We learn in different ways. This should come as no shock, but yet, our actions don’t always reflect this knowledge. Teachers and the education system have started to act on this in the past 15 years or so, but mainstream business hasn’t as much.

I designed a lesson on learning styles when I planned a leadership course I developed. It is important to understand how people on your team work, and learn, so you can ensure you are meeting their needs, and they are receiving information and feedback in a way that helps them be successful. Many of us are a mixture of learning styles depending on the situation, but we generally have a dominant style.

Imagine you have bought a piece of furniture from IKEA. You’ve gotten it home and need to assemble it. Do you:

• Read the instructions and try to follow the words and/or drawings?

• Try to find a YouTube video and listen to them explain how to assemble it?

• Dump everything on the floor and just start trying to make it fit?

Think about when you are learning something new. Do you:

• Read a book?

• Listen to a podcast?

• Just give it a try?

Depending on how you answer these questions, you may be able to determine your primary learning style:

• Visual

• Auditory

• Kinesthetic

Visual learners learn by seeing: looking at pictures, reading words or watching someone. They can often see text or visuals when they close their eyes.  They will colour code things, and will study by reviewing notes. They often rewrite ideas and concepts to help them remember.

Auditory learners learn by listening: to someone speaking, a podcast or maybe a video. Sometimes, they will read text out loud, or record themselves and listen to study. They like when people quiz them by asking them questions. They may require background noise to focus.

Kinesthetic learners learn by doing: by putting the pieces together until they fit, by adding ingredients until they get the taste right, or by physically performing the task. They often need frequent (but not long) breaks while studying. Sometimes they will trace words/numbers to learn new vocabulary. They are often our fidgeters, needing to physically move somehow to concentrate.

Traditionally, we cater to visual learners, but we need ensure we are meeting the needs of everyone, and it’s best to employ multiple methods.

How do we do that? There are lots of different ways. For visual learners, ensure they get a written copy of instructions, feedback or procedures. For auditory learners, they can read these out loud, create videos, or have meetings where you go over them orally. For kinesthetic learners, you might need to watch them do a new procedure, correcting as they go along. Traditionally, we have not done a great job meeting the needs of kinesthetic learners. They tend to be one ones fidgeting in the back, while someone is speaking and they often can’t sit still. They learn and engage when they are doing, so sometimes, they need to move through fidgeting in order to take in what is being said, or what they are reading. When I was teaching, I would give them stress balls so they could fidget in a way that wasn’t distracting to those around them (or to me).  

I’ve taught this lesson on learning styles twice, to two different groups, and there were definitely some aha moments; sometimes as they recognized their learning style, and other times as they recognized why they may not have been getting through to someone on their team.

Do you know what type of learner you are? Here are a couple different online “tests” which may help you gain some insight. (These are just two that I found that I thought were OK. There are a ton out there).

• Test 1

• Test 2

Think about how you learn, but also about the learning styles of those on your team. Are they the same, or different? How can you ensure you are meeting their needs too? A great way to know for sure is simply to ask. Get them to repeat back, email you, or demonstrate what you have said. Make this the topic of your next one on one meeting with them and ask them what else you can do to help them. They may not consciously realize their learning style and it could be a great exercise for both of you.