Changing Perspective
The following exercise was done as part of the basic hypnosis certification public training done by Richard Zarro. It is amazing to come to the realization about the effect of minor change on your perspective.
The exercise done was very simple. We were getting complacent and our "attention appeared to be wandering". Not only did he want the trainees to get up and move, he wanted to bring home to each of us the point he was making. The room was a large conference room with a speaker's podium, easel containing presentation pad of large paper, a table with various items on it, a sofa off to one side of the room on your right after you entered the room. In front of that was a row of metal folding chairs with a wide aisle between two sets of chairs and in direct line with the small room connected to it where books, etc. were set up. I'm guessing there were about 30 people taking the training and various graduates of other trainings who were present to increase the student/teacher ratio and provide more supervision of the new trainees.
All of a sudden, changing his voice tone and volume, Richard asked that we listen to his instructions and when he was done if we would please follow them as a group. The instruction to follow them as a group was only because of the number of people involved and the physical constraints of room.
This exercise could be done by as few as one person making only a slight change.
Richard asked each of make note of our surroundings and when done look up at him so he could proceed to the last part of the instructions. Then he asked, when he had finished speaking, that we all stand and move one seat to the right and sit down again. (An extra empty chair had been placed to the right of the last person on the right just before that part of the instruction began to minimize the confusion.)
Once each of us sat down, we were to make note of the surroundings from our new seat. We were to make any written notes or not as we wished of how the surroundings were affected by this change of perspective caused by moving one seat to the right.
This simple exercise taught each of us how little it takes to change one's perspective and how you will be able to increasingly understand the perspective of everyone in the group or in the individual with whom any time we are communicating.
He then allowed a short time (probably up to five minutes) to share with another person, preferably the person whose seat you were now sitting in, what you observed in the room before the change and how this small change affected your perspective of the situation.
So simple an exercise and yet so poignantly the message was brought home to each of us!
You can do this exercise by yourself and learn about how a small change in your perspective will change your viewpoint of the surroundings.
Now try this yourself
Sitting quietly in familiar surroundings, take note of them from where you sit. A move to the left of right about the width of your body either way changes your perspective. The table, chairs, etc. did not move. Your perspective of them did! Stand up, sit down, if possible lie down, move from sitting on a piece of furniture to sitting on the floor, etc. Be creative! With practice you find you can make even the smallest change in your position and will note changes in your perception.
Try it with someone else, a co-worker, someone you live with, even a total stranger as an ice breaker and nonthreatening way to start a conversation. Suggest you are trying to figure something out and could they take about five minutes to help you with something?
Practice repeatedly this exercise over a period of time and watch your observation skills be enhanced along with enhancing your ability to be effective in communication.
The hypnotherapist, should you choose to explore that route, is really calibrating change in your physical appearance to all that is said and done by the therapist. That also is why this article is posted behind the hypnosis thumbnail.
Try it! It's fun! And if you enjoy learning, this is quite an interesting and informative experience!
