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Using all the senses to get your message across

Written by: Colin Graves

Article Overview: How do the great communicators get their message across? Why do some people seem to get your messages while others don't? This article gives some hints and tips to enable you to use all the senses to get your messages across.

Using all the senses to get your message across

Using all the Senses to get your message across - I SEE, HEAR AND FEEL WHAT YOU MEAN)


We all structure our experience of the world through the five senses -- seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling. (For our purposes tasting and smelling will be classified under the feeling, or kinaesthetic category.) Whilst you are aware of your external senses, did you know you had a matching set of 'internal senses' or representational systems?

When you say:

"I see this magazine in front of me." (Visual)

"I hear the sounds and noises around me." (Auditory)

"I feel this magazine in my hands." (Kinaesthetic)

you are describing your external senses. But what about your internal world? We use the same five senses to represent what we are thinking about internally.

When you think:

Of a picture of your mother's face. (Visual)

Recall a conversation that you had yesterday. (Auditory)

Remember a time when you felt powerful and motivated. (Kinaesthetic)

you are using your internal representational systems. It is this internal world, through our representational systems, that creates our 'mind's eye', the words we say to ourselves, the feelings such as joy or despair that prompt our behaviour and originate our moods. Some of the words we use which indicate the different representational systems are as follows:

VISUAL : imagine,see,illustrate,insight,picture,look
AUDITORY : tell, voice, tune in, amplify, call, resonate, hear
KINAESTHETIC: touch, feel, sense, handle, stir, smell, throw


I am sure you can think of many more.....

So, you are probably wondering - "How do I use this?" .

When you listen for the types of words people are using, you know what 'sense' they are using in their thinking. Knowing this enables you to translate your language to their representational system, which creates a deep rapport, and influences at an unconscious level.

Everyone uses all of the internal representation systems all of the time; but one or two are likely to predominate. For instance a very 'visual' person will see a lot of pictures in their mind's eye and will use words like those in the visual column above - see, look, view. A mostly 'auditory' person will make use of internal dialogue and will use words such as - hear, listen, speak.

So, if you keep using auditory words to a visual person, they will unconsciously have to translate internally to their own system. This takes time, can be difficult for some people, and does not build rapport quickly.

For example, people often express frustration about the meetings they attend. Even if predetermined objectives are agreed it is likely that each member of the meeting will represent a successful conclusion in a different way:

An image of all the actions written up on flipcharts with names and timescales against each one. (Visual)

People talking at the end of the meeting and making comments such as
“That was a really useful meeting, I really liked what I heard.” (Auditory)

A warm feeling inside or shaking hands with people. (Kinaesthetic)

Listen for the representational words which indicate in what sense the person is thinking, and adjust your communication style to match.

So, are you ready to have a go? What representational systems do you think the following speakers are using?

"I see what you mean."
"I can't grasp the point."
"That resonates with me."
"Looks good to me."
"That clicks."
"I get the picture."
"It rings a bell."
"It feels right to me."
"I catch your drift."

As you begin to notice what people say, you will note they are revealing their representational system preference all the time. Have fun with this over the next few weeks.

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Article Tags: great communicators, hints and tips



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