This was coming from an auditory person – note he started the sentence with “Sounds like” ☺ We were talking about learning styles – Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) (1) and how we like to process information. Like most things, we are a bit of everything however we tend towards a dominant learning style.
The conversation came about as I was talking about how I interact with my son. By realizing that we have different ways of processing information was a revelation as I had often been giving him instructions through words and images, however, it would be better to show him instead.
This is similar to the blog post Managing Oneself where I wrote about being a reader or a listener and this adds the kinesthetic style – processing your information through your body and doing.
Funny thing is, a good friend had mentioned this to me a while ago that she thought my son was kinesthetic and only now did it really sink in. I believe it sunk in this time as I understood my own style as well and could see the difference. Sometimes we need to be reminded of messages again and again before it clicks.
We often provide information in the way that we like to receive it so know your style first. Then understand your recipient’s style, that way, you can tailor the message so it’s more easily received.
Footnotes