This is the second article in a series called “Cognition & You,” an exploration at the intersection of market research and university research that illustrates how insightsfrom the academic world can make us better teachers, and therefore better managers.
So, now you know.
In the last article, we established that you are stronger in some intelligences than others. But here’s the kicker – the same is true for everyone you deal with on a daily basis.
For instance, someone who is more of a Spatial learner will do better with charts and graphs. By comparison, a Language learner will learn much better by just reading words on a page, and someone high in the Self intelligence will really benefit from having enough time to reflect on what they’ve learned.
Easy enough, right? But what about learners who score high in the Nature intelligence, or in Body Movement?
Since the typical meeting or presentation format doesn’t speak to these intelligences, you may be missing out the full potential of some members of your team, audience, or even your bosses.
Let's try something new.
The good news is that adult learners as a group do, in fact, have much in common. You should always take steps to cater your approach to the learning styles of your audience, but there are some general best practices.
Drawing from the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, the best learning experiences for adults are:
1_Social, Self-Directed, Goal-Oriented, and Interactive
In a word – games. Adults tend to learn better in social settings and when they can exercise some degree of choice. They also tend to engage more when there is something at stake, a short term goal or objective.
TIPS: For longer presentations, try using some game dynamics. You could, for instance, separate the group into teams that compete to answer questions after each section of the presentation.
Prediction is also a powerful learning tool (especially for Logic/Math learners) so peppering in questions that ask participants to predict the answer to a question that hasn’t been covered yet can also yield positive results.
2_Practical, Relevant, and Applicable in the Immediate Future
Adult learners are much more likely to disregard learning that doesn’t seem immediately relevant. They are also much less likely than younger learners to enjoy learning for learning’s sake (i.e. further-out, theoretical, abstract concepts).
Therefore, it is incredibly important to help your audience “make the jump” by giving them a strong idea of how this learning will help them in the short term. Otherwise, engagement will take a nose-dive.
TIPS: At the end of each section of a longer presentation, give some easy-to-grasp applications. Better yet, tell a story about how this knowledge led to positive results (this will speak to your language learners especially well).
Of course, if you really want to show off, you could invite participants to work together to write and illustrate a story about how they could apply the learning, and build in some time at the end for individuals to reflect on what they’ve learned and how they will use it. In this way, you can communicate to individuals with Language, Self, Social, and Spatial intelligences in one fell swoop.
3_Respectful of Cognitive, Emotional, and Psychomotor Needs
This includes respecting people’s time (by having a clearly communicated plan that uses time efficiently), respecting their intelligence (by not talking down to them and building on their prior knowledge), and respecting their comfort (by providing breaks, snacks, and a comfortable environment).
TIPS: If possible, have your meeting in an unusual location (like a garden or living room environment) and schedule breaks after every section.
Also, share your detailed plan for the time and keep to it. Even if you’re running behind, stick to the plan and take those breaks you’ve promised.
Then, at the end, invite participants to give their open and honest feedback about how the meeting went and ask them for suggestions on how to improve.
It may seem over-the-top for every meeting, but you’ll be amazed how much more engaged people can be when they feel like their needs are considered and their contribution rewarded with respect.
So, there you have it.
These are just some simple tips to try at your next meeting. Odds are, people will notice that you’re switching up your approach to cater to more people. When your tactics do make a strong connection with an individual’s learning style, you’ll notice. They’ll sit up, pay attention, contribute more often, and ultimately make better use of the knowledge you’ve shared.
Also, if you do get to try some of this stuff, let us know! We'd love to hear about how it went!
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