Are you specific or global?

In business, are you more specific or global when discussing different topics?

For example, if you focus on precision, load your presentation with details, break things down into parts, rely heavily on charts and stats, and explain at length until your audience starts to lose interest, you’re probably specific.

If instead you connect information to the bigger picture, tie it to what people already know, bring in current events or personal experience, read your audience’s reactions, prefer summaries over details, and have a knack for boiling things down to the essentials, you’re probably global. For more on this, check out my blog post Communicate what really matters!

The rigour of the specific

Specific communicators are thorough. They shine in fields that demand accuracy, detail, and precision. They follow rules closely. Think of engineers or finance specialists. Their biggest challenge? Summarizing information in just a few lines and within a set time. They also need to be more comfortable not saying anything.

The intuition of the global

Globals thrive when juggling multiple tasks. Their thinking is intuitive and they often rely on their gut and emotions. They can be excellent communicators and speak with ease. They know how to capture an audience’s attention within minutes. But their main challenge is sticking to a content plan. Without one, they risk drifting off course or letting their enthusiasm carry them away.

Aim for flexibility

In a conference, if a neurophysicist is addressing the general public, it’s best to lean more global in their explanations. But if they’re speaking to other neurophysicists who share the same expertise, they can afford to be super specific.

By being aware of this and adapting to the audience, the specialist becomes a flexible communicator, a skill that’s highly valued in today’s organizations.

Want to learn more? NLP can help deepen your understanding.
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