Learning Styles & Teams
by Paula K. Martin, CEO, Martin Training Associates
and Karen Tate, President, The Griffin Tate Group
We tend to think that everyone processes information in the same way that we do. If we prefer to take in new information in an auditory mode, through hearing someone explain it to us or by having a discussion, we assume everyone prefers that mode. If we learn best when the information is delivered in visual form, whether it be a written document or overheads or Post-it™ Notes on the wall, we think everyone likes to process information that way. Then there are those of us who learn best through hands on experience and who need to be moving around in order to most effectively take in the information being presented.
The truth of the matter is that there are three sensory learning styles, auditory, visual and kinesthetic, and each of us has a preferred mode. Almost every team contains all three types but how are most project meetings conducted? In an auditory mode. We sit and discuss the project, updating each other on the project status or talking about how to solve a problem we're facing. In the U.S., less than a third of the population is auditory, so at least two-thirds of your team is either struggling to stay tuned in or they've tuned you out.
You can improve your overall performance by adding visual data. That means providing charts, graphs and written summaries. It also means recording the discussion points on flipchart paper so everyone can SEE what's being discussed.
Finally, we have our kinesthetic learners, who have not as yet been included in the meeting process. They pose a bit more of a challenge, but here are some tips for ensuring they are also included:
- Give each of the kinesthetic learners a squeegy toy or a Koosh™ ball to play with. By having something to touch, their ability to concentrate on auditory or visual data will increase. It's true.
- Encourage people to get up and pace if they feel the need. Just walking around will help many kinesthetic learners stay focused on what's being discussed.
- When you're in the brainstorming mode, give everyone a pad of Post-it™ Notes and a marker and have them write their ideas on the notes, say them out loud and then walk to the front of the room and slap the note on a piece of flipchart or banner paper. We call this the Write it! Say it! Slap it!™ method of brainstorming. It combines visual, auditory and kinesthetic processes.
- Get out and do site visits when possible. Go on a tour of your customer's facility.
- Having a working lunch. Eating is a kinesthetic activity and it gives people something to do while they talk about a project topic.
- Use team-based tools for brainstorming, risk assessment, scheduling - any activity that allows people to physically participate. These types of activities also are great for visual learners because the information is usually recorded on sticky notes and placed on banner paper on the wall, which everyone can see.
It's really not that difficult to make your project team meetings meaningful to everyone on the team. Not only will people pay more attention, but the meetings will also be more fun.
©2003 Paula Martin and Karen Tate. All Rights Reserved. Published on ProjectConnections by permission of the authors.
Paula Martin is the CEO of Martin Training Associates, a management training and consulting firm. She's the author of seven books including the Project Management Memory Jogger™ (which she co-authored with Karen Tate). For more information, visit www.martintraining.net. Phone: 866-922-3122.
Karen Tate is President of The Griffin Tate Group, a project management training and consulting firm, and author of three project management books. For more information, visit www.griffintate.com. Phone: 877-984-8150.
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