By Diana Meso (courtesy of Clarity4D)

Staff and faculty drawn from various schools and departments attended the Clarity4D training held from Monday, August 7, to Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at the School of Humanities and Social Science rooftop. This is a Clarity4D accreditation training where after completion, participants become certified Clarity4D facilitators.

The training through providing personality profiles to participants, enabled them identify and understand their personalities as well as identify and understand other different personality types and their respective communication preferences. Additionally, participants were trained on how to flex their communication style in line with their audience so as to reduce confusion, create clarity and aid in efficiency.

Facilitated by Belinda Robinson, Director-International Business at Clarity4D and Apollo Murigi, Clarity4D Facilitator, the training grouped different personalities into 4 main colors that emanate different energies:

• Blue Energy (Water) (introvert): shown by people who are introspective and reserved. They like to observe others and think before taking action. They are happy in their own company, and can give an independent, detached analysis, which can sometimes give the impression of aloofness.
• Green Energy (Earth) (introvert): is observed in people who are warm and friendly in an under-stated way. They value close relationships and will be loyal and supportive of their family and friends. They like to create a harmonious atmosphere and prefer consensus to confrontation, which can sometimes make them appear indecisive and laid-back.
• Red Energy (Fire) (extrovert): demonstrated by people who are highly energetic and action-oriented. They are positive, straight-talking and assertive. They tend to be goal-focused and enjoy the challenge of achieving quick results. They are pragmatic thinkers who have an objective approach which can sometimes overlook the needs of other people.
• Yellow Energy (Air) (extrovert): displayed by people who are out-going, sociable and fun-loving. They particularly enjoy the company of other like-minded people and frequently stand out in a crowd, often enjoying being the center of attention. They are persuasive, charming and can sometimes overwhelm people with their enthusiastic energy.

Ms. Robinson pointed out that individuals have a mixture of the four colors/energies, however everyone has a preference for using some of the energies over others. Additionally, she said that through the 4 dimensions of Clarity4D- Discover, Discuss, Diversify and Develop, individuals are able to identify their preferences and how they can adapt and use the energies to meet the needs of different people and situations in their personal and professional lives.

Ms. Lucy Kung’u, Principal Counselor, encouraged participants to put into practice what they have learnt so that they can foster great relationships, a learning culture, and better outcomes at USIU-Africa. Participants also recommended that the training should be scaled up to the university management and down to staff, faculty and students to enhance effective communication which will result to growth.

The training was spearheaded by the Counseling Department in partnership with Human Resource Department.