If you have heard of NLP,  you probably know that it’s possible to tell how somebody is thinking by reading their eyes.   The study of REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS would not be complete without addressing this subject.

It’s important to learn because eye movements help us know

• how somebody is creating a problem
• how to suggest ways of unblocking the problem
• how other people do things successfully (their STRATEGIES).

You may be unaware of doing this, but we all create INTERNAL REPRESENTATIONS of the outside world in our minds.   The only data we have to experience, understand and interpret our experience is received through our five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.  (Some people would say there is a sixth sense of intuition too).   So our memories are laid down in internal images, sounds we recall and feelings we remember.  When we use our imagination, we also create pictures, sounds and feelings in our mind’s “eye”.

It is possible to determine which sense somebody is accessing when they are thinking, through the rapid movements their eyes make.  Typically, when they are accessing an internal image, they will look up.  When they are recalling a sound or speech their eyes will probably move in the direction of one of their ears, and when they are remembering a feeling they will look down.  Depending upon whether they are remembering or imagining a picture, sound or feeling will also determine the direction their eyes take.   Based on some research carried out by Robert Dilts, one of the first developers of NLP, it is believed that eye movements usually follow the following patterns:

However, it is important not to assume you know what somebody is thinking about because it is likely they will not follow this schematic exactly.  For example, they may look up and to the left when creating an internal image in their minds.  In order to read somebody’s eye movements accurately, it is first necessary to CALIBRATE them.   This can be done through running through the series of questions listed in the exercise below and noting their responses.

You will also notice that eye movements happen very quickly, follow each other in quick succession and may be difficult to read accurately as a result.  People’s eyes tend to dart about as they move from one sensory channel to another.  This “train of thought” is valuable to analyse as it reveals the STRATEGIES they are using to think through and plan a course of action.  These can be studied with further knowledge of NLP at Practitioner level.

Exercise:

In pairs, ask your partner the following questions.  Observe their eyes and note in which direction they move as they answer.  This will allow you to calibrate their eye scan patterns.

• What is the colour of your front door?  (Your partner will be making a picture of it in their mind – visual remembered)
• What does your doorbell or door knocker sound like?  (They will be recreating the sound – auditory remembered)
• What was the last conversation you had with your partner / best friend? (They will be rerunning the conversation – auditory digital)
• What is the sensation like of walking barefeet across grass?  (They will be remembering what it feels like – kinesthetic remembered)
• What will you be wearing tomorrow?  (They will have to imagine a picture – visual constructed)
• What will it sound like when you open your Christmas presents next month? (They will have to imagine what they will hear – auditory constructed)

Problem Solving

When somebody presents with a problem, it is useful to understand how they are RE-PRESENTING it in their mind’s eye.  (Are they making a picture of it?  Are they hearing something that bothers them?  – Often they may be criticising themselves or other people.  Are they experiencing a particular feeling associated with it?)  Sometimes, by asking them to access another sensory channel instead, they can unlock a solution.

A student once told me, “I didn’t pass my exam”.  At the time he was looking pretty miserable and his eyes were gazing down towards his feet.  In order to confirm the cue that he was giving me that he was accessing a kinesthetic RE-PRESENTATION of his experience, I asked him, “How do you feel about that?”  He confirmed that he wasn’t feeling great.  I then asked him what advice his teacher had given him.  At this, he lifted his head and visibly brightened a little when he told me, “She says not to worry because I’ll have a chance to resit next year”.  Part of this young man’s problem was that he was choosing to stay stuck in the sensory channel in which he had RE-PRESENTED his experience (kinesthetic) when more helpful information was available to him in his auditory channel.

With practice it’s possible to become quite adept at reading eye scan patterns.  See if you can notice in conversations with other people whether their eyes correlate to the experiences they are explaining.  Monitoring close-ups of actors on TV or in films also provides good practice.

Images:  cc Jo Andre Johansen and Mind for Business

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