Brain-Based Communication (2)

In the previous episode of this series, I left a puzzle. A quest: What parts of your brain were involved in processing that episode?

If you read the episode with that question in mind, you may have noticed that the writing was a bit different from most of the things I write. Abstract phrases. Long and complex sentences. Not the sort of language I would normally impose on people unless they are professional psychologists.

What I did was call on my Vulcan to do most of the writing. And what I expected was that readers would call on their Vulcans to interpret it. Now I will explain what I mean by the Vulcan as an important group of brain modules.

The name Vulcan obviously comes from the work of Gene Roddenberry and Leonard Nimoy in the character of Mr. Spock. (That is from Start Trek, the Original Series in case there is anybody left who does not know.) The concept includes these fictional characters:
The Thinking Machine Jacques Futrelle
C. Auguste Dupin Edgar Allen Poe
Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle
Mr. Spock. Star Trek, the Original Series
Mr. Data. Star Trek, the Next Generation

For an explanation of why I think popular fiction is relevant to a discussion of brain-based communication, see “A myth is not a female moth.”

With insufficient data, I will only speculate about the operation of the modules. The brain modules that correspond to the Vulcan are probably used primarily for scholarly, scientific and technical (including computer programming) work. There is evidence (The Grammar of the Modules) that specific parts of the brain are activated for processing complex language. I expect that more fMRI studies will further elaborate on the modules that support this activity.

I like to speak of activating modules for specific purposes because it establishes the viewpoint that the brain offers a set of tools and that choosing a tool is not equivalent to being the tool. Thus, for example, I am letting my Vulcan write the first few episodes in this story. The reason is that what I will be saying is moderately technical. So I expect that readers will need to activate their Vulcan modules to interpret it.

And there is the first item in brain-based learning. Don’t just know your audience by demographics. Know what brain modules you want them to use as they encounter your presentation. There is a whole head team there. Your communication will work best if you get it to the brain modules that can best handle it.