What type of learning style do you have? Let me guess you are a visual learner

Over the years of coaching and training people for the PM Exam, I have come to understand that people are really quite intrigued by the concept of different learning styles.  There are some different classifications out there but basically we are talking things like; Linguistic, Kinesthetic, Visual, Interpersonal and so on. 

I have found that the overwhelming majority of people really, really want to consider themselves ‘visual’ learners.  If my research is accurate (and I have asked thousands of people) visual learning is the only way people learn!  As I looked into this topic I started asking myself, why is it that people feel like visual learning is so cool that they have become enamored with it? 

In the effort of fairness I may have tilted some people towards this answer by asking something like “You know a lot of my students are visual learners, what about you”? Practically, 100% of the people agree when asked that way. 

I think that the truth is that we all have a blended learning style and at different times we are visual learners where we watch videos or look at diagrams, while in other learning situations we may be more hands on or more verbal with our learning.

I know personally many people including myself like to watch YouTube videos to help learn about how to use software or even something simple like 'how to manage stakeholder engagement' in projects, but I went online and decided to look for a learning style questionnaire and I was quite surprised at the my personal results.

I took the Vark Questionnaire and while I cannot vouch for its validity I found the results to be very interesting.  Apparently I am an Aural (Hearing) learner and it gave a very cool breakdown of tips on how I should learn as an ‘Aural’ learner including breaking it out into 3 categories;

1. INTAKE

To take in the information:

• attend classes
• attend discussions and tutorials
• discuss topics with others
• discuss topics with your teachers
• explain new ideas to other people
• use a tape recorder
• remember the interesting examples, stories, jokes…
• describe the overheads, pictures and other visuals to somebody who was not there
• leave spaces in your notes for later recall and ‘filling’

 SWOT – Study without tears

To make a learnable package:

• Convert your “notes” into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1)
• Your notes may be poor because you prefer to listen. You will need to expand your notes by talking with others and collecting notes from the textbook.
• Put your summarized notes onto tapes and listen to them.
• Ask others to ‘hear’ your understanding of a topic.
• Read your summarized notes aloud.
• Explain your notes to another ‘aural’ person. 

3. OUTPUT

To perform well in any test, assignment or examination:

• Imagine talking with the examiner.
• Listen to your voices and write them down.
• Spend time in quiet places recalling the ideas.
• Practice writing answers to old exam questions.
• Speak your answers aloud or inside your head.
• You prefer to have this page explained to you.
• The written words are not as valuable as those you hear.
• You will probably go and tell somebody about this.

 Well, I really laughed when I read this last bullet about telling somebody about this because I actually chose a blog to tell as many people as I can! Feel free to try this quiz and see if you are a visual learn like everyone thinks they are – or – maybe like me you could be surprised to find out your best learning style.

Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Dan Ryan, MBA, PMP, PMI-ACP