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Adapting to Your Learners As the world continues to find a balance of hybrid working, businesses must not lose sight of how effective their training sessions are. Training not only needs to support business objectives, but must promote learner engagement and development. Considering the multiple delivery options, are we really paying attention to our delegates preferred learning style? The three basic learning styles are; Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK).
Some studies estimate that 50%-70% of learners have more than one learning style, however each learner does have a dominant preferred technique.
Visual learners prefer the use of graphics, symbols and colours to support their information retention levels. Organisations, in this instance, could be considering e-learning as an alternative training method. If practical is not a mandatory element of a particular course, many courses can be converted to an online environment. The nature of e-learning also supports delegates learning at their own pace and in their own time, further supporting retention levels. There are also many benefits of the use of e-learning for businesses. Platforms and portals aid the tracking of all training data including delegate progress and certification. This easily complements any training matrices and future planning of training schedules.
Auditory learners prefer information to be delivered vocally. This can be in lecture style as well as conversational group work. The last 18 months has seen a dramatic increase in courses being delivered virtually and there is no sign of this slowing down any time soon. The set up of virtual sessions supports auditory learners as it can take away the usual classroom-based distractions that hinder their retention. From a practical standpoint, virtual sessions also take away the need for travel and ultimately can result in the instructor being right in the delegate’s living room!
Kinesthetic learners ultimately learn best by doing. This is when organisations could look at a classroom environment. A classroom setting not only supports the human element of training through peer stimulation, but also creates a safe space that promotes learning at all levels. There is also a flexibility to classroom training from the business perspective as instructors can come travel to site or delegates can travel to a training centre near them.
Not everyone will fit neatly into one learning style or the other. It is very common for delegates to prefer a mix of Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic learning. Blended learning, while not the most popular, is a very effective delivery method to support the learning styles of delegates. In some cases, theory can be completed via e-learning prior to attended a practical classroom session giving the delegates a well-rounded learning experience. Speak to the team at TFS today to see how we can best help support you and your team!
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