We sometimes neglect to collect vital information that could make all the difference in solving a problem.  There’s an easy step we can take which may be sufficient to unlock a solution.   It lies in understanding what sensory channels we are not using.

Representation Systems

The only channels human beings have to acquire information about our outside world are our five senses of seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting.  (Some people add the sixth sense of intuition).   These senses provide us with the “vocalbulary” of our experience (the sensory-based words we call PREDICATES in NLP).

We use our five senses to create an INTERNAL REPRESENTATION of our experience in our memory or  imagination.  We also use these  senses to express ourselves (see my previous blogpost on how to create communications that are compelling).

In NLP, we call our senses REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS and annotate them as V (visual), A (auditory), K (kinesthetic), O (olfactory – smell) and G (gustatory – taste).

Unless we are severely disabled, we able to access information through each of these channels.  However, we each prefer to use one of our senses more than others.  This is our PRIMARY REPRESENTATION SYSTEM.  This tendency may be very pronounced, or we may switch between our senses more equally.  It is rare for people’s PRIMARY REPRESENTATION SYSTEM to be olfactory or gustatory, although this is possible.

When we find ourselves stuck with a problem, we may discover that we have not accessed enough information from the REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS  we use least.  Paying more attention to these may provide us with valuable information that we have overlooked.

For example, there has been a particular issue that has been worrying me recently.   The more I dwell on it, the worse I feel (K) and I have been imagining the worst scenarios in my mind (V).   Although I listed (V) and weighed up (K)  all the pros and cons of different courses of action,  I have not been listening (A) to some very sensible advice several people have been giving me.  Now that I am taking their advice (A) on board I am more confident of finding a way through.  As you can deduce from this, my Auditory sense is the channel I tend to use least and yet it held valuable information I was overlooking (V).

Identifying the Primary Representation System

1.  We can identify a person’s PRIMARY REPRESENTATION SYSTEM by observing the types of activities they enjoy doing in their leisure time.   For example, it is likely that artists and photographers will depend highly upon their visual sense, musicians and speakers upon their auditory sense, athletes and counsellors upon their kinesthetic sense.

2.  We can also tell which is the preferred REPRESENTATION SYSTEM by listening in to the sensory-based words or PREDICATES that somebody uses.  For example:

• A personal accessing their visual sense may say things like, “It was good to see you”,  or “I can’t see the way ahead clearly”, or “I’d like to find that”.
• Somebody accessing their auditory channel may say, “I’d like to hear his point of view”, “That doesn’t sound right” or “Tell me what you want”.
• The kinesthetic channel may be expressed by such phrases as, “How do you feel?”, “I’d like to get in touch”, “We have a good handle on it now”.

3.  As with all approaches in understanding differences of behaviour, it is important not to “pigeonhole” ourselves or each other as none of us use one sensory channel exclusively.  However, there are some behavioural characteristics that are characteristic of each type.

Highly Visual People

• tend to sit forward, hold themselves erect
• be tidy and organised
• be conscious of their appearance, for example, matching accessories and colours, and are aware of the appearance of others and their environment
• tend to have lots of pictures around them
• tend to use colour
• need pictures in order to assimilate information and to learn
• speak quickly from fairly high in their chest

Highly Auditory People

• enjoy talking and may talk to themselves under their breath
• will be easily distracted by noise
• have a facility for reading and writing quickly, they learn quickly from written text
• enjoy listening to music, pick up rhythm easily
• can detect the different tones in other people’s voices

Highly Kinesthetic People

• are more relaxed in their body language and dress
• comfort is very important to them
• enjoy sports, physical movement
• enjoy making things with their hands
• may rely upon their gut instinct and intuition
• tend to fidget, use their hands to express themselves, find it difficult to stay still
• speak with a lower voice tone from lower in the chest
• are comfortable touching people and being touched
• need to “get a feel” for what they are doing

Identifying somebody else’s PRIMARY REPRESENTATION SYSTEM gives you another way of establishing and maintaining RAPPORT with them.  Use words (PREDICATES) that employ their preferred sensory channel to get on the “same wavelength” with them.  Express your communications in visual, auditory or kinesthetic ways that they will appreciate.

Synesthesia

Occasionally, you may hear somebody express a mix of different senses in one phrase, for example, “a hot sound” or “a titillating conversation”.  This is known as SYNESTHESIA.  It is as if the neurological pathways have “fused” together so that different sensory experiences are associated and experienced together.  This is a source of great poetry and  interesting metaphor.

Exercises

1.  Problem-Solving

Think about a particular challenge you are currently facing.  What information are you working with and from which sensory channel did you obtain it?  Is it a problem because it produces bodily symptoms of stress in you?  (K)  Is it something you are doing?  (K)   Is it something you have witnessed or observed?  (V)   Is it something somebody has told you?  (A)  Or have you heard or read about it?  (A).

Check which REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS you have not been using to find a solution.  For example,

• Is there a physical action you can take to resolve it that you haven’t thought about? (K)
• Can you make yourself feel better in any way? (K)
• Could you make a model to represent the challenge you face? (K)
• Are there any different ways of looking at the problem?  (V)
• Can you create a positive visualisation of a good outcome in your mind’s eye? (V)
• Could you draw a picture of it? (V)
•  Is there anything you could read which could help you?  (A)
• Is there somebody you could talk to?  (A)
• Could you tell a story about the challenge you face, inventing a desired ending?  (A)

2.  Identifying PRIMARY REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS

Work with a partner, and decide who will be Person A and Person B.

Person B asks Person A to tell them about an activity they really enjoy doing.   Person A is to talk for up to five minutes.  It is important that Person A talks in the present tense as if they are doing it now.  (They are, therefore, ASSOCIATED.  For an explanation of ASSOCIATED and DISSOCIATED, see an earlier blogpost.  When we are DISSOCIATED we tend to move into a different REPRESENTATION SYSTEM).

Person B makes a note of all the sensory-based words that Person A uses.

Which sensory channel does Person A access the most?  This gives an indication of Person A’s PRIMARY REPESENTATION SYSTEM.

Swap round and repeat.

3.  Ways of Increasing your Sensory Awareness and Problem-Solving Ability

Images:  Mind for Business Ltd, all rights reserved

Related posts:

1. The Eyes Have It
2. How to Create Messages that are Compelling
3. Why Maps are Important for Influencing