Origins in Cognitive Science, Neurodiversity, and Lived Experience

‍CQ originated in 2010 when Clare Munn introduced the concept of Communication Quotient™ at the TED Women conference. Initially developed as a personal cognitive navigation tool for her own neurodivergent processing patterns, CQ expanded through collaboration with neuroscientists, psychologists, and communication experts.

The early model examined challenges in traditional intelligence frameworks, IQ alone was insufficient to explain human adaptability, emotional regulation, or interpersonal understanding. CQ emerged to bridge this gap by integrating the following:
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Cognitive science (attention, reasoning, memory)
Affective neuroscience (emotion, salience, stress)
Social cognition (perspective-taking, empathy)
Linguistic processing (speech production & comprehension)
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Since its introduction, CQ has been implemented in universities, large enterprises, public-sector programs, and across diverse communities. Its assessments and courses have been completed by tens of thousands of individuals worldwide.

CQ’s ongoing development draws from research across executive function, relational framing, theory of mind, and emotional processing, positioning it as a progressive model for understanding how communication functions at the cognitive level.

References:
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Basic Books.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.de Vries, M. (n.d.).

Communication Quotient (CQ). Retrieved from https://www.mariodevries.nl/en/cq-communication-quotient/