Have you been described as larger than life? Does your presence never go unnoticed? You might have what is known as a big personality.
Big personalities are people who tend to evoke strong feelings in others. They are anything but bland. Their dreams are over the top, communication is powerful, and feelings are intense.
If you find yourself in this description, you live your life to the fullest and are unafraid to explore it. As such, you might be very popular among friends who appreciate you for who you are. On the other hand, a person with a big personality often gets misunderstood and their behavior misinterpreted.
This article gets to the bottom of the top qualities of people with a big personality and what makes them unique. But we also talk about why you get misunderstood and how to create quality relationships with personalities very different from yours. In short, we are going to talk about ways to be more likable if you have a big personality and struggle to fit in.
Related: How to Identify Your Personality—Top 5 Personality Assessments
A Big Personality — Meaning of Big Personality Energy
Kate Hudson has big personality energy and wears it with pride. She said: “I have a big, flamboyant, open personality, which I think is why people may be saying these nice things about me.”
But what does a big personality mean?
This question is certainly not straightforward, mainly because there is a lot of confusion around similar notions. To get a clear idea of what it means to have a big personality, let us examine similar and often confused notions first.
One of the most commonly mistaken terms is that of a strong personality.
Strong personalities share some traits of people described as having a big personality. Still, a strong personality can be quiet and introverted, whereas a big personality is always loud, funny, and outgoing.
Another notion that often comes to mind is that of mental strength.
Yet, as with strong personalities, being mentally strong is a broader concept. It can but does not have to pertain to your flamboyant big personality.
Some might mistake that for someone’s Big 5 personality profile.
Indeed, some of the characteristics associated with a big personality do fit certain Big-5 traits, namely extraversion and openness to experience.
Are you interested in what your Big Five profile looks like? Take Brain Manager’s test to see if your personality matches a big personality’s confident, extroverted profile.
The truth is, different terms often come to mind when we talk about a big personality but no single word quite encapsulates these impossible-to-forget and one-of-the-kind individuals.
What are your most outstanding qualities if you possess such a presence?
Big Personalities and Their Greatest Qualities
Why do people love being around individuals with a big personality? This is because such persons are:
- Inspired and inspiring
- Full of original ideas
- Brave and spontaneous
- Honest and speak their mind
- Wearing their heart on their sleeves
- Full of confidence
- Heart of any party
How You Might Be Misunderstood IF You Have a Big Personality
Unfortunately, some people might get a person like you wrong. To be fair, your big personality can be too much to handle for some. You might be seen as a drama queen, tough to push into a box, and seeking conflict.
At times, big personalities are wrongly labeled as needy of attention, crazy, and loud — in a bad way.
Why is this so? Sometimes, people do not know you well enough. At other times, though, there is a question of how compatible certain personality types are.
Although a big personality is not strictly tied to any particular psychological type, certain personalities match the description. And they get their share of misinterpretation. For example, the ESFP personality (the Performer) might be unfairly pigeonholed as an attention-seeker.
As a general rule, introverts might have difficulty understanding flamboyant and loud personalities and enjoying their company. Therefore, an ISTJ will likely have the toughest time finding shared language with big personalities among the MBTI profiles.
For some people, their big personality comes out in an excessive desire to be nice to everyone, so much so that it may come across as a put-off. Being overly nice may lead to potential issues, and cultivating quality relationships involves finding a balance between kindness and assertiveness, ensuring your personality aligns with authenticity rather than solely aiming to please others.
How to Build Positive Relationships If You Have a Big Personality
Regardless of whether you naturally resonate with someone (or if you want to, to be honest), we all sometimes need to interact with different kinds of people.
Take work relationships, for example. Every collective is assembled from professionals whose personalities are fairly different. And they all need to find a way to communicate effectively.
Having a persona larger than life sometimes means you must intentionally leverage your qualities and seek ways to establish common ground with those who do not naturally get you.
1. Develop a Good Sense of Who You Are
If you are one of the people with a big personality, you tend to be more extroverted. As such, you are likely not prone to quiet self-reflection. Still, there is much value in developing a solid sense of oneself. Learn more about your unique strengths and weaknesses, what drives you, and how you learn about the world around you.
You can take a MBTI-based test to understand who you are and how you can interact with personalities very different from yours.
2. Practice Active Listening and Foster Genuine Connection
People with a big persona often naturally dominate conversations. Research showed that dominant individuals, which you are, might be seen as having a dramatic, animated, and forceful communication style. However, that might intimidate some people.
Therefore, make a conscious effort to listen actively to others. Show genuine interest in what they say. Ask open-ended questions and follow up on their responses. Such an encouraging approach will help develop an authentic connection even with the most timid individuals.
This intention will prove vital in romantic relationships where people have different love languages. Genuine connections in romance are fostered through understanding how your significant other communicates love.
3. Adapt Your Communication Style
Flex that communication muscle. Recognize that people express themselves in different ways. And then, think about how you need to tailor your communication style in various situations and match the preferences of those around you.
Will your audience appreciate a more laid-back or diplomatic conversation? Or do you need to be assertive?
Let us assume you are talking to a shy girl — or a guy — who is almost afraid to speak. It would be literally detrimental to the conversation if you came off too strong. Instead, be adaptable and showcase your ability to connect with others on their terms. There will still be enough room for your authenticity to shine through.
4. Show Empathy and Understanding
People with a big personality can sometimes come across as overpowering. Suppose you are talking to anybody less intense than yourself, like that shy girl or guy from the previous point who might be a highly sensitive person. In that case, you can expect her to see your confident persona as overwhelming.
Be mindful of the need to show empathy and your sensitive side to the world. The best things happen when you find a way to connect with others’ unique perspectives, preferences, and sensitivities. Show understanding and connect at a deeper level. Emotional intelligence development will be your greatest asset to achieve this goal.
5. Find Common Ground
Yes, the leading idea in this article is that we are all different, and we need to appreciate those differences.
However, once you have acknowledged this fact, actively seek out common interests or shared values for quality connections to develop. When you highlight similarities with others, they will embrace this common ground as the basis for positive interaction.
Do you share hobbies with the woman you work with? Is your idea of fun the same as that of the adventurous guys from the gym? Do you and the parents of your child’s classmates hate it when birthdays are scheduled so that they end at night?
Focus on these likenesses to transcend discrepancies between you and perfect strangers and people you have a long history with.
Embrace Your Authenticity and Elevate Your Connections
A person like yourself gives flavor to the world. You dream big and are not afraid to live your story with inborn flamboyance. You are determined not to accept mediocrity in life. Your large persona requires a lot of room. Your point of view is brave and original.
Therefore, the key is not to change who you are. It would be wrong to expect yourself to become someone you are not. And there is also no need to.
Instead, use the tips from this article to adapt your approach. Building quality relationships is about finding a balance between expressing your authentic self and being attuned to the needs and preferences of others.
With a bit of introspection, intent, and small changes, you will have no trouble creating harmonious interactions with a diverse range of personalities.
Recommended: What Does it Mean if Someone Has a Great Personality?
