Sharon Burton
The 4 learning styles in adult learning theory are:
- Visual
- Auditory
- Read/write (or word oriented)
- Kinesthetic
Most Tech Comm people are strong word oriented learners. They like words. More words are better, they think, so they add words. Lots of words. Words make them feel better because words are how they best learn information. And if you’re writing for word oriented learners, more words are going to help your users learn. It’s a great match.
But what if your users are not word oriented? More words are not going to help. More words are going to make things harder. Perhaps your users are more visual. Perhaps your users are kinesthetic or auditory. How do you address the learning styles?
- Visual - provide lots of graphics. Conceptual graphics are really helpful because it shows the user the relationships or the flow of data. If you’re developing content for online delivery, use moving pictures, such as screen videos. Even tables and bulleted lists can be helpful here because these are sort of pictures of information.
- Auditory - write in a more conversational voice. If you are developing content for online delivery, perhaps a sound track or a button that starts a voice that tells about the topic, even if it’s just reading the text.
- Read/write - more words are good.
- Kinesthetic - provide as much Do material as possible. Numbered procedures are great, labs are good. In an online environment, perhaps include screen videos the user interacts with.
So what does this all mean to you? You are always going to want to develop information that works with your learning styles. So if your reviewer says something isn’t clear and you’re a word oriented learner, you’re going to want to add more words. Because words make you happy.
Here’s a secret: If your reviewer says something is unclear, consider their learning style. If they jump to the white board to draw you a picture every time you ask them something, they’re a visual learner. Consider perhaps adding a conceptual graphic to clarify for them and other visual learners. If they always physically act out what they’re talking about, they’re more kinesthetic. Consider adding more Do material to support that learning style.
Also consider learning styles when working with your boss. If they are a visual learner and never seems to read your weekly report, consider creating a picture out of the data and sending that. You may discover they grasp what you’re doing much better.
Learning more
If you want to learn more, and especially if you want to discover your learning styles, go to http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp and take the 15 minute online questionnaire. You may be very surprised at the results!
