Do you honor your learning style? Everyone has a predominant learning style. Some have a mix of styles. Honoring your learning style can increase your productivity on the job and in your life.
There are three dominant learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. A person learns from all three of the various styles, but a dominant learning style usually surfaces in early childhood.
Knowing what your learning style is can help you to be more productive. You won’t waste time remembering what you are learning and will enjoy the process more.
Let’s take a look at the various learning styles.
Your Learning Styles
Which type of learning is most effective for you?
Visual Learner
If you are a visual learner, you find it easier to learn from reading, graphics, videos, diagrams, infographics, cartoons, or webinars. Visual learners associate their information with images. Visual learners make up approximately 60% of the population.
Think back to when you forgot the grocery store list at home and had to think about what was on the list. Did you see the piece of paper with writing on it in your mind? Do you sometimes forget people’s names that you met at a party or meeting but always remember the face? Or if you hear a person’s name, you can see their face in your mind? If so, chances are you are a visual learner.
Personality Traits
Below are some personality and learning traits associated with visual learners.
- Loves to draw or doodle (often with color)
- Good sense of direction/map reading
- Doodles when bored
- Tend to be very organized
- Tend to remember faces
- Sees the big picture: may miss details.
- Learns complex concepts easily but sometimes struggles with easy skills
- Develops their own methods of problem-solving
- Masters other languages through immersion
Auditory Learner
Auditory learners learn best by listening and hearing. Approximately 30% of the population are auditory learners. If you remember things by listening to a lecture or repeating information aloud, you are likely an auditory learner. If you are an auditory learner, you will pick a podcast over a webinar or written article any day.
People who are auditory learners find themselves enjoying music and paying attention to sounds. They know the words to dozens of songs. They can often be found humming or singing as they work. Many say they work better with music playing in the background.
In discussion, auditory learners often refer to previous conversations and can never forget who said this or that.
While a visual learner may go to a movie and remember the remarkable scenery or visual effects on the screen, the auditory learner will remember the sound effects.
Auditory learners may have trouble reading silently and responding in a quiet classroom. Those with an auditory learning style like to hear others speak and be the speaker in order to learn best.
Personality Traits
Below are some personality traits associated with the auditory learner.
- Tend to hum, remember words to favorite songs
- Often hums or talks to himself or others when bored
- Have the edge in learning languages, especially the inflection and sound of them
- Notices sound effects in movies
- Notices details
- Enjoys arithmetic, algebra, and chemistry
- A good storyteller
- Excellent at explaining ideas to others
- Good at writing responses to lectures
- Enjoys listening activities
- Often have musical talents. They can hear tones, rhythms, and individual notes with their strong auditory skills.
- Enjoy being read to
- They may not coordinate colors or clothes, but they can explain what they are wearing and why
- Often have a well-developed vocabulary and an appreciation for words
- They can carry on interesting conversations and can articulate their ideas clearly
- Remembers names
- Can’t keep quiet for long periods
- Excels at memorization
Kinesthetic Learner
A kinesthetic or tactile learner needs to be “hands-on” to learn best. Approximately 5% of the population are kinesthetic learners. They learn by doing things, touching stuff, and jumping into new things. They learn best by doing.
The kinesthetic learner is a doer. They have to be doing something, moving around, and being active. They retain information through various experiences and the process of doing things.
The thought of sitting in a lecture listening to someone else talk is repulsive to kinesthetic learners. In those circumstances, they fidget or can’t sit still for long. They want to get up and move around.
Personality Traits
The personality and learning traits of a kinesthetic learner include:
- Learns best through movement
- Focuses on the whole picture
- Learns best with 3-D / hands-on
- Needs to move while processing new information
- Needs to learn using hands-on activities to process learning
- Prefers making charts or posters for group projects to gathering the information
- Bores easily
- Is often highly intuitive
- Sensitive to the physical world around them
- Typically use larger hand gestures and body language to communicate.
There are three dominant learning styles; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. We learn from all three styles in our daily life, but usually, one style stands out. Which learning style do you most closely associate with?
Knowing your learning style is vital as you select a career. Choosing a job requiring you to operate in a style you don’t connect with will impede your success.
Once you have determined your best learning style(s), honor it. Get rid of that written “To do” list if visual learning is last on your preferences list. Dictate that article if you’re an auditory learner. Draw little icon pictures instead of writing things down, or use a mind-map, if you’re a visual learner. Build or create something if you are a kinesthetic learner.
If you cater to your preferred learning style(s), you will find that tasks flow easier and you remember things better, leaving you with more time, focus, and energy. You will be more productive and happier as you go through the day and excel in your career.
Our next article will focus on how you can strengthen your learning style and which careers fit each style.
I Am Here To Help
I would love to speak with you to determine if I can help you accomplish your goals. If you need guidance on your career, I am here to help. If you find yourself in a situation where you need career advice or support and want to talk about planning for your future, reach out to me, Rachel Schneider, at Career Find, for a free Intro Call.
