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True Colors was developed by Don Lowry in 1978 and taught by Dr. Robert Ray Meadows, an Associate Director of 4-H out of VA Tech when I saw it. He was sharing this as a way for us to support people by giving people a tool to think about differences in people. I thought it would be a fun way to think about personalities and supporting people. True Colors uses colors to identify four distinct perspectives and personalities.
Understanding your true colors and the colors of your co-workers or classmates, spouse or friends, children or parents, clients, and others will bring about new awareness in not only understanding yourself and others but will make you more effective in your relationships with these important people in your life. The four true colors make up your character spectrum. Knowing your primary color will provide you with clues as to what defines you by identifying your strengths, joys, needs and what causes you stress and frustration.
Your personal and professional success is based, in part, on your self-confidence, esteem, and your ability to communicate effectively with others. True colors provide the key to your success by giving you a way to understand not only how you are motivated, but how to motivate and esteem others, thus increasing everyone’s productivity. Colors have always been successfully used in the learning process. The four True Colors are gold, blue, orange and green. Each color represents personality types and serves as a tool for discussion and understanding.
Every person has a BLEND of these four colors – people are not put into boxes, nor is there any such thing as a purest. The blends make us healthy individuals. Short and Sweet: Listen to each of these descriptions: Pick the color you think best describes you and type it in at the top of the page on the assignment worksheet provided. ORANGE – I am adventuresome, skillful, spontaneous, and physical. I like to be playful, competitive, artistic, optimistic, excited, courageous, free and light-spirited. GREEN – I am futuristic, versatile, inventive and creative and curious.
I like to be knowledgeable, logical, independent, observant, and respected. GOLD – I am responsible, dependable, helpful and sensible. I like to be organized, caring, practical, detailed, generous, productive, useful and thorough. BLUE – I am communicative, imaginative, harmonious and compassionate. I like to be romantic, sensitive, gentle, genuine, friendly and supportative. LET’S FIND OUT WHAT COLOR YOU ARE: Rules: Working across the line you HAVE to give each group of adjectives a score. The line has to add up to 10. The highest you can give each group is a 7 with each other having a one.
You can have any combination as long as the score adds up to 10. After you have worked across each of the 5 lines, total the columns from top to bottom. The highest score is the color that represents you best. The next highest is the blend and so on. The assignment worksheet has been designed to add the rows and the columns for you. Just be sure you type in the yellow bold boxes only or you may cause formulas to not work. Complete true colors worksheet now. After completing the worksheet, continue reading this assignment:
WHAT THESE COLORS MEAN: ORANGE – Represents “active. ” When working with those whose dominant personality type is orange, these helpful hints will help you better understand them: If you are trying to be their friend: be active with them and do not slow them down. Be energetic and ready to go; be adventurous, optimistic, spontaneous and fun. Compete in their fun when appropriate and do not play the heavy and try to spoil their fun. As adults: compliment their generosity and sense of humor, use a direct, right-to-the-point approach.
Get involved in physical activities with them and respect their lack of structure and need for spontaneity. Oranges are stressed and frustrated by: having to be on time, boredom, and nagging, whining and s-l-o-w people. They also do not like unnecessary routine, lack of money and car problems. They cannot stand boredom, paperwork and bureaucracy, and “too many golds”. They don’t like lack of passion and clarity and people who don’t dance. They have no patience for people with low self-esteem, inflexibility, schedules and sameness and too many questions.
GOLD – Represents “structured”. When working with those whose dominant personality type is gold, these helpful hints will help you better understand them: If you are trying to be their friend: try to be organized, efficient, dependable, and loyal. Remember to be on time and respect their need for security and do what you say you will do. As adults: respect their need for tradition and stability; be loyal, dependable and truthful, be up front with them, understand their need for structure and security and be clean and neat in appearance.
Golds are stressed and frustrated by: those who are late, flakes and flaky people, when things don’t work out like they should, unorganized people and lack of organization, when things aren’t neat and being told what to do by others. They also don’t like: inefficiency, not knowing what is expected, missed expectations, waiting, loud people, change, and inconsistency. They don’t understand why it can’t all be done right and why someone else can’t see what is perfectly clear to them. They will get a new sheet of paper if there is a tear or something not perfect on a blank sheet of paper.
This is the most predictable of all groups. BLUE – Represents “interactive”. When working with those whose dominant personality type is blue, these helpful hints will help you better understand them: If you are trying to be their friend: spend quality time, one-on-one with them. Be aware that they often wear their heart on their sleeves. Listen to them and be supportive and share your thoughts and feelings. Praise their imagination and creativity. As Adults: respect their need to know about you. Be truthful, sincere, helpful, open and communicative. Take a creative approach to problem solving.
Cooperate with other family members and show that you value them through thoughtfulness. Blues are the “huggers and back patters”. Blues are stressed and frustrated by: judgmental people, having to be on time, non-caring people, cruelty to children and animals and aggressive people. They also do not like disharmony, and lack of communication, injustice, being yelled at, confusion and traffic. They do not do well if they are stretched; have to deal with procedures, politics, and bossy and negative people. They stress over lack of support, lack of romance and inequality.
They don’t understand people who will not grow or change. They are big picture people and don’t normally like details. GREEN – Represents “independent”. When working with those whose dominant personality type is green, these helpful hints will help you better understand them: If you are trying to be their friend: Be aware of their curiosity about life. Respect their need for independence. Know that they are caring even though they may not show their feelings easily. Reinforce their new ideas and concepts. As adults: respect their pre-occupation with wisdom, knowledge, ideas and logic.
Help them with the day-to-day details and praise their ingenuity and intelligence. Think ahead because they are future-oriented. Greens are stressed and frustrated by: people not valuing or listening to their ideas, being limited, labeled, boxed or controlled by others. They do not like rules or people in the way. They are stressed by inconsistency and incompetency. They do not like disorganization or noise. They have problems with not knowing and unfairness. They dislike committee meetings with no point and policy and procedures. Summary:It takes all types to make the world go round.
It takes the greens to see the big picture and think out of the box to get it done. It takes oranges to make if fun. It takes the golds to have the leaders and the pushers to make it happen and it takes the blues to make sure everyone is comfortable and no one is left out. Think of Mt. Rushmore: There are 4 presidents on this mountain: There is: Washington (gold), Lincoln (blue), Jefferson (green) and Teddy Roosevelt (orange). Also as far as tasks: Green and Gold are task orientated first and relationship oriented second. Orange and Blue are relationship first and task orientated second.
For further interest: This chart is a breakdown of the colors per age group. True Colors Breakdown per Ages ????? For this assignment: Do you agree with the true colors assessment of you? Why or why not? I agree with my colors assessment because I am very settled and structured. I am very dependable and trustworthy. When I am put into a group to a task I take the lead for my group and ensure that everyone plays a part in the group. AGE 9-12 years old Age 13-17 years old Age: 18-22 years old Age: 23+ years Old Orange 36% 35% 16% 11% Green 15% 11% 17% 13% Gold 31% 28% 38% 53% Blue 18% 26% 29% 23%