New Video Available – Semiotics Walk Workshop
A semiotic walk is an awareness activity and experience that seeks out how signs and symbols are present and part of the collective unconscious. It is best to undertake such a walk with someone who has some expertise in semiotics, semiosis and an understanding of the semiosphere. The idea of a semiosphere helps us understand that our whole world and society speaks to our unconscious through signs, symbols and language as symbols. One cannot understand human judgment and decision making without an understanding of semiotics.
Whilst signs, symbols and text are visual, spacial and physical, they are also absorbed through our unconscious that connect with our values, beliefs and emotions. This also includes sounds, gestures, actions and poetics that speak to our memory and conjure up feelings and experiences that mean something to us. We may hear the sound of the bagpipes, see a person wearing a kilt, hear and accent and these trigger special meaning for us about Scotland. Similarly, we can stand at a graveside and see an image and the presence of artifacts that trigger uncontrollable tears and draw out strong emotions about love and life.
Becoming semiotically aware is something that transcends the physical. It connects with the metaphysical, the unconscious and the dynamics of the mind. The things we experience semiotically are critical to how we define ourselves as persons. We establish our very being and identity through semiotics.
A semiotic walk brings many unconscious things to consciousness. A semiotic walk is therefore a surfacing activity, making things locked in our unconscious come to the surface. A semiotic walk also draws out the way signs and symbols affect our unconscious decision making. We are not often aware just how much our decision making is determined semiotically. A semiotic walk reminds us of this and gives value to such an awareness.
A semiotic walk also teaches one experientially about how signs, symbols and language influence our decision making, and our decision making about risk. It is quite strange to think that the safety industry thinks that decision making is a rationalist determinist process when there is so much evidence that this is not the case. Some of the most important decisions we make in our lives: to get married, buy a car or buy a house, are not settled financially but most often semiotically. Even things from our childhood resonate in our unconscious memory and we make a purchase based on an unexplained feeling.
The Centre for Leadership and Learning in Risk (http://cllr.com.au/) offer to take you or a group on a semiotic walk so that you can learn about the power and influence of semiotics on decision making. Your words, signs and symbols matter, are you aware of their influence in your workplace? Could you be presenting things in your organization that actually promote the opposite of what you want to achieve? Dr Long or one of his team is able to take you on a walk about your city or town, your work or your site and help you understand how your semiotics is working. If you are interested in a semiotic walk experience please contact
You can see what a Semiotics Walk is about here: Semiotic Walks
Semiotic Walks from CLLR on Vimeo.
Your experience and learning can also be accredited to a unit in Semiotics from the Centre for Leadership and Learning inn Risk (CLLR) Study Program (http://cllr.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CLLR-Prospectus-Final-14.10.2016.pdf).
If you want to undertake studies with CLLR you can see the current study calendar here: http://cllr.com.au/events/
Dr Rob Long
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