How Do You Like to Learn Things?

[Peg Herring]

I don't know how much the average person hears about learning styles, but teachers hear about them a lot. Brain research is fascinating but still pretty new and unsure of itself. One of the things researchers know is that we each have ways to learn that are unique to us. I thought it might help to list them.

Verbal-linguistic learners are teachers' dream students. They learn well just by listening; they tend to speak and write well themselves. That means classroom learning is okay with them. "Tell me what I need to know on the test, Teacher, and I'm there."

Logical-mathematical learners may not have the same verbal skills, but they are well able to function in classroom situations. They like figuring things out and getting the right answers.

Visual-artistic learners need to visualize and are often creative at expressing things in pictures or other visual media. They love it when the teacher says, "Make a representation" or "Draw a cartoon."

Interpersonal learners need to work with other people to learn best. They like discussion groups and interaction between people.

Intrapersonal learners need time to think things over by themselves. They often hate group projects and would rather go off and do the work solo.

Musical-rhythmic learners like things that flow. You'll often see them tapping one foot or nodding their heads to an inaudible beat as they concentrate.

Kinesthetic learners need to move. They're the people who get up during a presentation to do some little errand that probably didn't need to be done right then.

Naturalistic learners want to put things into categories. They see, and need to make, relationships between things in order to remember, so they're always pigeonholing information.

It gets complicated when we understand that we're all combinations of these types. I, for example, am a verbal-linguistic/musical-rhythmic. Perhaps as telling as that is the opposite: I score very low in the logical-mathematical areas. (No wonder I always hated math class!)

What has this to do with speaking? Remember when you speak to a group that it will contain a mix of these types. In every audience is a person who wishes you'd let him talk, a person who would like to get up and move, and a person hopes you brought along some visual aids.

The theory of learning styles pretty much underscores everything your high school speech teacher told you. You need to vary your voice, include audience participation at some point, have something to show as you tell, and provide as many different types of stimulation as possible. Not all presentations lend themselves to all learning styles, of course, but being aware of audience needs is beneficial. I recently attended a talk about Blackwater, the private security firm that has been in the news of late. It wasn't my choice to go, not really a subject I find interesting, but the organizers did a good job of appealing to the whole audience.

Before the talk there was a quintet playing flutes. An outline handed out before the talk began let us see what would be covered. The speaker had a PowerPoint segment containing both stills and a live interview. The information he presented included statistics and facts to demonstrate the opinions offered, and he encouraged us to ask questions as they arose. In these ways, six of the eight learning styles were addressed. Only the most kinesthetic and intrapersonal people would have been unhappy, and even they could move to the refreshment table and think their own thoughts as the evening progressed.

So you're going to do some talks about your book or a subject you've researched for some reason. You have the knowledge in your head, but you need to remember that the audience is varied. They'll be more receptive to what you have to say if you offer it in a way they can relate to. Keep in mind that not everyone thinks -- and learns -- exactly as you do.