at least the ones that also include OP weaves, they are almost always shown as something the channeler does on an almost instinctual level. Nynaeve's healing ability, which Sumeko and Flinn both also basically discovered, Elayne's ability with ter'angreal, Neald suddenly figuring out how to make weapons, Androl making gateways despite not having anywhere near the strength to even bother to learn the weave. All of these Talents are shown as somehow connected to the person's personality in other ways as well. Androl was well traveled, Nynaeve and the others were always drawn toward healing, even Semirhage's sadism could be seen as linked (in a horribly negative way) to her Talent. Graendal's controlling nature leading her to Compulsion's various forms, which may also be connected to a Talent. Even Verin's healing ability being vastly stronger in the diagnostic arena fits her curious nature much more than an actual healing abilty.
The above MAFO on Souls, Channeling and Talents [this can be found in the MAFO thread stuck at the top of The Gathering Storm Forum].
Beyond the MAFO, I was going to ask for a clarification on this. Firstly I would point out a curiosity—in KoD:23, Call to a Sitting, Tiana notes that many of the women who are strong in Nynaeve's method of Healing used to be village Wise Women. She wonders why that should make any difference, and indeed it does seem to imply that their life experience in some way affected their degree of Talent. How would this work out under the understanding of Talent as a soul-ability? Does life experience change the strength of the Talent, whilst soul-ability decides if you have it? Or should we make a distinction between Talents which are Skills—like Healing, or that Shielding Talent Berowin of the Kin has—and Talents which are Abilities—like Foretelling, Wolfbrothering or Dreaming?
MARIA SIMONS
Okay, let's look at this. Why did these women choose to be village Wise Women? Maybe they haven't sparked, but the Talent is there. They may not understand it, but they feel that they should be healing the sick. So, instead of life experience affecting the Talent, I think that it's more that the Talent affects the life experience.
Also, Aes Sedai have been taught that Healing is done one way, and that way is the only proper way. It's sort of like the gesture limitation; if an Aes Sedai learns to make weaves using gestures, she'll have a really hard time making the weave without making the gesture. I think that the former Wise Women are more open to learning the new way, and that gives them another advantage at it.
And:
Another curiosity would be that in Rand's Portal Stone experience in The Great Hunt Ch. 37, "What Might Be", Rand sees versions of Egwene who are better at Healing than Nynaeve. The Egwene of the story can barely Heal. Are then the Egwene's of the Mirror Worlds different souls with different abilities and Talents? Or would this again be evidence that experience can temper Talent?
MARIA SIMONS
This one I have no clue on. I lean towards the first explanation, but have no evidence to back it up, other than Jim's assertion that Talents are something one is born with and cannot be learned.