Understand more about communication and learning styles. Download and complete a self-assessment questionnaire to help you identify your own preferred style.

Introduction
We all have our own preferred ways to communicate and learn. Understanding this can be an important part of improving the effectiveness of how you communicate with both yourself and others and also how you take on board information and learn. We communicate and learn via our internal representation systems or modalities, which are terms often used in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) or in other words our senses:

Visual (pictures)
Auditory (sounds)
Kinaesthetic (feelings)
Olfactory (smells)
Gustatory (tastes)
Generally speaking, we will use the first 3 of these senses, in varying degrees, depending on individual preferences, to communicate and learn - particularly in Western culture. Throughout this article we will refer to these 3 senses as VAK (Visual, Auditory & Kinaesthetic).
Complete our self-assessment quiz to see what your preferences may be. You can then read and learn a bit more about VAK and how you can be more self-aware about your own preferences and those of others.
The quality of your communication is the quality of your life. - Tony Robbins
Download the VAK Self-assessment

Download the excel file below and follow the instructions to complete the VAK self-assessment questionnaire and understand your own preferred communication and learning styles.
Doing the self-assessment at this point may help to give you an understanding and appreciation of your own preferences and perceptions, as you read through the rest of this article.
If you are already a member of the Tribero online community you can access this activity in the Templates and Activities file in the Resources section of the MEMBERS AREA.
Log in or register at www.tribero.co.uk or click on the button below.
What is your preferred style?
VISUAL | AUDITORY | KINAESTHETIC |
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About VAK Communication and Learning Styles
What is a Learning Style?
Communication and learning styles refer to a person’s preferred way to take in, process, understand and remember information. Psychologists initially developed this learning style model way back in the 1920's, although lots of work and study has been done more recently to build on the original model with research showing a better appreciation and understanding of what is meant by the 3 styles.
The VAK learning style uses the three main sensory receivers: visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (movement) to determine the dominant learning style. Everyone uses all three styles as they process and learn. However, according to the theory, a person will have a strong preference toward one or two dominant styles.

VISUAL PREFERENCE
They prefer pictures and will say things like . . . "I see what you mean".
Tend to look up when thinking and processing information.

AUDITORY PREFERENCE
They like to hear things said, often pictures not enough, and will sometimes repeat back what they have heard. They might say . . . "I hear what you say"
Tend to look to the side when thinking.

KINAESTHETIC PREFERENCE
Tend to be more in touch with their feelings and like to be hands on when learning. They will say things like . . . "something doesn't feel right".
Tend to look down when thinking about their response.
Learning Styles and Eye Movement Patterns
There are certain studies and practices that suggest we can get clues about which style someone prefers by their eye movement patterns when they are thinking.
Eye accessing cues in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) are movements of the eyes in certain directions that indicate visual, auditory or kinaesthetic thinking. Neuro Linguistic Programming teaches us that people make movements with their eyes (Eye Accessing Cues) that will indicate which representational system (or learning style) they are using and prefer.
VISUAL (Look up) | AUDITORY | KINAESTHETIC |
(look up) | (look to the side) | (look down) |
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Learning Styles and Descriptive Language
Below, are some examples of the types of descriptive language that you may notice yourself or other people using.
Visual style language
I get the picture
I see what you mean
Let’s get this into perspective
It appears that
Show me
The focus of attention
Looking closely
A blind spot
It’s clear to me
A different angle
You’ll look back on this
Step back and see the big picture
Auditory style language
That rings a bell
We’re on the same wavelength
Let’s talk about it
Within earshot
Let’s sound this out
I’m speechless
Shout from the hilltops
People will hear you
The silence was deafening
Singing from the same hymn sheet
Word for word
In a manner of speaking
There was an undertone
Kinaesthetic style language
He’s thick-skinned
A cool customer
I grasp the meaning
A heated argument
I will be in touch
I can’t put a finger on it
We are scratching the surface
Let’s dig deeper, get a grip
A lukewarm attitude
I feel it in my bones
It just doesn’t feel right
I have a strange sensation
My gut feeling
Learning Style Tendencies
The VAK model is popular because it is intuitive and simple to use and recognise certain tendencies specific to what the preferred style is.
Visual Learners: There are two kinds of visual learners that are often recognised, known as; 'visual-linguistic' and 'visual spatial'.

Visual-Linguistic (VL) learners tend to:
Learn through written language such as reading and writing
More likely to remember tasks if they write them down, even if they don’t go back to read them again

Visual-Spatial (VS) learners tend to:
Have difficulty with written language and do better with diagrams, demonstrations, videos, maps, colorful charts and visual aids
A VS tends to gaze into ‘space’ in the middle of a conversation (much to a spouse’s or a teacher’s dismay) to ‘picture’ what is being said (this can appear disrespectful to other learning styles)
Find it easy to visualise faces and places
Recall conversations based on where it happened
Easily get distracted
Often choose to sit in the front of the class room

Auditory Learners tend to:
Enjoy listening but can’t wait to talk. Talk to themselves a lot. Move their lips while reading as well as read out loud
Learn best when they hear their own voice. This is why they vocalise in the middle of a class, meeting or movie
Struggle with reading and writing tasks
Remember names, but not the face or appearance of someone they just met
Talk ‘a mile a minute’ and expect others to drop everything to make eye contact to listen to them
Sounds distract them
Interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. A raised voice might be an argument to them, but just ‘a discussion’ to those with a different style
Sometimes remember things by setting information to a tune or rhyme

Kinesthetic Learners tend to:
Learn by being involved, touching and/or moving
Remember what was done rather than what was said or seen
Have to move in order to concentrate
Be easily distracted during a visual or auditory presentation. Will take notes so they can move their hands
Need to know the big picture first before getting the details
Having the space to draw pictures, doodle, shake their leg and fidget while you communicate helps them hear and learn more effectively
Use gestures when speaking and stand close when speaking or listening
Often they are poor spellers and will write words to determine if they "feel" right
Tend to drive visual learners crazy with their constant movement.
Attack problems and express frustration physically – they’re your door slammers and fist pounders.
Summary
The VAK model helps us to better appreciate the preferred and varied styles of learning and communicating. Although a simplistic approach to a relatively very complex level of a particular aspect of human behaviour, we can use it to appreciate the differences that people (and ourselves) have, so we can help people learn and communicate more effectively with us and with others.
And always important to remember . . . most people can use all of the VAK but will tend to have a stronger preference for one or two.
3 things to consider
1. Do you recognise your preferred style in your day-to-day communications or learning preferences? 2. How will it help you to communicate with yourself, and help you take on board information and learn? 3. How will what you have learned in this article help you better communicate with others in the future? |
Article by Trevor Norman
Trevor is a leadership coach and cognitive behavioural therapist and specialises in organisational behavioural analytics and team dynamics. He is a Certified Master NLP Practitioner.
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