, matter of fact and her language is direct. She has a habit of saying, ‘Frankly speaking..’ very often and is proud of the fact that she does not hesitate to speak her mind. This usually works well for her, yet she is not effective at motivating others and getting them excited about new projects or tasks. She feels frustrated when dealing with her own children, who refuse to listen to her directions. This Veera needs the influencing skills of the Apsara and the lightness of the Kanya to be more effective.
The dominant Apsara may be brilliant at making presentations and compelling sales pitches, but she needs to slow down and listen to her team members with the empathy and compassion of a Ma to be an effective leader.
My Rishika and Kanya powers work well together to enable me to simplify complex thoughts and communicate them in an engaging manner during a workshop. My Rani power is on the lower side and this shows up in my communication as well. Sometimes, I tend to overlook details while writing and prefer to lead with the big picture rather than specifics. I have to make an effort to create detailed planning documents and session plans for my programs.
If we know how the Six Feminine powers show up in our communication, we can make a conscious effort to adapt and flex our styles.
First understand your top two styles and how it shows up in your communication. Use the information from the graphic to identify how your style shows up in terms of the visual, verbal and vocal impact.
Get feedback from your friends, colleagues and stakeholders on your presence and style.
Then, understand the situations where you need to be more effective or situations that challenge you.
Identify the power you need to evoke or combine with your current powers.
Start using the power consciously.
Owning your unique powers with confidence and expressing yourself with skills and authenticity is the best way to communicate.