Your preferred styles

Did you have fun doing the exercises from last week? If you are seeing this for the first time then please read the last three articles in this series so that you can catch up.

We will wrap up the series with a discussion on your preferred styles.

Research shows that people have preferred styles that may be dominant. They are called lead and preferred styles.{{more}}

My lead system is auditory-digital. I am also right-handed. If you asked me the question: ‘What colour is your kitchen door?’ You might see that my eyes first look down to my left (auditory-digital), before looking up to the left (visual-remembered). This is because I would first go over the question in order to understand it (auditory-digital), and then I would retrieve the answer (visual-remembered).

Similarly, if you have a lead system that is visual and I asked the question: “What does it feel like to sit in a nice warm bathtub?” You would first see the picture of being in the bathtub (visual-remembered), before proceeding to access the feeling.

You use these sensory modalities to better understand and organize your situation or experience (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, auditory-digital).

When speaking to someone, if you notice that their eyes keep looking up to visual, even if you are not using visual words or pictures, then it may be safe to assume that their preferred style is visual.

However, if you notice horizontal movements, then they may be processing sounds and their preferred style is auditory. If their eyes go down, then they may be processing the feeling (kinesthetic) or seeking to make sense of what you are trying to convey (auditory-digital). If on top of that, their eyes go down to the right, then their preferred style is most probably kinesthetic.

Here are some more exercises: Find a partner and take turns asking each other.

Visual remembered

What is the colour of the blouse you wore yesterday?

Which of your friends has the longest hair?

Visual Constructed

What would your room look like if it was painted red with big orange circles?

Can you imagine the top half of a giraffe on the bottom half of a hippopotamus?

Auditory Remembered

What does your father’s voice sound like?

Which is louder, your telephone or your cell phone?

Auditory Constructed

How will your voice sound like in 15 years?

Think of what it would sound like if you listened to two radio stations at the same time?

Auditory Digital

What is something you keep telling yourself?

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Kinesthetic

What does it feel like to walk barefoot on the beach?

What does it feel like when you rub your fingers on some sandpaper?

Enjoy.

Dr Kenneth Onu is a resident Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Beachmont Eye Institute/Eyes R Us Send questions to: Beachmont@gmail.com

Tel: 784 456-1210