The training question is, “Since supervisors are bound to have a variety of learning styles, how do you tailor a training session to accommodate them all?”
Here is how our training expert responded:
Savvy trainers incorporate a variety of learning styles into their training programs and adjust their explanations during training according to an individual’s preferred learning style, says Jean Barbazette, founder of The Training Clinic in Seal Beach, California.
Research indicates that approximately 70 percent of people in Western culture are visual learners, she says. “They need to see it in order to understand it.” Nearly 20 percent of people are auditory learners, while the remaining 10 percent or so are kinesthetic, or hands-on, learners, according to Barbazette.
Successful training sessions incorporate all three learning styles—not only to make sure the message reaches everyone but also because some people learn better through a combination of approaches. For example, participants who both see and hear directions are twice as likely to remember them, Barbazette says. When introducing a training activity, she provides directions verbally and on handouts and a PowerPoint® slide. In addition, sometimes she groups participants together so that they can collaborate.
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Successful trainers listen to participants to determine how best to accommodate their individual learning styles. Barbazette recommends listening to the verbs that participants use and responding using the participant’s learning style:
- Visual learners: “Could you show it to me?” or “What’s it supposed to look like?”
- Auditory learners: “Can we talk about it some more?”
- Kinesthetic learners: “Let me walk through this one more time.”
To further determine a participant’s preferred learning style, Barbazette also suggests asking how a participant finds his or her way around a city. Does she use a map (visual), have someone else navigate (auditory), or trust his own sense of direction and try to figure it out himself (kinesthetic)?
To ensure a learner’s success, trainers need to make sure participants understand the underlying concept of the training session so that participants will know how the information applies to situations not specifically covered in training. Trainers should ask participants to describe how they’ll apply what they learned, what obstacles they might face, and how they can overcome those obstacles.
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In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll learn how to engage uninterested managers in training, and we explore a comprehensive online resource of HR training and compliance materials available 24/7.