How do you respond to your (work) environment? Visual, auditory, or kinesthetic?

How do you respond to your (work) environment? Visual, auditory, or kinesthetic?

People react to their immediate environment in different ways. It is important to take this into account when setting up your office. There are three ways to respond to your environment: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. One person is more focused on images, another person is more focused on sound and another person is more focused on feeling. This is why everyone reacts differently to the design of an office, for example: some focus more on the look of the space, some on the sounds around them, and others more on the feel of the materials.

How do you respond to incentives?
Every day, many stimuli come at us, all in different ways. Far too much information to be able to process it all at once. In order to control this enormous flow of stimuli, we have taught ourselves to focus (focus) on parts of them. For example, when you are reading a book, you are closing yourself off from the rest of the environment and the information that comes from it.

Are you visual, auditory or kinesthetic?
What someone focuses on depends on their mood and preferences. It's easiest for many people to focus on the images around them. We call these people visually set. Does someone focus on sounds rather than they are aural set. When he finally notices his feelings first, we call him. kinesthetic set. This alternates. Nevertheless, everyone has a certain preference. One person focuses more easily on images, the other on sound and a third on feeling.

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How do you know if someone is visual, auditory, or kinesthetic?
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Visual: focused on images
When someone is visually oriented, they mainly think in terms of images. As it were, he sees the pictures in his mind. Such a person talks quickly and makes extensive use of arm movements and facial expressions to explain something. He also expresses himself in terms where focusing on images is clearly audible. For example, he will talk about: “I like it”, “Do you see that...”, I haven't looked at it like that yet” and Look, here's the thing...
For someone who is visually oriented, body language is an important means of communication. For others, he mainly pays attention to facial expressions, postures and movements. If you want to know if someone is primarily visual, you can ask them a question; for example, “How many windows do you have in your house?” The visually minded one will then be thoughtful upwards watch. He sees his house in front of him and is counting the windows in his mind.

Auditory: focused on sounds
For someone who is auditory, it is mainly the tone that makes the music. He is focused on sounds and words. He speaks slower and melodiously, and his language is filled with words related to sound. For example, he will say that it “came to his ears” and that he will “speak up” again. Ask him who called this morning. He will then have his gaze aside aim. In his mind, he hears that person speak again. The body language he notices first is the intonation in the voice.

Kinesthetic: focused on feeling
Someone with a kinesthetic mind focuses on what they're feeling. He is focused on what touches him. When you ask how he experienced his conversation, he looks at under. He is feeling this experience. He speaks slowly and also expresses his feelings: “I have a feeling that...”. “Do you feel what I mean?” In non-verbal communication, he pays particular attention to the distance someone takes and to touch.

Source: bodylanguage.com

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Irrelevant sound in the open office
An open office can be a major challenge, especially for auditory employees. Of course, an open office has advantages in terms of collaboration, communication and casual meetings. But a direct result of open offices is the noise. According to research by Leesman Only 30 percent of office users are satisfied with the noise level at their workplace. And a study published in the British Journal of Psychology also mentioned the role that “irrelevant noise” plays in both disrupting work, increasing stress levels and reducing job satisfaction.

Too quiet can also be nerve-wracking
Noisy offices can lead to absenteeism, staff turnover and low productivity. However, like the report Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices The World Green Building Council notes, not all noise in offices is noise or “unwanted noise.” An office that is too quiet can be nerve-wracking. So acoustics depends on the type of activities that are carried out in the workplace. The office culture also plays a role here.

Resolve acoustic deficiencies
Good office design solves acoustic deficiencies. The use of acoustic materials that absorb excess noise includes:

• Improved communication between teams
• Reduction of disruption
• More voice privacy for confidential (phone) conversations
• Better concentration on complex, focused tasks

Create different types of workspaces
Creating an office design that includes multiple types of work environments concentrates sound in areas where, for example, noisy behavior is “desirable”. Or, on the contrary, spaces where loud voices are discouraged. The goal in office design should be to create a variety of work spaces, to create break zones, canteen/coffee areas and meeting rooms. Each with the right level of acoustic absorption where employees can talk and work without raising their voices to be heard or whispering softly to avoid being indiscreet.

Positively influence productivity
Through smart use of materials, spaces can be created that positively influence the well-being and productivity of employees. High-quality acoustic panels are crucial solutions in the fight against poor acoustics in the workplace. Sound can also be attenuated by using physical barriers. Even in an open office, you can acoustic partitions or room dividers are used to block and absorb sound. Also acoustic desk screens in various heights, materials, colors and finishes help minimize noise and distractions.

With the right approach and materials, you will have an office design that is optimal, both aesthetically and acoustically. Whether you're visual, auditory or kinesthetic!

Get to know Akoesta's effective approach
Every situation and space is different and requires a specific approach. The effective Akoesta's approach covers all aspects of acoustics such as acoustic measurements, acoustic advice, 3D visualizations and editing. Akoesta creates customized acoustic solutions and has a wide range of acoustic products for work environments.

Want to know more?
Do you also want to create a comfortable work environment by improving acoustics? You find partitions, cubicles and others acoustic solutions customized. Let us know.

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