Learning Styles: Understanding How Your Team Learns Can Help You Manage
January 28, 2009 by Phil Gerbyshak
Filed under Business
This is a guest post from Kris Rowlands, author of Fresh Focus on Productivity. This guest post is very timely given last week’s conversation about what types of training manager’s need. While this article focuses on how to manage others through their learning style, it’s also quite helpful for you personally, if you don’t already understand your style. Enjoy!
Learning Styles: Understanding How Your Team Learns Can Help You Manage
When we manage others, it is quite a bit different than managing ourselves, obviously. We know how we will react and how we need to ingest information in order to learn. Managing others is a different ballgame altogether. You must quickly learn how to relate to others in a way in which they can understand you easily and expediently. 
In order for people to understand you, it is good to know how best they learn, and tailor your association with that person to match their learning style.
There are three basic learning styles.
A visual learner is one that learns best by using visual queues such as written instructions, task lists, and books. They do best with written instructions that can be followed step by step. Use of color is important for visual learners, too. Highlighting important areas in the text is key for them. Their association with color will help those items “stick” in their brain.
An auditory learner is one that learns best by listening. Audiobooks are this persons’ best friend. It is good, when teaching this person, to speak clearly and enunciate. This is not a person with which you would want to leave written instructions. If you are able and you have time, read the instructions aloud to a digital recorder so that they can be played back. Also, when learning, it can help this type to have music in the background: they can cadence what they are learning to the music, which will imprint it into the brain.
Kinesthetic learner is the final type of learner. These are people that learn by touch and feel. It is best to show them via hands-on demonstrations. Taking notes, drawing pictures, and creating gestures are a great way for this type to learn. But there is a caveat to this: there are also people that will learn with a mixture of all the types. It is best if you are able to sit down with them person, talk with them, and find out how they are most comfortable learning. In order for you to be a successful manager, you must take the time to learn about your staff, and learn how best to lead them. In most, if not all, management positions, are in charge of training your staff in one extent or another.
In closing, remember when training to always be patient. Patience is a requirement in teaching anyone, whether it be yourself, co-worker or team member. Do not get frustrated when teaching! Always treat people with respect and realize that not all will learn as fast as you might like! Often the ones that are slower learners that get taught with patience become the most loyal team members of your team!
Tell me about your challenges with training and being a manager!
What have you done to ensure your success?
About the author: 
Kris Rowlands is a GTD, Productivity and Organization Consultant. She’s worked with individuals and corporations, and is able to assist you in getting organized. She’ll get to know you personally first, and then work with you to create the best plan of action especially for you! Contact Kris today! Email: coaching@freshfocus.info, or phone: 330.441.4563.
Flickr photo credit to Carolyn Coles
Hey Kris,
Good post.
Audio, visual, and kinesthetic are a good frame. I use them as a quick check for pace and approach.
What I’ve found more helpful lately for more scenarios is the abstract, concrete, random, sequential frame. Some people are comfortable staying at the abstraction. Others need a quick example, then elaboration. Some people prefer a sequential line of thought, while others prefer to hop around from hot spot to hot spot.
Now that I know this frame, I’m very deliberate about whether I lay out a sequential path, or jump around. It helps me chunk up and tailor information for whoever I’m working with.
Good list. From your experience, what is the learning style you see used most by individuals? In other words, what do you think is the breakdown, by percentage, of individuals that learn through each method?
Hi Aleksandar! That’s a great question.
What I find to be the most common is tactile, with visual being a close second. I’ve found that hands on seems to be the way most people best learn.
Thanks for the question – that’s a great one!
Great reminder about learning styles. This is so often overlooked during training sessions. Then we wonder why the information is not retained.
I’ve worked with all types of learners. I’m best at hands on if I want my retention to be high. Second best for me is reading it.
When I instruct I prefer to give some verbal, some demonstration but always end up with hands on. I’ve always felt that it makes the best lasting impression.
Your idea to record though is new to me. I’ll have to consider giving that a try.