Identify Talents and Strengths

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Introduction

In this lesson you will explore your talents and strengths to find out what type of work you might enjoy doing in the future. You will learn about the "strength equation" and how to turn your talents into strengths. Ultimately, this lesson will help you think about your unique abilities and develop pathways toward finding a career that suits your talents and strengths.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT IS A TALENT OR A STRENGTH?

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Talent X Investment = Strength

A natural way of thinking, feeling or behaving

The ability to provide near-perfect performance

Time spent practicing, developing your skills and building knowledge

Strength equation

Talents

Behaviors or habits you are attracted to naturally

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You enjoy running and your body feels comfortable while doing it

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Examples

Abilities that seem easy for you to acquire

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Skills you apply to situations without much effort or thought

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You are taught a new math lesson and learn it easily with little practice

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You hear someone speak with an accent and can replicate it without really trying

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Strengths

Skills you develop over time to the point of mastery

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You study and play chess consistently until you win almost all of your matches

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Examples

Taking a talent and improving upon it until you are an expert

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The ability to do something to near-perfection every time

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You are a naturally good singer but you go to a singing coach who teaches you to fine tune your talent

You are a chef who can duplicate your recipes perfectly night after night

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Make a list of your talents and strengths. Remember talents are things you excel at naturally and strengths are things you have practiced to be good at.

HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S TALENTS AND STRENGTHS ?

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When Paola was 3 years old she started to dance whenever she heard music. At 5 she took ballet classes. When she was in middle school she formed a dance club where she and her friends would choreograph dances and perform for the school. She went to a performing arts high school and joined the dance squad. She performed in the school musicals. By the time she was 18 years old she had won several dance competitions and was auditioning for Broadway plays.

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Ever since he was 4 years old Diego loved to explore. If there was a “haunted house” or an abandoned car Diego would investigate it without any fear whatsoever. Sometimes he would get hurt doing this, but it never stopped him. I saw him pick up snakes off the ground, walk into mines that say “Keep Out”, and walk through houses that were getting built even though he had been told not to. So it was no wonder that when he grew up, he found a job as a location scout for television shows.

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With a partner, read about Paola and Diego. Who has a talent and who has a strength?

You and your partner join another group. Each member of the group will describe one of their strengths or talents from the list they made earlier, without telling the rest of the group how they labeled it. The others in the group will try to identify it as a talent or strength based on the description.

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HOW CAN MY TALENTS AND STRENGTHS HELP ME?

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Directions:

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With a partner, analyze the table on the next slide.

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Within the table there are 5 talents, 5 strengths, and 5 careers. First, sort them into their correct groups.

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Next, identify which talent can be developed into a strength and match it to the career that best aligns to that strength.

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I like helping other students in my class learn.

I will tutor other students and take education classes in college.

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I can create my own tutoring business.

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Think about the activity you just did and look at the talents you have listed. Can you create pathways from your own talents to potential careers? With your partner, show how your talent can become a strength and how that could lead into a profession using the following format.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT TALENTS AND STRENGTHS?

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