Have you ever been in a situation where a person is teaching you a relatively simple new concept or skill and you just don’t get it or maybe you are teaching someone something and they are struggling to grasp what you are saying? If you have answered yes to either of the questions it may just be that your learning style is different to the person teaching you or the person you are trying to teach.
Understanding that there are different learning preferences enables us to get curious about how we learn. When you know your preference you will realise that you usually teach using the same dimensions. The challenge is to experiment with other learning styles and then incorporate them into the way you communicate, lead, inspire, train and coach, so that you reach a broader spectrum of people.
One of the presuppositions when studying NLP states:
“The meaning of communication is the response you get”
The next time you do not get the response you imagined, try another way of expressing yourself. The article to follow will help you pinpoint how you learn and offer you other ways of getting your message across.
Learning preferences when transferring information
According to the Index of Learning Styles developed by Richard Felder and Linda Silverman in the 1980’s there are four dimensions of learning styles. Think of these different leaning styles running along a continuum with one learning style on the far left and the other on the far right.
Learning Styles Index:
|
Sensory |
|
Intuitive |
| Sensory learners prefer concrete, practical, and procedural information. They look for the facts. | Intuitive learners prefer conceptual, innovative, and theoretical information. They look for the meaning. |
|
Visual |
|
Verbal |
| Visual learners prefer graphs, pictures, and diagrams. They look for visual representations of information. | Verbal learners prefer to hear or read information. They look for explanations with words. |
|
Active |
|
Reflective |
|
Active learners prefer to manipulate objects, do physical experiments, and learn by trying. They enjoy working in groups to figure out problems. |
Reflective learners prefer to think things through, to evaluate options, and learn by analysis. They enjoy figuring out a problem on their own. |
|
Sequential |
|
Global |
|
Sequential learners prefer to have information presented linearly and in an orderly manner. They put together the details in order to understand the big picture emerges. |
Global learners prefer a holistic and systematic approach. They see the big picture first and then fill in the details. |
Can you identify your learning preference? Challenge yourself to engage with the other styles of learning to assist you in assimilating information quickly and to help you communicate with people in the most effective way possible by using a variety of learning styles at different times in your conversation, training, presentations etc
Be aware of your learning preference and the range of preferences of the people you are communicating with. Provide a balanced learning experience by:
- Sensory – Intuitive: Provide both hard facts and general concepts.
- Visual – Verbal: Incorporate both visual and verbal cues.
- Active – Reflective: Allow both experiential learning and time for evaluation and analysis.
- Sequential – Global: Provide detail in a structured way, as well as the big picture.
“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.”
Marvin Minsky
“An organisations ability to learn and translate that learning into action rapidly is the ultimate competitive advantage.”
Jack Welch
“I am defeated, and know it, if I meet any human being from whom I find myself unable to learn anything.”
George Herbert Palmer
Speak Your Mind