We each have five senses, but its primarily our ears, eyes and touch that perceive our surroundings and through which we communicate our learnings and experiences with others.
We each have a preference or stronger leaning to one of our senses making us predominately
- an aural person
- a visual person or
- a kinaesthetic person.
The simple art of perception and expression is not a one size fits all.
We don’t all absorb the wonders of this world and convey it in the same way ~
- some of us hear it and recount it in words,
- some of us see it and illustrate it as a visual and
- some of us feel it and express it through our hands and bodies.
If you haven’t previously thought about where your leaning lies your language could be telling you. Are you more likely to say –
- “It doesn’t sound right… I hear what you’re saying… Its as clear as a bell
- “It doesn’t look right… I see what you’re saying… It appears to me
- “It doesn’t feel right… I’ve got a grip on what you’re saying… It goes hand in hand
Interested in knowing your predisposition? There are always new ones being put up on the web so simply put in Visual, Aural or Kinaesthetic Test and you’ll be offered a few options!
I’ve often wondered why if teachers understand that we have different learning styles that they don’t accept this three tier approach to assignment submission. How often do you hear a teacher give you the option to respond to a question to either:
- write a dissertation on the life and times of xxx OR
- visually portray the life & times of xxx OR
- create a model that conveys the life and times of xxx? 😉
However, while not being able to choose during our school years there is no reason why once we’re free to be our own person that we continue to adhere to the ‘written word’ structure of expression alone. Although shaking off years of wearing this number one method of communication mantle takes time.
In my last post ‘Do you Write, Draw or Collect in your Travel Journal?’ I illustrated how my first travel journals were totally word-centric from my years of traditional schooling.
But over time I’ve relaxed into what for me is a more natural mode of story telling that incorporates a wider range of techniques.
Like the entry above that combines words and drawings that are not works of art, or finished masterpieces but squiggly doodles and diagrams that will simply enhance my visual memory in years to come.
We underestimate the variety of expressive techniques available to us due to an assumption that we lack the skills or prowess to employ them.
From years of believing we’re either the academic who writes, or the creative/artistic type where our imagination is allowed to run riot with a bottomless pot of mixed mediums – in reality we can all experiment and play.
I love this TED talk recorded at the 2008 ‘Serious Play’ conference with Tim Brown talking about creativity and play and how our freedom to be creative, which is sparked by play, is stifled as we enter adulthood.
Think of all those options of expression that are open to us, if only we dare try. The creative industries are not exclusively the right of elite artists, sculptors, craftspeople and artisans…
- We can all illustrate visually with diagrammatic doodle drawings, splodges of paint or print with rubber stamps.
- We can all express kinaesthetically with our hands creating compositions from found treasures and materials.
- We can all let emotions flow from our bodies through dancing, performing and miming.
- Or if we’re still too afraid to play we can always collect artefacts of tactile animal, vegetable and mineral objects.
I’m neither an academic who can write, nor an artist who can draw but…
I’m taking the plunge to try methods of communication outside my comfort zone and being brave sometimes brings surprise rewards. 🙂
There are barriers to be broken and assumptions to be revoked such as
‘I can’t draw’
or
‘My handwriting is rubbish’
For when travelling we need to be able to communicate our thoughts and feelings and translate our experiences into something that can transend time and be comprehensibly re-liveable in years to come.
This series of posts will demonstrate some of the many alternative ways to
convey and express your holiday highlights…
but for starters ~
Are you an aural, visual or kinaesthetic kind of person?
How do you best express yourself?
With your Ears… Eyes… or Touch?
Kinaesthetic all the way!
I jump in boots and all to learn and experience!
(Followed closely by visual)
I have a quick self-assessment tool that I bring into the training room so managers can learn their own preferred/natural (VAK) style and then appreciate we are all different. I often ask them to guess the natural style of their team members and how that impacts on their own communication styles.
Sally
And I love the reflection of your kinaesthetic leaning in your use of language: “jump in boots & all”!!
Fantastic to hear you encourage office teams to understand the different communication styles to appreciate our differences –
Would also really help when it comes to delegating having a hint of where each task would be best appropriated 🙂
Visual! As I’m sure you will ‘see’ from my blog and art gallery!
Looking good, Linda. 🙂
Visual it is!!
I always love your quick sketches – Such a expressive means to communicate your perceptions.
Great to see you here Robin 🙂
Hi Linda,
I’m kinaesthetic and aural. I need to feel the love and hear the words 🙂
I love your maps and Robin’s artwork, perhaps I appreciate the visual nature of your communication because it’s so different to how I experience the world.
Hi Suellen ~
That’s so true about appreciating all the more those who have complementing skills –
I sooooo admire orators who can just spill words out effortlessly to express their perceptions.
But isn’t it interesting that we rely so much on speech, maybe even more so as keyboards become a primary communication tool, yet it’s a struggle for two thirds of us who are the visual and kinaesthetic types! 😉
There’s a business opportunity there somewhere LOL
I did the test and it said I was a visual person, which makes sense. Lately I’ve been loving watching the doodlings of my almost four year old as she learns to write. She is fascinated by the letters and gets me to spell things out so she can try writing them. We use clues like, the letter at the end of Rubys name (the dog), or imagery like “”Umbrella”” for U. She is actually a big fan of maps too and just drew one for her best friend who lives up the road, so he knows how to get to our new house. I’m going to let her loose on one of your map journals on her birthday to chart her fourth year 🙂
That is so gorgeous drawing a map for her friend to find his way to your new house –
Did you photocopy it before she gave it to him in case you get lost?
I’m pleased you said you’re going to ‘let her loose’ on the Map Journal to do as she feels each month –
The most common cry I hear from adults is ‘I don’t want to spoil it’, which equates to prissy entries that don’t represent the time. place or person 🙁
However the marks come out, they’re part of the story… including spilt drinks and dog footprints 😉
Love that you’re experimenting and not just sticking with words. It’s hard for me to choose one. I’m visual primarily but sound and touch are so important too! Imagine being deprived of one….
Read a fascinating post by a blind traveller visiting Cairo who experiencing the place went to ‘see’ the Sphinx, which he said ‘looked like the Great Pyramid’ :/
Definitely kinaesthetic in most things but I have to say with my financial hat on I become very visual. When working with business people and when writing training manuals I always look for ways of expressing information using all three learning styles however I find it frustrating that this isn’t taken into account more in the VET system
Leanne Berry recently posted..MYOB is ready to launch – ARE YOU PREPARED?
The success of your accounting books is obviously that you do methodically approach your teaching and address all three learning styles ensuring maximum comprehension –
Congratulations on your latest publication 🙂
Well, it seems I’m a visual learner – although I know that the aural aspects are very important to me too. Funily enough, though, I’m very definitely kinaesthetic when it comes to spelling, which I guess comes from my years of teaching spelling as a ‘writing’ activitiy, not an aural one.
And I certainly use both visual and aural approaches to editing, especially when dealing with a difficult construction that just doesn’t work.
I love the way your website is developing, Linda.
One imagines editors to be solely aural, so interesting how you ‘see’ the construction of your words as well as hear them!
So pleased you’re enjoying the way the website is developing Desolie 🙂
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