Representational systems, preferred/primary system and predicates
The ways we take in, store and code information in our mind is through our five senses - seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling - these senses are known as ‘representational systems’ or ‘modalities’ in NLP. We use our senses outwardly to perceive the world, and inwardly to ‘re-present’ experience to ourselves. When we think about what we see, hear and feel, we use these same senses inwardly. Including taste and smell, all five are represented internally, although we use the main three : seeing, hearing and feeling - most, in that order.
We each have a preference for which sense we use, for the way we think. Some people are happier with images and pictures, rather than sounds. For example, if I ask you to describe what you are experiencing as you read, would you start by describing what you can see, or the sounds, or the feelings? And which would you give the most attention to in your description? People we describe as ‘kinesthetic’ are very aware of physical sensations, and are more likely to describe the feel of the chair they are sitting on than the traffic noise down the street, or the sunlight on the screen. We give clues to our preference by using particular words and phrases. ‘I get the picture’ or ‘I see what you are saying’ indicate a visual preference. ‘I hear what you say’ or ‘That wounds great’ suggest an auditory preference. Whereas ‘It feels right’ or ‘I grasp the idea’ are the sort of phrases you would hear from people with a kinesthetic preference.
This thinking preference is likely to reflect an actual sensual preference - which sense you prefer to use when taking in and relating to the outside world. Some people easily remember faces (visual) whilst others remember names (usually by the sound, auditory). Some people like to consider a problems by drawing pictures, organizing diagrams or symbols other than words. Others like to talk a problem through, perhaps writing down a list of pros and cons but inwardly ‘hearing’ what is written. Some people are good listeners. whilst others are very observant in a visual way. Others detect subtle feelings, and might well use body language to ‘touch’ people.
You may not have thought about this before, in which case you may not know what your preference us, but this will soon become apparent. The fact is that we are too busy thinking to think about it! We just think, without being aware of the process, even though we are doing it all the time with great skill. So it is no surprise that we do not know how others think, and tend to assume that they think the same way as we do - that, given the same facts and arguments, they are eventually bound to see it our way. But this is not the case. Remember ‘the map is NOT the territory’. And one of the things that makes us very different is our thinking preference - which senses we prefer to use inwardly. When a person tends to use one internal sense habitually, this is called their ‘preferred’ or ‘primary’ system in NLP.
You can easily determine someone else’s primary/preferred system. Without letting them know what you are up to, make a mental note of all the words and figures of speech that suggest a seeing, hearing or feeling preference. Such words and phrases (called ‘predicates’ in NLP) are used so frequently that we usually do not notice them. Some of the expressions only make sense when you realise that the person is revealing their particular preference. ‘I see what you are saying’ does not make as much sense as ‘ I hear what you are saying’, until we realise that the person interprets what is said by putting in into internal images, or pictures. It is then what he or she ‘sees’ that makes sense. In a conversation many such clues are likely to ‘appear’ (note visual predicate here!). Where there is a predominance of one kind of phrase, a preference is likely. We use words to describe our thoughts, so our choice of words will indicate which representational system/s we are using.
- (visual) - ‘I see what you mean’
- (auditory) - ‘That rings a bell’
- (kinesthetic) - ‘I can grasp that idea’
- (olfactory, smell) - ‘I smell a rat’
- (gustatory, taste) ‘A taste of the good life’
Habitual use of one kind of predicate will indicate a person’s preferred/primary representational system. Words such as ‘comprehend’, ‘understand’ etc. are neutral in terms of representational systems. Neutral words will be translated differently by different people.Here are a few sensory-based words and phrases, both to illustrate just how common they are, and to act as a checklist for you to determine someone else’s preferred/primary system. If it sounds like a lot of trouble, we shall shortly see how you can feel the benefit of this knowledge, both as it applies to yourself and also to others.
Visual
picture, bright, colour, look, black, vision, eye, scene, vivid, visualize, imagine, reveal, reflect, clarify, insight, perspective, notice, see, dark, hazy, focus, shine.
‘I see what you mean’, ‘You’ll look back on this’, ‘sight for sore eyes’, ‘shed some light on this’.
Auditory
loud, ring, clear, discuss, tell quiet, say, hear, ask, remark, click, hearsay, harmony, deaf, tune, dumb, call, rhythm, sound, wavelength. ‘Word for word’, ‘Hold your tongue’, ‘On the same wave length’.
Kinesthetic
touch, push, solid, scrape, heavy, rough, smooth, contract, move, pressure, handle, thrust, grasp, weight, rub, sticky, warm, cold, tackle, firm, tangible.
‘Hold on a second’, ‘Warm hearted person’, ‘smooth operator’, ‘I will be in touch’.
Olfactory (smell)
stale, nosy, fresh, whiff, stink, fishy.
‘Smell a rat’, ‘Fresh as a daisy’.
Gustatory (taste)
sweet, sour, flavour, bitter, taste, chew, swallow, bite.
‘A matter of taste’, ‘Hard to swallow’.
Neutral (non-sensory-based)
sense, think, know, notice, understand, explain, decide, learn, change, recognize, remember.
‘I understand’, ‘I cannot make sense of it’, ‘I learn better this way’.
