Visual Thinkers
Visual Thinkers
Visual
thinkers think in pictures instead of in words. This means we think fast!
It
also means we sometimes take in more detail than we realise at first. We jump
to the end of a train of thought and forget to explain the steps in the middle.
Plus occasionally get overloaded with information and can’t communicate what’s
going on, at least temporarily.
The
landscape of factual, sensory and intuitive information we use in decisions is
not always obvious as a result to those around us. The reflection process can
be all encompassing as there is so much data to process and this can mean
there’s a delay when answering a question or explaining the reason for a
decision. In fact, sometimes it is very hard to voice in words the process
going on in our heads. Think TV without the sound!
Cheri
Florance of eBrain Engineering Labs has spent a
substantial part of her life studying visual thinkers, as a result of her son
being non-verbal as a child. She now helps adult and child visual thinkers to
understand their brain and adapt to expected social behaviour. A visual
thinker’s behaviour can seem odd to verbal thinkers, as they can experience
anxiety in situations where there is effectively just too much information.
Verbal thinkers may not see the thought patterns seen by the visual thinker so
may just see someone withdraw. In many ways, to the outside world this
behaviour may seem similar to autism. Visual thinkers though are well
adapted socially, most of the time.
If
you’re scratching your head wondering who among your family and friends are
visual thinkers. Here are a few indicators:
“1. Many
visual thinkers are naturally original. Since visual thinkers often
think in pictures without realizing it, they may often create mental movies and
are day dreamers. This triggers more innovative and imaginative thinking. In
turn, they are rewarded with the ability to visualize things from multiple
perspectives, making them creative and fascinated with large ideas that may not
seem realistic to others.
2.
They may not excel when trying to understand topics piece by piece. Don’t
get me wrong, they are talented in witnessing connections between things.
Although, they may get frustrated if they cannot see the bigger picture or the
“why” in the “what” to begin with. Piece by piece thinkers can see ideas in a
linear way. In contrast, a visual thinker will try to see all of the parts at
once and how they interact with each other. A good way to take this into
account is to imagine a 3D map of thoughts.
3.
They are constantly taking in new things. Due to this 3D way of
thinking, they have the tendency to notice and experience more of their
surroundings. This can express itself from being aware of the wind blowing
outside to the kid tapping his pencil in the back of the room and back to the
teacher’s explanation of logarithmic differentiation. Many visual thinkers are
easily distracted, but can also feel more immersed in their atmosphere, making
them great explorers.
4.
They have the potential to remember more or have a photographic
memory. Feeling more connected with their surroundings may cause an
emotional attachment to what has happened in their presence. This makes them
more susceptible to remembering the details of each moment in their life that
would usually be overlooked by most people. Similar to the idea of mental
movies that was mentioned earlier, they will visualize memories in a picture or
scene exactly how they saw it at the time.
5.
They may have trouble putting thoughts into words. Lots of people
have trouble explaining how they feel or even putting their ideas into words.
If this is you, consider the possibility that it’s because you think partly, or
mainly, in pictures. Often, a person will simply label themselves as a poor
communicator. In reality, it’s not the fault of the person, but the way that
their brain makes sense of information. I mean, how does one put a visual
scenario into words without working harder than most to say it out loud?”
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