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What is Sensory acuity and how to enhance it?

Apr 02, 2023

Sensory acuity refers to the ability to perceive and interpret sensory information accurately and effectively. This includes the ability to use your senses to detect and interpret information from the environment, such as visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile information.

 

Sensory acuity is important in many areas of life, including communication, learning, and decision-making. For example, in communication, sensory acuity helps us to accurately interpret nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. In learning, sensory acuity helps us to pay attention to and absorb information from our environment. In decision-making, sensory acuity helps us to gather and process information effectively, which allows us to make more informed decisions.

Sensory acuity is an important cognitive and perceptual skill that allows us to make sense of the world around us and interact with it effectively.

 

Physicians looking to transition out of medicine can use their sensory acuity to do well in nonclinical job interviews by paying attention to and interpreting the nonverbal cues of the interviewer. Here are some tips:

 

Observe body language: Pay attention to the interviewer's body language, including their posture, facial expressions, and gestures. These nonverbal cues can provide important clues about the interviewer's thoughts, feelings, and attitudes.

 

Listen to tone of voice: Pay attention to the tone of voice of the interviewer, including their pitch, pace, and volume. This can provide clues about their emotions, interest, and engagement level.

 

Interpret facial expressions: Look for facial expressions that may indicate agreement, disagreement, confusion, or interest. For example, a nod of the head or a smile may indicate agreement or interest, while a furrowed brow or a frown may indicate confusion or disagreement.

 

Pay attention to words and phrasing: Listen carefully to the words and phrasing used by the interviewer, including the questions they ask and the way they phrase them. This can provide insight into their priorities, expectations, and communication style.

 

Use sensory acuity to adapt your communication style: Based on your observations of the interviewer's nonverbal cues, adapt your communication style to better connect with them. For example, if the interviewer seems more analytical, use more data and evidence to support your points. If the interviewer seems more emotional, use more stories and anecdotes to illustrate your points.

Enhancing sensory acuity involves improving our ability to perceive and interpret sensory information accurately and effectively. Here are some tips to enhance your sensory acuity:

  1. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgment. Practicing mindfulness can help you to tune into your senses and become more aware of your surroundings.
  2. Engage in sensory activities: Engage in activities that stimulate your senses, such as listening to music, tasting different foods, or smelling different scents. This can help to improve your ability to perceive and interpret sensory information.
  3. Observe nonverbal cues: Pay attention to the nonverbal cues of others, such as their body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. This can help you to develop your ability to interpret nonverbal cues accurately.
  4. Seek feedback: Ask others for feedback on your sensory acuity, such as how well you perceive and interpret sensory information. This can help you to identify areas for improvement and develop a plan for enhancing your sensory acuity.
  5. Read and learn: Read books or articles on sensory acuity and sensory perception. This can help you to gain a better understanding of how your senses work and how you can enhance your sensory acuity.

By practicing mindfulness, engaging in sensory activities, observing nonverbal cues, seeking feedback, and reading and learning about sensory acuity, you can enhance your ability to perceive and interpret sensory information accurately and effectively. This can help you to improve your communication skills, decision-making, and overall cognitive and perceptual abilities.

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Sudha Bakhshi

For me, Jawaria has been a game changer in seeking non-clinical employment. I’ve been working with her for a period of time that was divided into a number of phases.

This first part was to undergo an inventory of professional traits to better understand my strengths and weaknesses. In general I am skeptical of organizational personality assessments and feel that they tend to overgeneralize and group people based on superficial assumptions. However, I decided to commit to this approach in order to obtain a more objective view of how my interactions may result in certain perceptions in a work environment. This helped me to focus on my motivations and how I wanted to approach this stage of my career.

In the second phase, Jawaria helped me to create a coherent narrative that was reflected in a revision of my resume. She was very supportive as I overcame my hesitation to assert myself in more contemporary formats, such as LinkedIn. I felt that the conversations that we had were essential to feeling more confident as I moved forward to identifying positions that were of interest, researching the employers and writing customized cover letters to accentuate skill sets.

The third phase navigated the strange and often confusing experience of the interview process. Jawaria helped me to just accept the black box that is HR for many corporations and to then move forward to interviews with medical directors and company executives. She was present after every interview, to challenge and also to validate my perceptions of what transpired.

I have many supportive friends in medicine and other professions that offered insight and encouragement in my job hunt. But I feel that the investment in the professional coaching Jawaria offered was essential to creating the mindset necessary to approach and feel comfortable competing in the current non-clinical environment.

In the end, yes, I was able to get an offer for a job that I feel will be very interesting and challenging. And I am very grateful for Jawaria’s assistance in helping me in this process. She was very willing to share her own experiences as a physician and this was enormously meaningful.

There is a saying: “When the student is ready, the teacher will come”. This definitely applied to me and I felt that what she said resonated, even from our first conversation. As physicians, we invest into our profession, but there is something to be said for investing in ourselves as well. I would encourage my fellow doctors to consider how important professional mentorship can be and how often it can feel inaccessible. But if you are ready, then Jawaria can be the catalyst to empower physicians to feel energized about their career choices.