COMMUNICATION REP SYSTEMS
COMMUNICATION REP SYSTEMS
Preferred Representational Systems
The VAK learning Style uses the three main sensory receivers – Vision, Auditory, and Kinaesthetic (movement and tactile or touch) to determine the dominate learning style. Learners use all three to receive information. However, one or more of these receiving styles are normally dominant. This dominant style defines the best way for a person to learn new information by filtering what is to be learned. This style may not always to be the same for some tasks. The learner may prefer one style of learning for one task, and a combination of others for another task.
We use all of our senses and depending on the circumstances may focus on one or more of them – when listening to a favourite piece of music, we may close our eyes to more fully listen and to experience certain feelings.
Each of us has preferred representational systems. For example, when learning something new, some of us may prefer to see it or imagine it performed, others need to hear how to do it, others need to get a feeling for it, and yet others have to make sense of it. In general, one system is not better than another. However, depending on the context, one or more of the representational systems may be more effective: landscape painters – visual, musicians — auditory tonal, athletes — kinaesthetic and mathematicians — auditory digital. People at the top of their profession typically have the ability to use all of the representational systems and to choose the one most appropriate for the situation.
Depending on your preferred representational system(s), you may exhibit certain behaviours or characteristics. Before exploring these behaviours, please note that depending on what is going on in your life, or the context, you may change your preferred representational system(s). Hence, it is more useful to notice the representational system a person is currently favouring, rather than pigeon-holing a person.
The following are generalizations on the characteristics of people with a preference for visual, auditory tonal, kinaesthetic or auditory digital. Remember, with all generalizations, there are always exceptions.
Visual
People with a visual preference, will tend to:
- Be organized, neat and well-groomed. Why? Because they want to look good. And what do they expect from you? Yes, the same thing!
- Use visualization for memory and decision making – often getting insights about something.
- Be more imaginative and may have difficulty putting their ideas in words.
- Speak faster than the general population. Why? Because they have a picture(s) in their mind and if it is a moving picture, there is a lot to tell in so little time!
- Famous visual people include scientist such as Einstein and Picasso
Auditory Tonal
People with an auditory tonal preference, will tend to:
- Perceive and represent sequences and are able to remember directions or instructions more easily.
- Learn by listening and asking questions.
- be easily distracted by noise.
- Famous auditory people include song writers like Mozart, the Beatles, Paul Simon
Kinaesthetic
People with a kinaesthetic preference, will tend to:
- Speak slower than the general population. Why? Because they need time to get in touch with how they feel about the topic.
- be more sensitive to their bodies and their feelings and respond to physical rewards and touching.
- Learn by doing, moving or touching.
· Famous Kinaesthetic people include Jimmy Connors, Jack Nicklaus and Chris Evert
Canterbury Crusaders’ coach, Robbie Deans, said he tried to expose the team to as many different forms of learning as possible. People learn in different ways and “as a coach you give yourself the best chance if you recognise that”.
As Crusaders coach he has won more Super rugby titles than any other coach (three Super 12 titles and one Super 14
People learn in different ways and “as a coach you give yourself the best chance if you recognise that”.
Deans said after determining the different learning styles, he tried to adjust how he communicated with certain players
COMPLETE QUESTIONAIRE AND DO WITH TEAM
VAK learning preferences questionnaire
This questionnaire will help you to get a clearer picture or better sounding or let you get in touch with your sensory representation preference and can help you understand how you learn, how you think, and how you communicate. Answer the 10 questions below as spontaneously as you can and put a 1 in the box next to each answer you have chosen. When you have answered all 10 fill up the scorecard below
1 When you contact people, do you prefer?
□ a. Face-to-face meetings?
□ b. Talking on the telephone?
□ C. Getting together to share an activity (walking, golf etc.)?
2 What do you notice most about people?
□ a. How they stand or move?
□ b. How they look or dress?
□ c. How they sound when they talk?
3 How do you learn most easily?
□ a. Get verbal instructions?
□ b. See someone to demonstrate what to do?
□ c. Get hands-on experience?
4 When you are angry, do you:
□ a. Go very quiet and perhaps seethe inwardly?
□ b. Shout and let everyone know about it?
□ c. clench your fists, grit your teeth, storm off?
5 In conversation, do you:
□ a. Use a lot of gestures?
□ b. Enjoy listening but get impatient to talk?
□ c. dislike either talking or listening for too long?
6 When you have many things to do, do you tend to:
□ a. Make lists for yourself or imagine doing them?
□ b. Keep reminding yourself that you have things to do?
□ c. Feel uncomfortable until all or most of the things are done?
7 When you are reading, do you:
□ a. Prefer action stories, or tend not to read much?
□ b. Enjoy descriptive passages, imagine scenes clearly?
□ c. Enjoy dialogue, hear characters speaking?
8 How is your memory? Do you tend to:
□ a. Remember names, words and numbers?
□ b. Forget names but remember faces?
□ c. Remember best the things you’ve done?
9 When you have leisure time, do you prefer to:
□ a. Watch TV, a video, or go to the movies?
□ b. Do something physical or athletic?
□ c. Listen to music, radio, or read books?
10 What would make you suspect that someone was lying to you?
□ a. The way they look or avoid looking at you?
□ b. Their tone of voice?
□ c. A feeling you get about their sincerity?
Score sheet
| Col 1 | Col 2 | Col 3 | ||||
| 1 | a | b | c | |||
| 2 | b | c | a | |||
| 3 | b | a | c | |||
| 4 | a | b | c | |||
| 5 | c | b | a | |||
| 6 | a | b | c | |||
| 7 | b | c | a | |||
| 8 | b | a | c | |||
| 9 | a | c | b | |||
| 10 | a | b | c | |||
| Total |
Interpreting your score
Column 1 contains visual modality answers, Column 2 is auditory, and Column 3 kinaesthetic. The column with the highest score will indicate your preferred representational system