Creating Presentations to Connect with Each Type of Learner

How to Craft Presentations that Connect with Different Types of Learners

Each person learns and understands information differently. Imagine that you’ve gotten turned around in an unfamiliar city and need to find your way back to your hotel. If you refer to a map, you might be a visual learner. If you ask for directions, you might be an auditory learner, but if you take the time to write those directions down, you might be a reading/writing learner. If you prefer to wander and find your way on your own, your learning style might be more kinesthetic. While this is a very simple example of different learning styles, it’s easy to see that what works for one person may not work for an entire audience at a presentation.

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Learn more about the different styles of learning and how to tailor your presentations to include each one.

Visual Learners

Use charts, graphics, and videos to appeal to visual learners.

How they learn

A visual learner absorbs and retains information that’s presented visually. If you’re trying to show the relationship between a set of numbers, a chart or a graph is your best bet. In order for you to make an impact on a visual learner, you’ll need to use something other than just words in order for the, to realize the relationships between data and concepts.

Tactics for reaching them

Your presentation should lean on visual aids. A few examples of this include:

• Sharing an outline of what information is going to be covered during the presentation.
• Using graphs and diagrams to present your data.
• Use a bright color scheme that incorporates complementary colors to draw their eye to what you’re sharing.
• Encourage your audience to take notes and write down key facts.
• Visually map out your concepts and connect information with arrows. Infographics are a great tool for this.
• Make your presentation more engaging by embedding videos.

Auditory Learners

Speak loudly and clearly to connect with auditory learners.

How they learn

In school, the auditory learners in your classes would simply remember everything their teachers said, instead of taking notes. They simply find it easiest to remember information that they hear and may understand and remember knowledge gleaned from lectures, discussions, audiobooks, podcasts, and having a conversation with another person. It may also be normal for an auditory learner to recite facts to themselves as a way to retain information. They may ask repetitive questions as a way to memorize a concept.

Tactics for reaching them

Most presentations rely on a speaker sharing information, which is incredibly helpful to an auditory learner. However, there are other ways that you can help them retain the content you’re presenting:

• Record your presentation so that your audience can listen to it again later.
• Move around the room while you’re presenting so that the audience sitting in the back can hear you more clearly.
• Practice your delivery so that you aren’t giving your whole presentation in monotone. Changing your inflection and stressing important words and topics will resonate with auditory learners.
• Embed videos or sound clips into your presentation, which will have the added benefit of reaching visual learners, too.

Reading/Writing Learners

Reading/writing learners will appreciate it if you share your notes after your presentation.

How they learn

This text-based learning style is popular with teachers and students because it’s all about written words. Those who favor a reading/writing learning style are likely to retain what they read and benefit from information that is presented in a textual format.

Tactics for reaching them

Reading/writing learners appreciate a well thought out PowerPoint presentation that thoroughly explains its concepts via text. But you can share information in other ways, too:

• Once you’ve finished discussing a concept, provide an easy to digest summary of the information you’ve shared. You should provide a similar summary at the end of your presentation that mentions all the important points you’ve shared.
• If possible, prepare a transcript of your presentation, or share your slides and notes with your audience.
• Provide note-taking materials like notebooks and pens for your audience to use during the presentation.
• Keep your presentation’s formatting consistent. Don’t switch fonts midway through, it may throw off those who learn by reading.

Kinesthetic Learners

Include a physical element in your presentation for kinesthetic learners.

How they learn

When some people purchase furniture that requires assembly, they’ll take a close look at the instructions. Kinesthetic learners will throw those instructions away and figure it out as they go. These types of learners absorb information through real life examples and exercises. They appreciate demonstrations, simulations, and experiments. If there is a physical aspect to a learning situation, a kinesthetic learner will benefit from it.

Tactics for reaching them

If you’re teaching a kinesthetic learner how to cook a dish, you can put your recipe book away. They’re much more likely retain that dish’s information if they’re allowed to cook alongside you. Tailor your presentations to kinesthetic learners by allowing them to learn from experience with tactics like:

• Physical exercises like role playing to ensure they understand a concept.
• Asking them to write down what they hear.
• Allowing your presentation to have some aspect of physical participation, even it’s as simple as an informal poll involving raised hands.

Not all adults use the same tactics to learn and retain new information. By understanding the various learning styles, you can adjust your presentations to reach your whole audience.