Read this book to get more done with the help of ‘personality shapes’

Every conversation leaves a residue, and a culture is built, one conversation at a time. Lack of communication at work and in business can lead to the collapse of an enterprise. At the same time, clear and authentic communication can lead to great value creation.

What breaks down communication? 
“It is primarily the inability of people to understand what or how to communicate to different people which leads to a collapse of communication among some people on one hand but an easy relationship with some others. This is where psychometrics or the geometry of psychology comes in,” says Shena Shah, author of What Shape Are You. 

What is the book about? 
Published by Westland, the book is full of clues about how one can become self-aware as well as aware of others through their ‘shapes’ or different personality traits categorised as shapes. Shah has written the book in collaboration with Dr. Susan Dellinger, the creator of the Psycho-Geometrics system of analysing personal communication styles. It helps the reader understand their own traits and tendencies and those of others.

Who is Sheha Shah?
Sneha Shah is a consulting psychologist with a double major in psychology. She has trained over 75,000 people in the last ten years. She is certified in psychometric tools and assessments. Shah starts the book with some questions: Why are you like this? Do we really know people? And then goes on to ask some more questions: Who are you beneath the surface? Who am I? Where am I going? The questions lead to clarity for the readers and also equip them with the insights necessary for understanding people. 

Can we decode personalities?
Shah says, “It takes some time to learn about the personalities of the people around you. But we certainly don’t need to spend a lifetime trying to find the answer to the question, “Why do they behave like that?” This is where the theory of ‘personality shapes’ comes in.

What are the different personality shapes?
Shah says there are five basic types of personality shapes: square, circle, triangle, rectangle, and squiggle. Each shape typically models some personality traits.

Do the shapes clash or mix?
Eventually, What Shape Are You deciphers how people with specific personality traits can easily communicate with each other based on their tendencies and a prior estimate of how each shape can respond. 

Shah says, “Once you know your own tendencies, strengths and thinking pattern, and possible style of response to situations, it is very easy to navigate through life. Especially when you try and understand others through the personality models characterised through shapes, it becomes easy to communicate and collaborate.”