Through the Looking Glass

21 May Through the Looking Glass

Pulitzer Prize winning author Ed Yong is one of the young lions of scientific journalism. His new book is An Immense World: how animal senses reveal the hidden realms around us. Yong states that many of our old theories about animal communication are bunk because they were built on how we primates see, hear and feel the world.

For example, blind bats see prey via sound. (echolocation) Robins migrate south by feeling the Earth’s magnetic field. Reptiles, fish and insects see, but each register colors differently. Every time Eloqui runs an exercise, like storytelling, we poll attendees for what they recall. Like animals, each person’s perspective is different and what they remember is unique to them: a visual image, an emotion, or a challenge similar to the one recounted in the story.

Successful speakers are allocentric, focusing on their audience instead of themselves. It is your responsibility to tap into all the senses of listeners, upping the odds of connecting to how others perceive the world. Examples, whiteboard sketches, or visual images all can light up the brain. Ensure that your words appeal to our lens on the world.