Communication is an act of the will. Paul illustrated this when he said to the Corinthians: Our heart is opened wide...Now, Open your hearts to us." He would not have requested what they could not do. We cannot truthfully say, "I cannot communicate because of my personality."

It is true that some of us have what I call a Dead Sea personality. The Dead Sea receives the waters of the Jordan, but has no outlet. So we have many thoughts, feelings, and desires throughout the day, but we are perfectly content not to express them. We have no compulsion to talk.

Others have what I call the "babbling brook" personality. Everything that enters the mind comes out the mouth, and usually there is not a sixty-second lapse between the two. But the Dead Sea can learn to talk and the Babbling Brook can learn to slow the flow. We are influenced by our personalities, but we are not controlled by them. Communication is a choice and its skills can be learned.