How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 344

make use of all three senses, but the point is to find the dominant
perception. As you determine the dominant mode, consider the size of
your audience. If you are speaking to one person, for example, you would
want to pinpoint the one perception that is dominant in that person. If you
have an audience of one hundred, on the other hand, you need to use all
three styles.
For example, if you were to ask an auditory person to be an eyewitness to
a robbery, he would describe the situation something like, "I was walking
down First Avenue listening to the singing birds when I heard a scream
for help. The yelling got louder, there was another scream, and the thief
ran off." A visual person might describe the same situation this way: "I
was walking down First Avenue watching the birds playing in the air. I
observed this large man coming around the corner. He looked mean and
attacked the smaller man. I saw him take his wallet and run from the
scene." The kinesthetic person would use this description: "I was walking
down First Avenue and I felt a lump in my throat, feeling that something
bad was going to happen. There was a scream, there was tension, and I
knew that a man was getting robbed. I felt helpless to do anything."
The most commonly prevalent of the senses is sight, or visual perception.
One study showed that those who used visual presentation tools (slides,
overheads, etc.) were 43 percent more persuasive than subjects who
didn't. Also, those using a computer to present their visual aids were
considered more professional, interesting, and effective.[27] Visually
oriented people understand the world according to how it looks to them.
They notice the details, like an object's shape, color, size, and texture.
They say things like, "I see what you mean," "From your point of view . .
. ," "How does that look to you?" "I can't picture it," and "Do you see
what I mean?" They tend to use words like "see," "show," "view," "look,"
"watch," and "observe."
Auditory people perceive everything according to sound and rhythm.
Phrases you would commonly hear would be, "I hear you," "That sounds
good to me," "Can you hear what I'm saying?" "It doesn't ring a bell," and
"Let's talk about it." They use words such as "hear," "listen," "sounds,"
"debate," "silence," "harmony," "rings," "say," "speak," "discuss," and
"verbalize."
Kinaesthetic people go with what they feel, not only in a tactile way, but
also internally. They are very into feelings and emotions. A kinaesthetic
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