Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life

by Amy E. Herman

The Journal of Experimental Psychology reported that students who were distracted while working on complicated math problems took 40 percent longer to solve them.

“Rushing leads to mistakes, and mistakes slow you down far more than slowing down does.”

Slowing down doesn’t mean being slow, it just means taking a few minutes to absorb what we are seeing. Details, patterns, and relationships take time to register. Nuances and new information can be missed if we rush past them.

“Most people see but do not observe.”

journalists only interview experts who support their initial opinion about a topic,

Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct,

Empathy isn’t the only benefit of adopting someone else’s perspective. Doing so can also help us with problem solving. Putting ourselves in the shoes of a fictional or famous person can help us shift our line of thinking when we’re stuck.

Instead of saying, “This doesn’t work for me,” instead use “What if you tried . . . ?” or better yet, include yourself in the team with “Why don’t we try . . . ?”

Instead of saying, “X is wrong,” reframe it: “Is it true that . . . ?” or “Did you mean to . . . ?” Instead of asking someone, “Can I talk to you for a minute?” which immediately implies a conflict or problem, ask instead, “Can you help me with something?”

Visual Intelligence hadn’t just sharpened his observation skills; it also helped him establish a new pattern of thinking.