4 Different Employee Learning Styles In The Workplace

Learning and development is a crucial part of building a high-performing team. We all know that training employees results in increased productivity, employee engagement and happiness, but have you ever thought about the way your team learns best?

Everyone processes information differently, and this can be seen in the way we learn. With no two people the same, it’s important to acknowledge the different learning styles among employees.

By tailoring the delivery of development for different learning styles, your employees will be more engaged, resulting in a more productive training session.

What are the different types of employee learning styles in the workplace?

There are 4 main types of learning styles, but many people will have overlaps across several styles. The approaches below are based on the VARK method.

The various learning styles from the VARK method include:

• Kinaesthetic 
• Visual 
• Auditory 
• Reading and writing 

This method acknowledges that everyone processes information differently and therefore requires different forms of delivery to learn.

1. Kinaesthetic Learners

Kinaesthetic learners prefer a hands-on approach to education, and this involves using all five senses – touch, sight, smell, sound and taste.

They learn effectively when they perform the task themselves and enjoy sessions that include group-based participation.

A kinaesthetic learner typically finds it harder to learn when sitting through a lecture, however, learns more deeply when hands-on or physical tasks are involved.

With kinaesthetic learners, it’s important to break up long employee training sessions into smaller, more digestible components. To help maintain the focus of kinaesthetic learners, you should change the study environment for each of these sessions by moving to different rooms or going outside. Who doesn’t enjoy some fresh air?

What are the characteristics of kinaesthetic learners?

• They find it hard to sit and learn in a traditional ‘classroom’ environment
• Learns through movement
• Likes to build things and is very hands-on
• Becomes restless when sitting down
• Physically coordinated and typically good at sports

Examples of using a kinaesthetic approach include:

• Demonstrations
• Performing physical tasks
• Simulations
• In-person scenarios

2. Visual Learners

Visual learners understand tasks and content by watching something prior to trying it themselves. This style of learner responds well to visual stimuli and educational materials. People who prefer this style often use visual elements to recall information. A great way of engaging visual learners is through task demonstrations, or videos. 

What are the characteristics of visual learners?

• They are often creative and can easily visualise complex situations
• Find using graphs, mind maps, flashcards and flow charts helpful
• Find taking notes a helpful way to retain information
• Easily distracted by aesthetic or visual environments

Examples of visual training include:

• Instructional or voice-over videos
• Powerpoint presentations
• Photographs
• Diagrams, flowcharts and flashcards
• Timelines
• Highlighting notes and key information
• Colour-coded notes and materials to create visual stimulation

What are the characteristics of visual learners?

• They are often creative and can easily visualise complex situations
• Find using graphs, mind maps, flashcards and flow charts helpful
• Find taking notes a helpful way to retain information
• Easily distracted by aesthetic or visual environments

Examples of visual learning strategies include:

• Instructional or voice-over videos
• Powerpoint presentations
• Photographs
• Diagrams, flowcharts and flashcards
• Timelines
• Highlighting notes and key information
• Colour-coded notes and learning material to create visual stimulation

3. Auditory Learners

Auditory learners understand information when it is explained in a step-by-step format.

Aural learners learn best when instructions are given, and active back-and-forth dialogue around the content is had. Not only this, they learn best when they talk things through with others or actively listen to others speaking either through a lecture, discussion or presentation.

What are the characteristics of auditory learners?

• Respond well to verbal instructions and find them easy to follow
• Gain an understanding of the task at hand by talking things through
• Speak well and are often good at presenting
• Find it difficult to concentrate when there is distracting sound in the background

Examples of auditory studying include:

• Lectures
• Audio recordings
• Group discussions
• One-on-one meetings
• Brainstorming sessions

4. Read and Write Learners

Read and write learners learn by reading content or instructions and then writing it out in their own words. Reading learners are well-organised, avid note-takers and digest information when they write down and re-read the information.

What are the characteristics of read-and-write learners?

• Writes notes when reading through materials
• Enjoys reading and writing
• Often uses lists and categories to organise their notes

Examples of read-and-write learning include:

• Textbook style manuals
• Reading through documents and taking notes
• Ordering tasks into categories and levels of priority
• Asking your team to read over notes and condense key information down to one page.

Why should you tailor training methods to different learning styles?

When you offer your team opportunities for development in the way that makes sense to them, they will be more engaged and will find it easier to digest and retain information. 

By knowing the preferred study method of your team, you can play to their strengths and tailor training materials so they can learn in a way that works best for them. 

At your next training event, take a closer look at your team. You may notice some people are actively participating in the discussion and writing notes, whereas others are disengaged. Being disengaged is usually an indication that staff are not connecting with the way information is being presented. 

To make training more accessible for everyone, offer handouts of the slide deck afterwards, as this might be a better way of studying for some team members.

How can you encourage employees to adopt these dynamic training methods?

If you have just started to implement these training methods in your training and development program, you can:

• Let your team know that they have the option to learn based on their preferred study style and that you will accommodate their needs.
• Actively talk about the different ways of digesting information in the workplace and provide some information about the options available.
• Ask your employees which approach to studying they prefer. This could be in the form of a survey or 1-1 meeting.
• Use an online employee learning management system to gather feedback and statistics on progress.

Going beyond learning styles in the workplace

Through taking the time to educate ourselves on the different employee learning styles, we can work to create training programs that are bespoke for all members of your team, helping both your business and your people have everything they need to get set up for success. The benefits? A more informed, engaged and well-equipped team that can tackle anything!

For more ways to assist with development in the workplace and to find out what motivates your employees, download our free guide to coaching and developing employees! 

If you’re struggling to find time to focus on employee development, Employment Hero can help! Our next-gen all-in-one HR, hiring and payroll solution offers everything your business needs from hiring, onboarding, automating complex payroll and driving employee engagement. This means HR teams can spend less time on admin, and more time on what really matters – their people. 

Learn more and speak to one of our specialists today.