As a business coach and mentor working in the Midlands and London, one of the first things that I do when I am coaching business owners and directors is to identify the way they take in and process information. In NLP this is called the Representational System and is different for everyone. Good communication depends upon knowing how people’s brains are wired. This simple test will allow you to discover how you receive and how you interpret information, either with a pre-dominance of Audio, Visual, Kinaesthetic or Audio Digital.

After reading this tip sheet, you will:

• understand about the four different ways people receive and store information
• know how you are wired
• be able to recognise how other people are wired
• be able to see, feel, hear or think the best way that you take in information
• realsie how important it is to know how your family and staff are wired as well.

NLP Representational systems

For each of the following statements, place a number from 1 to 4 alongside each phrase to indicate your preference: -

4 = Closest to describing you ~ 3 = Next best description ~ 2 = Next best
1 = Least descriptive of you

1.     I make decisions based on: -
__ gut level feelings
__ which way sounds the best
__ what looks best to me
__ precise study and review of issues

2.     During an argument I am most likely to be influenced by: -
__ the other person’s tone of voice
__ whether or not I can see the other person’s argument
__ the logic of the other person’s argument
__ whether or not I feel in touch with the others person’s true feelings

3.     I most easily communicate what is going on with me by: -
__ the way I dress and look
__ the feelings I share
__ the words I choose
__ the tone of my voice

4.    It is easiest for me to: -
__ find the ideal volume and tuning on a stereo system
__ select the most intellectually relevant point about an interesting subject
__ select the most comfortable furniture
__ select rich, attractive colour combinations

5.    I am: -
__ very attuned to the sounds of my surroundings
__ very adept at making sense of new facts and data
__ very sensitive to the way articles of clothing feel on my body
__ very responsive to colours and to the way a room looks

6.    When I think about my belongings - house, car - I am attracted by :-
__ how comfortable they are
__ how they look
__ how they sound
__ what they mean to me

7.    When I am travelling I am attracted mostly to the :-
__ passing scenery
__ sounds of the radio/CD, conversations and/or sounds of the car, coach, train
__ comfort of my surroundings – seating and temperature
__ history and geography of the area I am travelling through

8.     When I am with friends or work colleagues I tune more into :-
__ the sound of their voice, the music in the background, the sounds of the traffic or the birds singing..
__ how I feel about the conversation and the surrounding environment – hot, cold, warm, just right
__ the content of what is being said, how it effects my opinions and relates to my knowledge banks
__ what they look like

9.    When I am relaxing I normally like to :-
__ lounge around often sprawled out on the sofa or cushions
__ chat to other people
__ watch TV, window shop or go and see a film
__ read a book, look at a magazine or surf the internet

Scoring your Representational Preferences

Step One
Taking the test sheet and copy the values that you have written alongside each statement on to the lines below.

Step Two
Copy the numbers from Step One into the boxes that are under the relevant letter i.e. if your score for the 1st question was __K please put that value in the top box of the K column, which is the third column along and so on. You will end up with seven values in each column:-

Step Three
Add up the numbers to discover your representational system preferences with the highest score being the most important way you deal with, store, take in information, find attractive and communicate to others.

Background
There are four representational sensory channels we use to experience and understand our world – visual, auditory (hearing), auditory digital (logical thinking) and kinaesthetic (emotions, touch and bodily sensations). In addition, we make sense of our experiences and understanding in words.

All of our memories, imagination and current experiences are made up of elements of these four “representational systems”. Most of us use one system more than the others. This shows up in the words we use.

You can listen out for the dominant sensory words in what a person is saying and use words from the same representational system when you reply. If you use visual words to a “visual” person, it’s easier for them to understand because they don’t have to translate from another system. This is another way to gain rapport, because you will sound more like the other person.