Technique1.13 Exploring Your 9 Intelligences
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Introduction
. Nine different types of intelligences have been identified: linguistic, mathematical/logical, visual/spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, bodily/physical, natural and existential (for more detail see Volume 2, Ingredient 1)
Activity
. The following activity helps you explore subjects, jobs and/or situations in which you excel. What type of problems are you readily able to solve? What are you able to make or do that other people value?
. Initially, assign yourself a score from 1 to 9, (with the strongest 1 and the weakest 9) on each of the 9 intelligences
Intelligence Ranking (1 to 9)
i) Bodily/physical............................
ii) Musical.......................................
iii) Linguistic...................................
iv) Interpersonal............................
v) Mathematical/logical.................
vi) Intrapersonal............................
vii) Visual/spatial............................
viii) Natural.....................................
ix) Existential..................................
. Next, read through the activities listed below and circle the number corresponding with any activity in which you consider yourself competent or better
1. sports
2. dancing
3. car maintenance
4. do‐it‐yourself (carpentry, bricklaying, plastering, tiling, etc)
5. rough‐and‐tumble play with children
6. hobbies including delicate handiwork (model building, knitting, embroidery, etc)
7. cooking, baking, cake decorating
8. music making
9. repeating songs you're heard
10. clapping or beating time with music
11. recognising tunes
12. moving in time with music
13. remembering slogans, raps, verses
14. selecting appropriate music (background music, etc)
15. verbal arguments
16. crosswords, word puzzles
17. letter writing
18. form filling
19. finding information (from newspapers, brochures, books, etc)
20. verse, poetry
21. giving clear explanations
22. giving instructions
23. writing
24. literature
25. listening carefully
26. committee work
27. managing/supervising others
28. parenting (teaching, playing with, helping, consoling or managing children, young people, etc)
29. helping others with personal problems
30. youth work, sports clubs, etc
31. teaching/training others
32. budgeting
33. family accounts
34. planning journeys
35. calculating scores
36. calculating odds on bets
37. estimating quantities
38. managing/planning time, timetables
39. mathematics
40. signs
41. completing a personal diary/journal
42. predicting what you'll be able to do well or have difficulty with
43. planning your own time
44. understanding your feelings and moods
45. recognising who you are like/unlike
46. achieving personal goals
47. map reading and navigating
48. using diagrams and plans
49. self‐assembly furniture
50. driving, parking
51. planning gardens
52. art
53. dressmaking
54. model layouts
55. preparing food
56. construction of dwellings
57. protection of our environment
58. mining of precious metals
59. having a meaning in life and/or work
60. having faith
61. spiritually connected
Based on your answers, fill in the table below|
Intelligence |
Activity numbers |
Number of "yes" circled answers |
|
Bodily/physical |
1 to 7 |
|
|
Musical |
8 to 14 |
|
|
Linguistic |
15 to 24 |
|
|
Interpersonal |
25 to 31 |
|
|
Mathematical/logical |
32 to 40 |
|
|
Intrapersonal |
41 to 46 |
|
|
Visual/spatial |
47 to 54 |
|
|
Natural |
55 to 58*i |
|
|
Existential |
59 to 61*i |
|
i) These 2 forms of intelligence have less than 7 characteristics listed for each of the other intelligences
From the table below, read the main characteristics of each intelligence and see if your initial perception is confirmed by the results from the latter self‐assessment exercise.
|
Intelligence |
Main Characteristics of Each Intelligence |
|
Bodily/physical |
i) likes to deal with problems physically, get directly involved, get hands‐on ii) skilful when working with things iii) enjoys sports, games, physical exercise iv) likes to be moving or doing something they are learning about v) remembers best what they have done (rather than seen/heard) |
|
Musical |
i) enjoys sound in music ii) interested in music iii) enjoys hearing and/or making music iv) good sense of rhythm and/or melody v) readily learns and retains lyrics |
|
Linguistic |
i) appreciate plays, poetry, books, radio, conversation ‐ enjoys language ii) learns well from books, tapes, lectures, listening to others iii) fluent, expressive talker with well‐developed vocabulary iv) good at explaining things v) likes to write things down |
|
Interpersonal |
i) can help with difficulties between people ii) sensitive to others' moods and reactions iii) interested in how others think and feel iv) involved in clubs and/or community activities v) enjoys teamwork, discussing and co‐operating with others |
|
Mathematical/ logical |
i) like to solve puzzles and problems ii) likes logical explanations iii) arranges tasks in sensible, orderly sequence iv) looks for patterns and relationships between things v) approaches tasks/problems in a logical, step‐by‐step manner |
|
Intrapersonal |
i) likes to daydream, imagine, fantasize ii) enjoys doing things independently of others iii) appreciates privacy and quiet for working and thinking iv) understands own feelings and thoughts and why they do things v) ponders the relevance of what they are doing and learning |
|
Visual/spatial |
i) good sense of direction ii) observant, sees things others do not notice iii) sees things clearly in own mind's eye, eg a familiar room iv) films, slides, videos help learning v) uses charts, diagrams, maps easily |
|
Natural |
i) able to draw on pattern‐detecting capacities ii) able to distinguish between things of nature, such as plants, animals, clouds, rock formations, tidal configurations iii) able to discriminate among brands of automobiles, airplanes, bicycles, scooters |
|
Existential |
i) capacity to ponder the big questions, such as who are we? why are we here? what is going to happen to us? why do we die? what is it all about in the end? ii) understands themes of existence, identity, faith, religion & spirit iii) finds meaning in life/work |
. It is widely recognised that the formal education system has historically focused on linguistic and mathematical/logical intelligences. If your "intelligence propensities" lie in these 2 areas, you will probably have done well in the formal education system because you are good with words and figures and/or prefer a logical step‐by‐step approach, such as that in traditional textbooks
(sources: Brain Tracy et al, 1992; Howard Gardner, 2006)
