Guest Lecturer: Kensuke Ishii (Blind communicator)

On 16 December, during the 'International Management Seminar I' class (instructor: Professor Kenichiro Kuroiwa), we invited blind communicator Kensuke Ishii to lead a workshop aimed at sharpening the five senses.

Understanding consumers — the starting point of marketing activities — requires empathy. However, when attempting to empathize with others, we often instinctively try to adopt their visual perspective. Yet other sensory information is also crucial, such as the sounds they heard and the smells they encountered. With this in mind, Mr Ishii ran a workshop designed to hone the four senses other than sight: hearing, smell, touch and taste.

For the first exercise, we wore blindfolds and smelled a particular scent, discussing in groups what it reminded us of. The associations among group members were surprisingly different, even for the same scent.
In the second exercise, we were blindfolded again and asked to classify three identical sweets placed before us, each with a different flavor. Initially, we could not tell them apart by touch or smell. However, by focusing our awareness on our fingers or shaking the sweets to listen for sounds, we gradually began to discern the differences.

For the final exercise, we wore blindfolds again and performed tasks according to the leader's instructions. With their vision blocked, the participants struggled to understand the task and performed unintended actions unless the leader gave very clear directions.

This workshop made me realize how much we rely on visual information in daily life, and how little we use our other senses. It also demonstrated that engaging with senses beyond sight can lead to new discoveries. I realized that the five senses are crucial not only for understanding consumers, but also for communicating effectively with subordinates and superiors. It also highlighted the various unconscious biases we all hold. It was an experience.