Our “Colors” and What They Mean
Words spoken to people only account for a small portion of what is discussed between one person to another. You get a much more significant picture of what is being communicated by being aware of both verbal and nonverbal communication. Knowing the nonverbal clues of colors boosts your understanding of yourself and others.
Here is a detailed description of the colors we use and what they mean. We use GREY, GREEN, RED, and BLUE as our behavior descriptions. (They are easy to remember.)
BLUE
Body Posture:
They will be relaxed while conveying personal confidence. Shoulders are back, sure-footed and lack rigidity.
The Manner of Movement:
When they move, it is intentional. They can sprint if it is necessary; however, they slow down quickly when it is needed. Their movements are congruent with who they are and what they are doing.
You will find calm in BLUE. You will see calmness in others eyes as they are relaxed. In their communication, you feel a sense of flexibility. You will sense their openness to fun exchanges along with a serious discussion. If you ever talked to someone in BLUE, you will see a pleasant and inviting voice. You are drawn to them as you want to feel part of that calm and peace. You can see this balance filled with confidence. With a smile always on their face, you can experience the joy and enlightenment they bring.
GREY
Body Posture:
They have slumped shoulders and had a head-fish like a handshake.
The Manner of Movement:
There will be minimal movement and will wander around. You will also notice them doodle or shuffle papers. Movements will lack direction.
When you look at someone in a gray area of their life, you may know a person who feels “down.” Possibly depressed. (Maybe all the time, maybe not.) They probably feel out of place and might even look that way. Their head is hanging down, eyes are down, and arms are hanging limply. They likely feel very uncomfortable.
GREEN
Body Posture:
A person in GREEN will be tight and trying to take as little space as possible. Their shoulders are shrunken inward, and hands are to the face and hair. Always holding something close to guard their body.
The Manner of Movement:
Always quick with accomplishing tasks while ensuring no one is in the way. They may even mimic the movement of others in their environment. You will see their hand-wringing or fidgeting. They may shift from side to side and are always clearing their throat.
Notice their movements and the tone of their voices. Not wanting to disappoint anyone they try to figure out what you wish for in hopes of keeping you from being apprehensive. When someone is in the GREEN, it is others that may show tension.
RED
Body Posture:
They are rigid, puffed up and taking as much space possible. Their hands are away from the body, and their hands may be behind the neck. RED likes to stand while everyone else is in their seats. You will notice that there are no movements at the waistline when they walk.
The Manner of Movements:
They are intentionally heavy footed and put their feet down with power. When you receive a handshake from someone who is in RED their calm is down during the handshake.
You will find they disregard their environment. When someone is in RED, they are on a mission. Usually, they are not happy with something that happened and are determined to find out who is at fault. With piercing eyes and puffed up neck and cheeks you can see they mean business. They will have their arms away from the body, and when you hear their loud voice, you will have a clue of someone in RED.
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The first rule of using the our “Color Model.”
- Be in the BLUE yourself and when you are not sure about someone else’s color, treat them as if they are in the BLUE. BLUE is contagious. If you are issuing an invitation to BLUE, others will often accept. You will feel better and so will they.
Perhaps the greatest of all the benefits is the reminder of how behaviors other than BLUE indicate the presence of stress in a person. It is that simple. When you detect someone is in a state other than BLUE, they are expressing a response to pressure. Although you may not like it, it is best to bypass being judgmental and understand their behavior.
Observe people in different colors and notice the simple things such as how they hold their head or the motion of their hands and arms. What about their eyes, what are they doing? All these signs turn out to be one neat package that you can trust to be harmonious and helpful for both the listener and observer. With this pure knowledge, you will know which approach to take with different types of people such as directive, supportive or participative.
What do these everyday colors say about people? To simplify things, it is as easy as looking at it like this: gray will tell people “whatever,” while GREEN will say “I’m so sorry.” Although we also have the color RED that says, “who messed up this time.” However, understanding the colors and messages they hold will be more conclusive than any words can say by themselves.
GREY, GREEN, and RED are not who people are. It is their response to stress. Judging and blaming them for being stressed makes no sense. Be a facilitator to invite them back to being their best – being BLUE.
One of the great things about knowing these color descriptors is the confidence you will achieve. This confidence will transfer to your job, the way you approach co-workers when you need help and planning for the resolution of conflicts.
Through a lot of self-research of colors through nonverbal clues, you will see a boost in your Relating Effectiveness Quotient – REQ. When you think about it, this is like a shortcut to better understand others such our friends, family, coworkers or just someone you met on the street.
Through this understanding, you can bypass being judgmental. You know Gray, GREEN, and RED are not who people are. Instead, it is their response to stress. Blaming and judging them does not make any sense. The best way to handle it is by inviting them back to achieving their best by being BLUE. BLUE is contagious.
Don’t worry about what color others are wearing. Sometimes we do not know anyways. Instead, be BLUE yourself and treat everyone as if they are BLUE.
You are inviting them to this joyous party, and often they will accept this great invite. You will feel better and so will they. Let this color captivate the heart of others and spread it to as many people you can.
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