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What is Your Leading Representational Bias?
In a previous series of posts I introduced the concept of leading representational bias. This concept is a subset of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
In those posts, I gave you some examples of how to utilize your leading representational bias to improve your writing skills and build instant rapport with others.
Just as a quick review, as humans we interpret our physical world via 5 primary biases:
1. Visual (sight)
2. Kinesthetic (feeling)
3. Auditory (sound)
4. Gustatory (taste and smell)
5. Digital (logical with little bias involved)
80% of the population falls into the first two categories according to most of the studies I’ve read and experiments I’ve conducted.
This is how I conduct those experiments…
I do a bit of public speaking to promote my book and blog. I have several standard talks I give and when I only have a 15 minute slot to fill, one of my favorites is a talk/workshop about leading representational bias. It is a valuable tool in one’s personal development arsenal!
Last week I was speaking at a members meeting, and after introducing this concept, I received varying comments from the group ranging from “this stuff is bullshit” to “how can the language someone uses really determine their bias” to “this sounds like manipulation to me”.
It’s not bullshit. Yes, a person’s language is a dead giveaway as to their bias. Yes, this knowledge can be used in negotiations to achieve a preferred outcome.
There is a bit of a cultural issue in my situation as I’m an American living in Australia, and the average Australian is uncomfortable with concepts such as manipulation or making someone feel bad as a means to an end.
I’ve had several experiences where an American style of doing things just doesn’t gel with the Australian mindset, and that’s OK.
I always try to explain these are concepts do not have to be used to create an uncomfortable experience for others.
In any case, as part of this workshop I get the audience to write done a few sentences describing something, then I bring them up in front of the group and ask the group to attempt to determine which bias someone has based on the language they use in their descriptions.
This is powerful stuff! Leading representational bias is real and it works…
After this part of the workshop is completed, I then go on to explain how to use this knowledge to create better forms of communication by learning how to identify someone else’s bias, and then stepping outside yourself and your own bias and stepping into their bias.
So if someone is using words like “looking” or “see” we can determine they are a visual person versus someone who uses the words “feeling” and “touch” and are clearly coming from a kinesthetic leading bias.
On this particular evening it came out that almost 80% of the group was kinesthetic, which surprised me.
After some further thought though, I realized this was a group of Rotarians, and if you know anything about the Rotary Clubs, you would know they spend the bulk of their time supporting local community initiatives in their area, so they are generally fairly well-intended people.
They feel good about giving and supporting these groups, hence the large proportion of people who “feel” their way through life becoming members.
My leading representational bias is visual, and I use a lot of visual words when writing naturally. As part of the talk, I use the example of how I went through several rewrites of my book, one of which was a purposeful attempt to use words from both primary biases.
The gentleman, who asked about whether this was a form of manipulation, went on to ask “why should I change my bias to suit someone else if I’m happy being a visual person?”
My reply was two-fold:
1. I’m only suggesting to step outside your bias to help you build better relationships faster, but this decision is up to you.
2. I definitely want to sell more books! So by providing both types of readers the content which matches their bias, I am trying to manipulate a broader audience to buy the book!
So the next time someone says, or writes in a email, “looking forward to seeing you next week” versus “let’s stay in touch and get together next week”, you should now be equipped with knowledge to both instantly identify which leading representational bias they are using as well as the appropriate response.
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