Human Performance and Learning Style – Part II

I’m going to continue this part with an explanation of the different learning styles I mentioned in Human Performance and Learning Style – Part I, and before I continue, I’d like to thank my coaching school, ICA for the support, information and inspiration for this post. 

 Activists

Activists like to be involved in new experiences. They are open minded and enthusiastic about new ideas but get bored with implementation. They enjoy doing things and tend to act first and consider the implications afterwards. They like working with others but tend to hog the limelight.

 Activists learn best when

• involved in new experiences, problems and opportunities 
• working with others in business games, team tasks, role-playing 
• being thrown in the deep end with a difficult task 
• chairing meetings, leading discussions

 Activists learn less when:

• listening to lectures or long explanations
• reading, writing or thinking on their own
• absorbing and understanding data
• following precise instruction to the letter

Reflectors

Reflectors like to stand back and look at a situation from different perspectives. They like to collect data and think about it carefully before coming to any conclusions. They enjoy observing others and will listen to their views before offering their own.

 Reflectors learn best when:

• observing individuals or groups at work
• they have the opportunity to review what has happened and think about what they have learned
• producing analyses and reports, doing tasks without tight deadlines

 Reflectors learn less when:

• acting as leader or role-playing in front of others
• doing things with no time to prepare
• being thrown in at the deep end
• being rushed or worried by deadlines

 Theorists

Theorists adapt and integrate observations into complex and logically sound theories. They think problems through in a step by step way. They tend to be perfectionists who like to fit things into a rational scheme. They tend to be detached and analytical rather than subjective or emotive in their thinking.

 Theorists learn best when:  

• they are put in complex situations where they have to use their skills and knowledge  
• they are in structured situations with clear purpose  
• they are offered interesting ideas or concepts even though they are not immediately relevant  
• they have the chance to question and probe ideas behind things

 Theorists learn less when:

• they have to participate in situations which emphasize emotion and feelings
• the activity is unstructured or briefing is poor
• they have to do things without knowing the principles or concepts involved
•  they feel they’re out of tune with the other participants (e.g. with people of very different learning styles)

 Pragmatists

Pragmatists are keen to try things out. They want concepts that can be applied to their job. They tend to be impatient with lengthy discussions and are practical and down to earth.

 Pragmatists learn best when:

• there is an obvious link between the topic and job
• they have the chance to try out techniques with feedback (e.g. role-playing)
• they are shown techniques with obvious advantages (e.g. saving time)
• they are shown a model they can copy (e.g. a film or a respected boss)  

Pragmatists learn less when:

• there is no obvious or immediate benefit that they can recognize
• there is no practice or guidelines on how to do it
• there is no apparent pay back to the learning (e.g. shorter meetings)
• the event or learning is ‘all theory’ (Lieb, 2006)  

Learning styles theory had an immediate impact on a range of fields. Educationalists realized that catering to different learning styles could dramatically improve the academic results of learners. Employers realized that they could leverage greater performance from employees with carefully targeted professional development. Managers realized that by carefully matching people with complementary learning styles, they could form high functioning teams and become learning organizations. Consultants began to include information about learning styles in the products and services that they provided to organizations.  

Discovering your own Learning Style

Honey and Mumford’s is one of the best known instruments to determine your learning style but it is not the only one. Other well known instruments are Bernice McCarthy’s 4Mat system and the Gregorc Mind-Styles Delineator. In addition, many instruments for measuring personality type such as the Myer- Briggs Personality Type Indicator, Enneagram Type Indicator and CRG Personal Style Indicator also include information on the preferred learning styles of various personality types.  

Contemplation:

• What does your working life look like in the future?
• Have you ever used a learning styles indicator instrument?
• Which one and how useful was it?
• Of Honey and Mumford’s four styles, which do you prefer and why?
• How might understanding your own learning style help you?

 Life Coaching Application

Life Coaching is strategic learning because it focuses specifically on the skills that my client needs, both here and now and into the future. I support my clients to set priorities and to learn in a way that is not only lifelong but focused on the aspects of their life that will result in the greatest sense of achievement.

