Written by Horng Yuan | Photo by Chris A. Tweten on Unsplash
In our previous posts, we have talked about how to be approachable, how to seek and act on feedback, and how to break down silos. All these are essential for effective communication. When we communicate well, we minimise communication breakdown that gives negative effects such as misinformation, misinterpretation, assumptions, rumours, and trust deficit. We do not want to end up having to deal with broken relationships.
Being An Effective Communicator
There are many aspects and areas to learn and grow in order to be an effective communicator. A key and crucial area is to understand the people you communicate with or your audience, especially when you are doing presentations to a crowd of people from diverse backgrounds. Understanding them helps you in the preparation of your message and delivery method. Humans are complex. We receive, process, and understand information in different manners; our learning styles vary.
Three Groups of Learners
There is a common and widely-used model known as the Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic (VAK) model that is attributed to Barbe and Milone. The model states that people do have a preferred or dominant learning style, namely visual learning, auditory learning, and kinesthetic learning. Some do have a mixed or evenly balanced blend of the three styles.
1. Visual learners
Also known as spatial learners, they prefer receiving information and learning by looking, seeing, and watching. They need to see what is going on so that they can visualise; they learn and remember best through visual communication.
Visual learners can be identified as people who like reading, enjoy looking at plans, maps, photos, or cartoons, and watching the television. They also scribble notes and doodle on paper. Often, they are involved in professions or activities that require creativity, such as design, photography, and those that need a good sense of orientation and planning.
When you communicate with them or are doing a presentation for them, provide visual displays, such as charts, graphs, diagrams, images, mind maps, photos, posters, handouts, brochures, and booklets. Presentation layouts with a variety of colour and shape, clear headings, and plenty of white space are helpful. Because of their spatial sense, they can easily visualise and put the information together in their minds.
2. Auditory learners
Their preferred ways of learning are listening, hearing, and speaking. They soak up and remember information and details through hearing.
Auditory learners can be identified as people who love to talk, attracted to sound, and enjoy music. They ask many questions and discuss what they hear right away. As they hear, they may read in a “talking” style, meaning they hear the text and “talk” inside their head. They can also express verbally their enthusiasm and interest as you speak to them.
When you communicate with them, you can use a variety of tone, pitch and volume to stimulate them. Make good use of questions and answers, stories, audio recordings, music, and slogans. Discussion and chat groups are also helpful in training and teaching.
3. Kinesthetic learners
They learn by doing, moving, practising, and experiencing. They need to get involved in action for information and concepts to sink into them. Otherwise, their minds cannot make the connection of what is being shared.
Kinesthetic learners are usually high energy people who move around a lot, enjoy games and activities, quick to react, have sharp reflexes, and do not really like reading. During presentations or in meetings, they do fidget and shuffle, finding it hard to sit still and stay engaged.
To effectively communicate with them, it is best to provide hands-on tasks and experience; the key is to get their hands dirty. You can also facilitate team activities, group works, and role-plays.
Conclusion
Understanding the learning styles of your audience and making concessions for them will definitely make you a better communicator. You will prevent communication breakdown and frustration. Moreover, you will find joy and satisfaction knowing that your audience are receiving and benefiting from you!
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