In a previous article on NLP's Representational Systems, or Modalities, we saw that there are five (5) senses, VAKOG, Visual (seeing), Auditory (hearing and speech), Kinesthetic (touch, feelings, both internal and external), Olfactory (smell), and Gustatory (taste).

We do not use one of these modalities by themselves, but there will be as we remember something, create another, or experience a situation, a mixing of the senses.

One of these senses will be dominant, more sensitive, more to our liking than the other senses. This is often known as our Preferred Representative Sense, or Preferred Modality.

The preferred rep', or preferred representation system, can effect the way we take-in or learn information, as some people will learn better by seeing something being done (visual), others like to be told how to do something (auditory), others have to physically do a thing to learn (kinesthetic).

If you tell someone how to do something, and their preferred rep' is visual, they may not be able to do that thing. Likewise, if you show and tell someone how to do an action or task, but their preferred rep system is to physically do it, they may not be able to undertake that task at a later date, they will not succeed until they have had the "hands on experience".

It is said that a visual person or having a visual preference, may be interested in films, design, art, fashion. An auditory person may be interested in languages, music, writing. A kinesthetic person may have a preference to sports, walking, etc.

It is often that a person is categorized as being a, or having a preferred rep' system, having or being a visual, auditory or kinesthetic person, and they carry this label with them, thinking that is the only way to learn for them, yet we should understand that our experiences with be and are, a any combination of the five modalities.

The preferred rep system can and will change from situation to situation.

There will be times that I will listen to some music, and I will be very auditory. For example, the music of James Last. I love his big band sound, where his unique style will have trumpets set on both sides of his band or stage, and they will duel with each other, I listen to both and all the other instruments interacting with each other. Yet, when I listen to The War of the Worlds by Jeff Wayne, I become a very visual person, I can see in my mind the Martians in their fighting machines, destroying, killing, lumbering across the English country side.

When I repair my car, I become a very kinesthetic person, I need to feel my way with the tools and parts.

There is no correct representational system, and that is what make the human being so interesting, we are individuals, and have our own preferred rep' system. So, we must observe and acknowledge others needs and requirements, knowing that each of us have learning preferences, our own preferred representation system, that we have our own "cats on the mat".

We must be adaptable in our abilities in communicating with others, by learning or observing their preferred rep system. This can be done by using eye accessing cues, or watching their body language or simply listening to their language or modal operators. We should be able to adapt our language and actions to become visual, auditory or kinesthetic to others needs.