LANGUAGE PREFERENCE INDICATOR (LPI)©
Circle the answer that fits you best:
1. When I attend a seminar or a class, I benefit most when I:
a. have notes and handouts to read and follow-along.
b. listen intently to a good speaker.
c. can engage in activities or role-playing.
2. Which is most like you?
a. I can remember what a person’s voice sounds like after I have met him/her.
b. I often feel good or bad about someone without having any specific reason.
c. I need to see someone to remember him/her.
3. When I have a lot of things to do, I am most comfortable when I can:
a. begin with a written to-do list to guide me.
b. talk to others about what needs to be done.
c. just get started and attack one thing at a time.
4. When I encounter a problem with a task, I prefer to:
a. ask someone or talk to myself as I go through the options.
b. trust my instincts and try something.
c. visualize it over and over until I can see how to solve it.
5. I think an audience prefers speakers who:
a. use slides and overheads .
b. act as facilitators and generate discussions.
c. conduct demonstrations and give people a hands-on experience.
6. Which is most like you?
a. I would rather do an oral exercise than a written one.
b. I trust my “gut reaction” on test questions (and am not likely to re-read a test).
c. I would rather see something in writing or illustration than have it explained to me.
7. If you were to lose one of the following, which would be most upsetting to you?
a. your vision
b. your hearing
c. your ability to move your arms or legs
8. When I try to remember someone I just met, I:
a. associate the sound of his/her name to something else.
b. concentrate on getting a sense of who the person is and what makes him/her tick.
c. picture their name written on a nametag or paper.
9. I learn most about a person by:
a. looking at him/her, especially the face and eyes.
b. the sound of his/her voice.
c. my own reaction to him/her.
10. If someone is explaining something important to me, I:
a. concentrate on their words.
b. often get a personal reaction before the other person is finished talking.
c. am likely to want to write it down and look at it again later.
11. Think about a friend from your high school days; which experience lingers?:
a. a picture of the person in your mind
b. the sound of the person’s voice
c. your feelings about that person
12. When participating in a problem-solving group, I like to:
a. discuss everyone’s ideas.
b. find the approach that feels right and explore that one in
more depth.
c. have several options to look at.
13. I consider myself to be a:
a. visual person, attracted to visual things first and foremost.
b. auditory person, able to listen and learn from what I hear.
c. kinesthetic or feeling person, quick to get a gut-feeling for something.
14. When I am experiencing a high degree of tension, I am most likely to:
a. talk to myself, maybe out loud at times, to guide my actions.
b. just want to make something happen; can’t stand inaction.
c. visualize the problem solved.
15. My typical speaking voice is probably described by others as:
a. quick, sometimes high pitched.
b. having an even or rhythmic tempo; range is midway between high and low.
c. slow and maybe deep or low; often with long pauses; maybe sometimes breathy.
16. When I am under pressure, my breathing is typically:
a. even, from the whole chest, sometimes with prolonged exhaling.
b. deep and full, low in the stomach.
c. high and shallow; sometimes I even skip a breath.
17. When I want to make a good impression on someone I have not met, I prefer to:
a. write a letter.
b. talk on the phone.
c. meet during a meeting or while I am engaging in
another activity, like a class or a sport.
18. The following best describes me on “bad days”:
a. an internal voice often nags me.
b. frequently feel uneasy without knowing why.
c. see myself in a negative way.
19. I am most likely to trust:
a. what I see.
b. what I hear.
c. what I feel; what “my gut tells me”.
20. On vacation, I most enjoy:
a. discussing the days’ highlights each evening.
b. do as many things as I can fit in the schedule.
c. enjoy photographs of the things I saw.
21. When I go to a movie, I get most upset if:
a. the picture is out of focus or the frame is uneven (with part of the top of the picture showing at the bottom).
b. the sound is fuzzy or if there is a hiss.
c. the chairs are uncomfortable.
22. If I need to send a note or letter, I am most likely to:
a. dictate my note with little need to edit or check it.
b. pace and walk about while I dictate or think.
c. want to see my ideas on paper as I compose my thoughts.
To find out what your Preferred Language may be, score your answers on the following page.
Scoring your test:
For items 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19, & 21, count and record the number of times you circled the following choices:
TABLE ONE:
(V)(A)(K)
Choice a = / Choice b = / Choice c =For items 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20 & 22:
TABLE TWO
(A)(K)(V)
Choice a = / Choice b = / Choice c =Now add the scores as follows:
Table One “a” score plus Table Two “c” score = (Visual Language Preference)
Table One “b” score plus Table Two “a” score = (Auditory Language Preference)
Table One “c” score plus Table Two “b” score = (Kinesthetic Language Preference)
NOTE: This is only an experimental test. It may give you a hint of your preference in your day-to-day use of language. For most of your use of language, expect to use a mix of language preferences. But under stress or with certain topics, you are likely to show a marked preference. Begin to notice your preferred words as well as those used by others. And remember, no language is any better than another. Only different.