Ever done a personality test? I've had the "joy" of doing three or four different ones throughout my academic and working career, and they usually take a while. They're also usually spooky accurate.
The most recent one I did is called the True Colors test. For the sake of my Canadian-ness I'll be calling it True Colours.
What True Colours told me is that I am a green foremost, with orange and gold in the middle and absolutely no blue. I imagine that my father (I know you're reading this) is a green as well, possibly an orange, maybe a gold. But not a blue. My mother is probably a blue. Knowing people's colour allows you to gauge how they wish to be interacted with, particularly what sort of guidance or feedback they need.
So enough about what it is, here's the short version of the test:
For reference, here's what mine looks like:
As a note of interest, I completed this test with a group of co-workers, about 26 of us total. Those of us who had a high green streak completed the test more quickly, in general, than those with a blue streak. Why? 'Cause the blue individuals were busy thinking about each word while the greens mostly reacted to them.
Now, the colours get broken down like into different personality types; saying that you're green doesn't really mean anything unless you know the significance of the category. In short, orange is spontaneous and adventuresome, said to live in the present. Gold is regimented and orderly, often scheduling far into the future. Those who are blue are driven by emotions and feelings, they like to talk things out and come to ideal solutions. Finally, green is rational and accurate, valuing knowledge and competency.
Get it?
So the next time you're speaking with someone, remember what your standpoint is: a blue will use different language than a green will. It's theoretical stuff, but helpful. I would know, I'm a green.
