VAKO / VAKOG

Definition

VAKOG is a central abbreviation in NLP and stands for the five most important representational systems of humans: Visual (Seeing), Auditory (Hearing), Kinesthetic (Feeling), Olfactory (Smelling) and Gustatory (Tasting). These systems represent the Sensory Channels, through which people take in, process, and store information. Every person has individual preferences, meaning preferred channels that influence their communication, perception, and learning strategies.

Examples of VAKOG in language

Visual: "I see it clearly in front of me."
Auditory: "That sounds good."
Kinesthetic: "I have a good feeling about it."
Olfactory: "That smells suspiciously like trouble."
Gustatory: "That left a bitter aftertaste."

Origin and Theoretical Background

The concept of representation systems was developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. It is based on the assumption that the human brain structures the world through sensory perception and that communication, learning, and thinking are organized through these channels. Bandler and Grinder were inspired by insights from linguistics, cybernetics and cognitive psychology. They observed that successful communication depends on whether one addresses the preferred perception system of the other person.

Application Examples

Visual: A person learns best with diagrams, images, or colors. Visualizations are used to clarify goals or solutions.
Auditory: Someone reacts strongly to tone and verbal expression; metaphors or narratives are particularly effective.
Kinesthetic: The client needs movement or physical experience to grasp things; exercises with a physical reference support the learning process.
Olfactory/Gustatory: These channels are less often dominant but play a role in emotional memories or sensory-shaped experiences.

Areas of Application

Therapy: Understanding the preferred perception channels allows for more individualized interventions.
Coaching: Recognizing language and perception patterns to adjust communication.
Personal Development: Promoting multisensory perception and conscious use of all senses.
Conflict resolution: Improving communication by mirroring the preferred sensory channels.

Methods and Exercises

Calibration: Observe word choice, breathing, gaze direction, and body posture to recognize a person's dominant representation system.
Adjustment and mirroring: Deliberately use linguistic expressions and metaphors that address the preferred system, e.g., visual words for visually oriented people.
Setting anchors: Link sensory impressions (e.g., sound, image, touch) with positive emotions to be able to recall them later on purpose.

Synonyms

Representational systems
Modalities
Sensory Channels

Related terms

Submodalities: Fine qualitative features within a representation system, e.g., brightness (visual), volume (auditory), or temperature (kinesthetic).

Scientific or Practical Benefit

Practically: VAKOG helps to recognize and overcome communication barriers; it improves coaching, learning, and therapy processes.
Individually: Promotes awareness of one's own perception preferences and increases flexibility in thinking and acting.
Scientifically: While the NLP-specific theory is not empirically conclusively proven, psychological studies show positive effects of multisensory learning methods.

Criticism or Limitations

Empirical validation: The notion of fixed "learning types" (visual, auditory, etc.) is scientifically disputed.
Categorization: Danger of reducing people too much to a preferred modality instead of considering their complexity.

Literature and References

Bandler, R., & Grinder, J. (1975). The Structure of Magic I. Science and Behavior Books, Palo Alto.
Andreas, C. & Andreas, S. (1989). NLP: The New Technology of Achievement. William Morrow and Company, New York.
Dilts, R. (1988). Applications of NLP in Business and Education. Meta Publications, Santa Cruz.

Metaphor or Analogy

The mind is like a multicolored crystal:

Light – the information from the environment – refracts in different directions. The five facets of the crystal are the representation systems: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory. Every person has a preferred facet through which they perceive the world particularly intensely. When you know through which "lens" someone is looking, you can shape your message so that it arrives clearer and more effectively.