If there's one quote that's overused but equally true, it's "Two heads are better than one." While some projects are better served initially as solo endeavors, a team is certainly not a team with one head. Those different perspectives and strengths are exactly why hiring candidates with different learning styles can help you advance your business.

So what are the the different learning styles? There's four!

An overview of learning styles

To make it easy to remember, the learning styles can be referred to using the acronym VARK⁵, which stands for visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic.

Visual

Visual learners like to build their knowledge bench using tools like charts, graphs, flow charts, symbols, headings, patterns, colors and other similar items. That's because these people are highly spatially aware.⁵

While it would seem like visually inclined individuals would also enjoy learning with photos, movies or simulations, those items help out a different learning style that we'll discuss later.

You might notice that visual learners within your business enjoy utilizing white space, different fonts, highlighting, underlines, bright colors and other points of emphasis in their work.⁷

Workers who learn visually can be great at following instructions in manuals or other written materials. They may enjoy showing off their skills artistically. They're also usually very organized and detail-oriented, which means they are some of the best notetakers and future planners around.⁶

Aural

Listening, talking and discussing are the hallmarks of an aural learner. They like to seek out authority figures and subject matter experts found through mediums like podcasts, audiobooks and actual chats. Also, they rarely shy away from a forum where they can ask questions or possibly have an educated debate.⁸

If you want to reach out to them in the workplace, inject discussion, oral feedback, questions, emails, mobile chat, texting, discussion boards, oral presentations, classes, tutorials or just talking into your strategy.⁵ 

These people are deep listeners. If you need someone to hear what someone is saying when it matters most, you'll want to tap into an aural learner's skillset.

Read/Write

Say it with us: printed words are the way to reach read/writes.⁹

They like to learn from books, handouts or any item with text.⁵ Lists, titles, headings and written notes are their jam.⁹ They have a passion for quotes, which makes sense because they care about words, deeply.⁵

"I like good strong words that mean something." —Louisa May Alcott

Kinesthetic

Kinesthetic learning is about experiences. These individuals like to learn by doing. This learning commonly involves simulations, demonstrations, videos, photos, case studies and other real-world examples. The last one is key because these people want to be connected to reality as much as possible.⁵

You may see a kinesthetic learner shine in an escape room where they can solve practical problems. They are driven by outcomes they can measure, and they value working as a part of a team.¹⁰

Multimodal

While it's not a third type, many people are known as "multimodal learners." These people learn through a combination of styles. Two-thirds of the population, in fact! if this type of learning sounds familiar, find out if you are using this test.¹¹

Building a team of learners

To build a team that uses the best mix of learning styles to achieve goals, you need to provide training that helps everyone find success.

If you're training an individual, ask about their learning preferences. They will appreciate you thinking of them, and you will be better aligned. If you're training a group, consider a multimodal approach or supplement your existing materials with helpful ones³ that reach other learners.

Here's what we mean. Kinesthetic learners won't mind watching a video tutorial, but read/write learners may be better served by a document. You can do both by taking the transcript of a video and making it into a handout for those who may find it more effective.

Differences make us stronger. If you would like help hiring the strongest possible team members, Beacon Hill is ready.

Sources and inspiration

1. How different learning styles make a difference at work
2. Your Team's Different Learning Styles Matter
3. Learning your team: Identifying learning styles for better training
4. Multimodal Strategies
5. Introduction to VARK®: for better learning
6. The visual learner: strengths, strategies, learning activities
7. Visual Strategies
8. Aural Strategies
9. Read/Write Strategies
10. Kinesthetic Strategies
11. The VARK® Questionnaire: How do you learn best?

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