The Four Distances model tells us about a variegated set of variables that affect communication and make it of excellent quality, satisfying, constructive, or bad, destructive and miserable.
It is good to start the more in-depth exposition of the model with an overall picture, and then move on to the analysis of each single point and each single “Distance”.
- The basis of the model dates back to the simple acknowledgment that:
- Man uses words to express himself (or signs, or gestures).
- The word is the representative of an idea, of a concept. Since the person cannot transfer the direct experience of what he does or feels and experiences, he is forced to use the word, or gesture or sign, with all the limits that it entails.
- The concept or idea is formed following contact with some aspect of reality, external reality (things, objects) or internal reality (emotions, moods), the so-called external referents.
Every single living person carries out this process with differences, slight or large, giving rise to an interpersonal communication that opens up to many misunderstandings and intercultural misunderstandings.
This is in summary the representation of a thought that dates back even to the famous “Essay on Human Intellect” by John Locke, a 17th century British philosopher and physician, pioneer of the studies on language and communication [1]. Locke, for example, distinguished:
Ideas of sensation, those that come from external experience, from sensations such as, for example, colors. The formation of these ideas takes place from external objects, from which data come that are imprinted on that blank slate that is our sensitivity.
Ideas of reflection concern the internal experience or reflection on the internal acts of our mind such as thinking, the birth of ideas, doubting, wanting, etc.
The overall model can be represented as follows:
Figure 9 – 4DM – 4 Distances Model – Model of the Four Distances
In this model, the distinction between Hard and Soft variables does not have to do with common perception (Hard = solid, concrete, and Soft = light or less important), but with the very nature of a variable. Both hard and soft variables are absolutely important.
The difference lies in their greater or lesser tangibility. Values are something intangible, but the resulting behaviors are very tangible – for example, the abstract value of ecology gives rise to the concrete behavior of recycling paper, plastic and glass, among other things, and not polluting, so don’t we confuse the fact of being intangible with an alleged minor importance of a variable.
In a person, the number of years (age) will be a hard datum, and a soft datum (but much more important) the personality type, or even the personality state with which the person is living.
In fact, at a certain moment, I can communicate with someone and find myself – as Transactional Analysis shows, in a state of Parental personality, or Adult State, or Child State, with various sub-categories and nuances. This will affect how I communicate, on every front, what I say, how I say it, what distances I place with the person I’m interacting with, and what attitudes I use.
The state of consciousness can be counted among the hard components, although it may seem intangible. In fact, the brain frequencies associated with each state of consciousness are a physical datum and are measurable, and the state of consciousness then produces behaviors and physiological states, even partially directly observable.
In the Science of Neuro-Associative Programming ™ (PNA) [2] the phenomenon of the connection between a mental state (let’s say relaxation, or the activation of positive emotions) with an external state or performance, such as communicating in public, is concretely realized , intercultural communication, negotiation, sales, training or sports performance.
The essential thing is to understand in which mental state the greatest well-being for the person and the best performance for her are produced at the same time.
In intercultural communication, returning to the Fischer scale, certainly better results are produced by associating relaxation and sensitivity to the communicative act, while at the same time avoiding the onset of anxiety or altered negative states of consciousness.
This also applies to doctor-patient communication and any professional communication, including helping relationships such as coaching, counseling, psychotherapy and training.
[1] Locke, John (1960) An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. London, The Baffet.
The keywords of this article on Neuro-Associative Programming and Intercultural Communication are:
- Analysis
- Anxiety
- Activation
- Welllness
- Wellbeing
- Coaching
- Active coaching
- Experiential coaching
- In-depth coaching
- Scientific coaching
- Behaviors
- Behavior
- To communicate
- Communication
- Intercultural communication
- Counseling
- Creativity
- Deep Coaching
- Effectiveness
- Efficiency
- Training
- Active training
- Corporate training
- Active corporate training
- Management training
- Brain frequencies
- Fisher Map
- Model of the four distances of communication
- To negotiate
- Public speaking
- Neogotiation
- Life coaching
- sports coaching
- Business coaching
- Performance
- Human potential
- Mental programming
- Neuro-associative programming
- Neuroassociative programming
- Psychotherapy
- Relaxation
- Performance science
- Altered states of consciousness
- States of mind
- States of consciousness
- Altered states of consciousness
- State of mind
- State of consciousness
- Values
- Intangible values
To contact Dr. Daniele Trevisani
- Coaching World Federation
- Operational Negotiation Website
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- NeuroAssociative Programming
- Programmazione Neuro-Associativa
- Website of Studio Trevisani Academy For Business Training, Coaching e Mentoring, in Italian
- Website Dr. Daniele Trevisani in Italian
- Dr. Daniele Trevisani – Website in English
- Comunicazioneaziendale.it Italian website on Business Communication
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