“All distinctions human beings are able to make concerning our environment can be usefully represented through the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory senses” – NLP Presupposition.
We experience ourselves and the world we live in through the modalities of the five senses (although this is sometimes simplified to the 4 major representational systems. Sight, hearing, feelings and taste and smell.)
This is important because the more aware we are of our senses and how we process sensory information in our memories, the more we are able to create and change our experiences and memories.

The critical NLP representational systems tests are
1) The words we use, 2) The senses we use and the qualities of each sense, 2) Eye accessing cues, 3) Our posture, and 4) our breathing.
NLP Representational Systems – The words we use
Visual | ||||
appear | focus | notice | perceive | sight |
clarity | glance | observe | picture | show |
foresee | look | obvious | see | watch |
Auditory | ||||
articulate | gossip | interview | noise | say |
boisterous | hear | listen | remark | sound |
discuss | inquire | mention | ring | tell |
Kinesthetic | ||||
affected | emotional | hassle | pressure | tension |
charge | foundation | hold | shift | touch |
concrete | grasp | motion | solid | unsettled |
Olfactory/Gustatory | ||||
aroma | reeks | smells | tasty | spicy |
dank | rotten | sweet | delicious | zesty |
musty | stinks | tangy | bland | bitter |
Unspecified | ||||
activate | decide | know | organise | think |
consider | develop | manage | plan | understand |
create | function | motivate | prepare |