Find Your Focus, the Pick It Up Coaching Blog

Verbal Processing Modalities: How Language Shapes Our Experience

10/3/2024

Let’s continue our exploration of Denslow Brown’s Processing Modalities. If you need a refresher on this concept, read my previous post Discover Your Unique Modalities and How They Shape Your Perception. Today we look at the verbal modality. Brown states “This modality is about language and involves the language centers of the brain.” The verbal modality includes both oral and written language expression.

VERBAL: Oral (Speaking & Listening), Written (Reading & Writing)
When I think of all the ways that humans have invented to communicate our thoughts to others it’s astounding! We have speech, writing, gestures, and intonation. When needing to communicate at a distance we invented smoke signals, Morse code, telephones, and the internet. This wide array of methods highlights our intrinsic desire to connect with others through language in all its forms.

People have such varied preferences when it comes to language and communication. For some, discussing a problem with a friend can be incredibly beneficial. This conversational approach allows them to articulate their thoughts and feelings out loud, gaining immediate feedback and emotional support. The act of verbalizing their concerns helps them process and understand the issue more clearly.

Others find solace in writing about their challenges in a journal. For these people, putting pen to paper provides a different kind of clarity. Writing allows them to reflect deeply, organize their thoughts, and explore solutions in a more private and introspective way. Although these are different methods, both involve strong verbal modality abilities and are examples of what Brown calls the Processing Modality Strength Continuum, which can range from weak to tolerant to gifted.

The verbal modality also has variations in sensitivity. For some individuals, verbal processing can be notably taxing. This is particularly evident in situations where they are exposed to constant streams of verbal information, such as lengthy conferences or endless Zoom meetings. For these people, an overload of verbal content can lead to mental fatigue, stress, or headaches. For other people, when they are focused on something they enjoy they can tune out the world and not hear a word that is said, much to their family members dismay!

Brown’s concept of the Processing Modality Sensitivity Continuum provides a framework for understanding these variations in sensitivity which range from hyposensitive (unaware) to competent to hypersensitive (very aware).