 When a coaching relationship begins, the first step is to determine my client’s values and beliefs. The reason that I focuses so strongly on my client’s values, is that, in this environment of overload, not everything can fit on your plate. By focusing on things that reinforce my client’s values, I and my client are able to achieve success, because they free up time from things that simply don’t matter, or don’t matter as much. You may have heard it said that “success is its own reward”, but success in areas that reinforce our core values and our essential beliefs, is rewarding in a much more powerful way!

 As a coach I like to ask “How is this person smart?” instead of “How smart is this person?”

 A New Way of Learning

The coaching relationship is a learning relationship but it is not learning in the traditional sense that many of us have. My client is not an empty vessel waiting to be filled with knowledge from the master. Coaching assumes that my client comes to the task with a vast amount of knowledge and skills to solve the challenges of their lives.

 Coaching is about supporting my client to find those answers, because in an information age, people don’t need more information, they need support to make better use of the information and knowledge that they already have. As a coach I listen, encourage, support, question, challenge and co-plan with my clients so that they learn to manage the challenges of their own lives and tape into their personal power. I don’t “teach” per se … I create an environment, which enables learning to occur, which allows my clients to reach their personal goals. 

 Learning Tools

Learning style evaluation instruments are very useful tools in my tool kit; however, they are just tools. Tools and systems support my coaching, but they never drive my coaching experience. Just as the master craftsman’s job is to build a cathedral, rather than to lay a brick, my job is to support my client on their unique learning journey of human performance, rather than implement any one tool or system. As a skilled coach I am able to introduce systems and tools in a strategic way in response to the personal goals set by my client.

There are four main reasons why I might use a learning styles instrument.

 Firstly, if my client understands their own preferred learning style, they may be able to speed up their learning and goal setting by focusing on that style. If, for example, a client is an Activist, enrolling in a long and expensive university course by distance education, might not be their best choice. Participating in a workplace trial of a new system with a team of enthusiastic people, however, may be more likely to achieve results. By understanding their learning style, my clients are better equipped to make these sorts of decisions for themselves and I’m better able to support them.  

Secondly, if my client understands the learning style, which is their least preference, it can help both me and my client understand blockages and barriers to learning. If, for example, a client is a Pragmatist, he or she might think twice before joining a monthly round table “think tank” in their workplace. Or if he or she did want to develop this side of their personality, they could at least prepare with me beforehand, knowing that they may find the experience challenging and frustrating. My client would at least be prepared for these feelings, and would be less likely to be overwhelmed by them.  

Thirdly, understanding his or her own learning style can help my client in their relationships with others. If, for example, a client is in a management role and has a subordinate who is a Reflector, he or she would know beforehand that tight deadlines and last minute instructions are going to cause that person distress and not allow them to work at their optimal level. Using this knowledge, I can help my client to plan a work environment more conducive to getting the best out of their employees. If last minute missions with tight deadlines are unavoidable in his or her workplace, my client can at least work with my to be prepared for and able to respond to the inevitable feelings of anxiety that may arise when deadlines draw near.

Finally, life coaching is, in and of itself, a learning experience, so an understanding of my client’s preferred learning style can help shape the coaching sessions themselves. I can be aware, for example, of how open my client might be conducting internet research in between sessions as fieldwork. I can better understand why one client might find being asked to chair a meeting at the last minute a terrifying prospect while another might find it effortless. I can modify the level of structure of the coaching session depending on what my client feels they need. Understanding the learning styles of my client can become a powerful tool in a coaching tool kit.  

The key to remember is that we are all different and we all learn differently. We are all on a learning journey that continues throughout our lives. We all bring a wealth of life experiences to any learning situation that “fuels” our learning journey. I and other coaches have an important role to play in supporting and encouraging our clients so that they can get the most out of their individual learning journey.  

Reflection

• Why is it so important to be strategic in your learning?
• What makes your daily activities a learning activity?
• How might understanding your own learning style help you in your human performance?
• How might understanding the learning style of others help you with your personal power?
• What might be the limitations or dangers associated with learning styles theory?

 References:

Honey, Peter and Mumford, Alan, 1982, Learning Styles Questionnaire, www.peterhoney.com

Kolb, D. 1984, Experiential Learning. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Lieb, Stephen, from VISION, Fall 1991 

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 OK…what are your thoughts about learning, learning styles and how they affect your performance in life?  Please let me know in the comments below.