SfC Home > Communication >

Explanation of how to improve communication by reading the movement of the other person's eyes. Also refer to Neuro Linguistic Programming, NLP, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, mental processes, observation, information, memory, creation, lying, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions

Reading Eye Movement in Communication

by Ron Kurtus (revised 4 February 2004)

Knowing the way the other person thinks is important in enhancing the communication experience. When you are talking with another person, the direction of his or her eyes can give an indication of what brain processes are occurring in the person. You can determine whether the person is in a visual, auditory or kinesthetic mode of thinking. You can also tell if the person is making something up or recalling a past event. These signs can be useful in communication and interpreting what the person really means.

Questions you may have include:

• How can you determine the mode of thinking of a person?
• How can you determine mental processes?
• How do you use this information?

This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.

Mode of thinking

According to the science of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), people use three major modes of thinking: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Communicating in the mode of the other person can help you gain rapport and improve the exchange of information.

You can get a good indication of which mode the person is in by observing his or her eye movement.

Visual mode

In the visual mode, the person thinks by visualizing things and events. He or she often describes things in terms of sight, saying such things as, "Do you see what I mean?" or "The way I look at things."

By observing the person's eyes, you will see that they will often look upward to one side or the other when talking. Sometimes such a person will gaze forward, unfocussed. These eye movements are an indication of thinking in a visual mode.

Auditory mode

In the auditory mode, the person thinks by hearing sounds. He or she often describes things in terms of sound, saying such things as, "Do you hear what I mean?" or "The way it sounds to me is..."

By observing the person's eyes, you will notice that they will often look sideways, as if to one ear or the other. These eye movements are an indication of thinking in a auditory mode.

Kinesthetic mode

In the kinesthetic mode, the person thinks by how he or she feels. Things or events are described in terms of feelings, saying such things as, "Do you get the same feeling as me about that?" or "The way I feel about it is..."

By observing the person's eyes, you will notice that they will often look down and to one side or the other. These eye movements are an indication of thinking in a kinesthetic or feeling mode.

Mental process

When you ask a person a question, he or she may answer by recalling some event or by logically determining or creating the answer. This creation may be the truth, but the mental process is also used when a person lies.

Eyes

The direction the person moves his or her eyes can often determine whether the answer is from memory or not. It works the best with visual thoughts. A person will typically look upward to the left if reaching into memory and to the right if creating the answer or constructing imaged images.

Although most people follow this left-right rule, there are some who are just the opposite. It is good to determine which is which before jumping to conclusions. You can find out the correct directions of a person by asking some leading questions like "What was the color of your first car?" to get a response from memory, and "What is your opinion of the President?" to get a creative response.

Using information

Application of the knowledge of the other person's thinking patterns can enhance your ability to effectively communicate with the person.

People are more comfortable talking with someone who is thinking in the same manner. If you observe that the other person is thinking in an auditory manner, your communication and rapport will be better if you also speak in such terms.

Seeing whether the person is answering from memory or not can be effective in determining if he or she is telling the truth. If the person looked toward the creative side when answering a question that should be from memory, it could be an indication you were getting a less-that-truthful answer.

Summary

You can tell the way the other person thinks by watching the direction of his or her eyes, which will indicate whether the person is in a visual, auditory or kinesthetic mode of thinking. You can also tell if the person is making something up or recalling a past event. These signs can be useful in communication and interpreting what the person really means.

Reader Questions and Comments

Communication is a two-way street

Resources

The following are resources on this subject.

Websites

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) - NLPInfo.com

Communication Resources

Books

Top-rated books on Interpersonal Communication

Top-rated books on Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Miscellaneous

Mini-quiz to check your understanding

1. Why should you know the mode of the other person's thought processes?

2. What gives an indication that a person thinks in terms or sounds?

3. How can you tell for sure that a person is lying to you?

If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a champion in communication. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.

What do you think?

Do you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject? If so, send an email with your feedback. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Share link

Feel free to establish a link from your website to pages in this site.

Or use our form to send this link to yourself or a friend.

Students and researchers

The Web address of this page is
www.school-for-champions.com/communication/reading_eyes.htm.

Please include it as a reference in your report, document, or thesis.

Where can you go from here?

School for Champions

Communication topics

Reading Eye Movement in Communication