There are five main factors that make up our brains. (1) Nurture, the environment you were brought up in, your parents, your siblings, etc. (2) Gender. (3) Your introversion – extroversion – amberversion level. (4) Your brain quadrant dominance or your BQD, which we will discuss in the second part of this blog. (5) Your communication styles or sensory modalities, which we will focus on here.
Why is this important in business? Imagine that you send your boss an important note but when you speak to him or her later they have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s not necessarily that your boss wasn’t paying attention, it could be as simple as you said something to him that he needed to see or you showed something to her that she needed to feel.
There are three sensory modalities, how our brains take in and process information the best. Auditories, making up about 20% of the population, process information best through what they hear. Visuals, which make up the largest part of the population with about 50%. And Kinesthetics, rounding out the population with about 30%. These stats are across the board and don’t take gender into consideration.
Auditories – They need to hear your message. Written messages are good for this modality because reading is actually an auditory source and not a visual. Auditories will notice irritating or odd sounds that others won’t pick up on because sounds are amplified for them. Pay attention to their words, make sure the surroundings for your meeting place are free of auditory distractions and use language like, “I hear what you’re saying.”
Visuals – This is the majority of the population. Visuals are usually very well put together, their clothing is well coordinated, and they hate things being out of order like a painting on the wall that’s not straight. How things look are very important so take care of their visual needs. They will notice things that are out of order on a printed page so put a lot of visual appeal into your presentation or paperwork. Use different kinds of graphs, charts, and colors. Paint the picture for them. Use words like, “I see what you mean.”
Kinesthetics – These are the most neglected sensory preference in western society because we are such a hands off culture. Comfort is everything to the kinesthetic, so you’ll need to make them emotionally and physically comfortable. They always pick their furniture, clothes, and even their homes based on comfort. When it comes to handouts, use higher pound paper so it’s heavier and feels softer in the hands. Make sure your meeting place has a comfortable feel with warm surroundings and of course comfortable furniture. Keep in mind that they have a heightened sense of smell and a stronger gut response as well. Try to use wording like, “That feels good to me.”
What if you don’t know your client’s modality? It’s always a safe bet to make a multi-sensory presentation, to become strong in all modalities yourself and become a multi-sensory communicator. Do this by practicing using the right wording, hear, feel, touch, see, picture, sound, etc. Write down all of the words connected to each sensory modality separately and practice using them.
If you’d like to know what your sensory preference is, head to my website and take the quick assessment that’s on my home page and feel free to email me. And don’t miss part two of this blog to round out the topic of using your brain in business!