Making your learning work better will improve your life. We all start learning when we are born and never stop until our death. Who knows maybe we do keep learning after that, but I have no reason to confirm or deny that. The way we experience the world is through our senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell and that takes us back to the map is not the territory that we learned back in a previous posting. The way you learn depends on how you think and how much you think.
It is not just about the content of what you think about, but also the quality of what you think about. As you increase your awareness of your thinking process in how you understand the world some interesting things start to happen. By doing this you can begin to control how you think about a person or situation and realise that maybe not everyone thinks like you. For you something may seem clear and obvious but for someone else it may still be confusing and you may decide to think differently by paying more attention to more of your senses.
FILTERED REALITY
Your experience of reality is always filtered by your three main ways of experiencing something, through your eyes, ears and touch or emotion. Some people may react by visualising a picture of what they learn in their mind, while others may particularly hear something and have an auditory image, whereas others again may rely on their feelings and body awareness of an event.
For example when you pick up a book you may look for different things in the way it looks, reads or the way it makes you feel. Of course you may use two or all three ways to appreciate a book in different proportions. Are you more interested by words, pictures or feelings?
As you go through life you will use all your senses to appreciate your environment or map of the territory. It may be at a young age you react differently to when you are older, but if you can learn to appreciate and be aware of more of your sensory signals it will enrich your life and enjoyment of experiences.
For example, if you decide to redecorate a room in your house, do you go at it by thinking of the colour of the walls, the pattern of the fabrics? Do you think about the need for double glazing to keep out noise and draughts? Do you think about how your music system will sound? Do you think about the texture and feel of the carpet or maybe some exposed brickwork or new plastering? All these ways of looking at the redecoration will define the experience you want to achieve when you are living and relaxing in the room.
TALKING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
Similarly your customers all have their way of mapping the territory through their senses. When a customer reads your sales literature or listens to a presentation by you, he or she will respond according to their preferences, so you will have an opportunity to influence or encourage them to make a decision. The way you use words will help describe a territory where you are in control, but should be designed to appeal and motivate the customer.
VISUAL WORDS
Bright, blank, clear, colourful, dim, focussed, graphical, illuminated, luminous, vision
VISUAL PHRASES
I can see that, A new way of seeing, Now look here, Can you see what I mean? Tunnel vision
HEARING WORDS
Argue, ask, discuss, harmony, outspoken, resonating, shrill, shouted, tone, vocal, yell
HEARING PHRASES
What we are asking, So you say, I heard it from your lips, Clear as a bell, Word for word, On the same wavelength, Tune into this, That strikes a chord,Music to my ears
FEELING/EMOTION WORDS
cold, bounce, exciting, feeling, firm, flowing, grasped, movement, pushy, solid, snap, touch
FEELING/EMOTION PHRASES
Driving the organisation, Reshaping the work, Moving through, Hitting home, Get a feel for it, Pain in the neck, Solid as a rock, One step at a time
I hope you can see that by using words that look right, ring true, make an impact will address the different preferred learning styles of your customers. Sometimes people struggle to understand what others mean because they speak in different styles, so it is good to try and practice a style you do not normally use. Often this is where disputes begin because each party sees the world in a different way, often based on the same facts.
So the next time you are talking to a customer, listen to their words and understand their preferred style, by the phrases and words they use. Learn to adapt your style to respond to their preferences with your use of words and see, hear, feel the difference in the way you are able to communicate.
BODY LANGUAGE
Body language is another important factor in all our communication, and your posture, tone, tempo and eye contact can make a huge difference to the way you react and others react to you. When someone will not look you in the eye, what does that make you think, maybe they are not telling the truth. Micro expressions speak volumes about how we feel and by developing a sensory awareness you will know more about how your customer is really thinking. A sales person coming into a room will try and make an introduction that works well for the person they meet and they have a very short time, less than 30 seconds to make a first impression.
As you become more aware of the different senses you and your customers use you will be more successfully able to influence a business meeting, develop goals that are more real and achievable for you and others, increase the impact of materials and communications that you write and connect better with customers on the phone and in person.
Remember we said the meaning of your communication is the response you get. Making your learning work better could be the most important way to improve your communication, business and your life.
John Sadler
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