The Pattern and the Pawn

When Toastmasters asked me to complete a project called ‘Understanding Your Communication Style’, I found myself thinking about two very different things:

The pattern…

 …and the pawn.

Because communication isn’t just about what we say.

It’s about how we are wired.

Let me start with something simple.

Shapes.

Not the kind we promise ourselves after New Year’s resolutions…

 the other kind.

Circles. Triangles. Hexagons. Octagons.

These shapes are the building blocks of how we understand the world.

A circle guides the moon around a planet in a perfect orbit.

A hexagon allows bees to build honeycombs with incredible efficiency.

Individually, these shapes are simple. Elegant in themselves.

But repeated…

 over and over again…

they create something powerful:

A pattern.

Now among all these natural shapes, there is one that stands apart:

The square.

Unlike circles and hexagons, the square doesn’t really occur in nature.

It is a human invention, a Man made construct.

And when you take squares and place them together…

something remarkable happens. Something so significant that it can challenge the invention of the wheel.

You get a grid.

The Grid allow us to measure.

 To organize.

 To navigate.

 Stacked and offset, the gird is the building blocks to build civilizations.

Maps are grids.

 Grids provide us the gift of scale.

 (One inch equals X # of miles.)

Cities are grids.

Spreadsheets—very serious business—are grids.

And as someone who works for the power company…

I’m standing here explaining the importance of the grid…

to people who literally run the grid.

So… no pressure.

But that’s what the grid represents:

Order.

Structure.

Predictability.

Every square has its place.

Every coordinate means something.

And let’s be honest.. some of us love that.

We love structure.

Processes.

Checklists.

Spreadsheets so beautifully color-coded they belong in a museum.

You know who you are.

Your idea of adventure…

is conditional formatting.

That’s the power of the pattern.

It gives us clarity.

Stability.

Control.

But communication doesn’t live on structure alone.

Because then…

There is the pawn.

The pawn represents something very different.

Not order—but Chaos

Not a foundation but an action.

Not predictability—but possibility.

The pawn is curiosity.

It represents courage.

It is creativity that moves forward.

It’s the willingness to step forward…

 before you know exactly how things will turn out.

It’s the voice that says:

“I have an idea!”

…before checking if the idea is attached to reality.

Some of us may have experience with that, (my website is inclusive.)

And here’s what I’ve learned about my own communication style:

I need both.

Without the pattern, my ideas wander.

Without the pawn, my message becomes…

 a really well-organized spreadsheet that nobody wants to read.

The most effective communicators understand this balance.

They know when to give structure…

 and when to tell a story.

When to show the map…

 and when to inspire the journey.

Because here’s the truth:

Some people need the pattern.

They want the facts.

 The plan.

 The clear next steps.

And others need the pawn.

They want energy.

 Imagination.

 A reason to care.

And then there are people like me.

I love systems.

 I work in projects, schedules, and structured plans.

But I also love stories, characters, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

I am apparently the type of person who can discuss database architecture…

…and then immediately pivot to a heroic primate astronaut defending a space station from intergalactic disaster.

And to me?

Those things belong in the same conversation.

Because understanding your communication style isn’t about changing who you are.

It’s about understanding how your message lands with others.

It’s about asking:

Does this moment need more structure?

…or more spark?

So the next time you open a spreadsheet…

or look at a chessboard…

remember this:

The pattern gives us order.

 But the pawn gives us Chaos

The pawn gives us purpose.

The pattern tells us where we are.

The pawn decides where we’re willing to go.

Every great kingdom relies on the board beneath it.

But no battle…

 is ever won by the board.

It’s won by the brave little pawn…

That is willing to move first.

So whether you’re giving a speech…

 leading a project…

 or simply trying to connect with someone…

sometimes all it takes…

is one small piece…

making one courageous move…

and boldly screaming out their battle cry:

“YEARGH! HASHTAG FIGHT THE NOISIA!"