The Four Birkman Colors

Categorization of personality dates back to the Ancient Greeks, who established four different personality types that could be used to help identify and group people. The Greeks attributed one's personality to differences in physical factors.

Today, we understand that these differences are molded by how we think, which is ascribed to our experiences and how our brains are hard-wired. 

Birkman helps visualize each person's unique style and differences through the use of four colors—red, green, blue, and yellow. Each of these colors are accompanied by one-word descriptors.

• Red (doer)- represents action, energy, and practical results
• Green (communicator)- represents persuading and communicating with people
• Blue (thinker)- represents innovation, creativity, and a preference for working with ideas
• Yellow (analyzer)- represents order, repeatability, procedures, and systems

See the above chart in higher resolution here.

These four colors appear throughout many Birkman reports to make conversations about personality straightforward and memorable.

Each individual has a unique and complex personality that is comprised of multiple facets. Few people have personalities that are represented by only one Birkman color.

Common Questions
About the Birkman Colors 

Is it possible for your personality to feature traits of more than one Birkman color?

Yes! In the next edition of Birkman Beginnings, we will explore the Birkman symbols. You can have different colors for each of the symbols. Also, people exhibit their colors to different degrees (or in a blend of each), which we will discuss in Birkman Beginnings #4. 

Are certain Birkman colors preferable to others?

No, the world needs all kinds of people! Having a mix of Birkman colors on a team encourages balance and diversity of thought, which promotes a well-rounded approach to projects. 

Using Birkman Colorful Glasses 

The Birkman colors form a key Birkman concept that is important for the respondents to know before proceeding to the more complex data in the Birkman Signature Report. It is important that they understand the meaning of their colors and take pride in their unique personality style.

Lighthearted activities with mementos that the respondent can keep can help reinforce your conversations around the Birkman colors!

These colorful sunglasses are symbolic of our personality's perceptual filters and are popular for communicating the idea that our own filters heavily influence the way we understand our surroundings.

The colorful glasses kit (sold in the Birkman Store) includes four pairs of sunglasses in the four Birkman colors. Customize how you use them in a team building session to the team's needs. The discussion of the group will shape the exercise, making the experience different every time. Using the colorful glasses for team building is a fun way of shedding light on respondents' perceptual filters, while also helping them understand the filters their colleagues have.

Log in to BirkmanDirect and visit the Birkman Store to purchase these colorful Birkman glasses and other helpful resources as you get started.