The best way for you to learn might not be by just reading.

For a long time, people thought reading was the only and best way to learn. But that’s not true at all. Different folks have different styles of learning, and I only figured out mine much later in life.

Knowing what works best for you is the key to unlocking your learning potential.

I found out about different learning styles from an essay by Peter Drucker, and it got me thinking about how I prefer to learn.

Bad Students or victims of forced learning styles? Each individual has a unique way of learning, but many of us don’t figure it out until much later in life.

Schools mostly emphasize reading as the primary way of learning, which can be challenging for those whose natural learning approach is different. Consequently, many bright individuals who don’t thrive in traditional reading-based learning struggle in school. Remarkably, there are famous examples like Beethoven and Churchill, who excelled despite not having reading as their natural style of learning.

5 Types of Learners:

  1. Readers: These are the folks who love to learn by reading stuff - books, essays, blogs, you name it!

  2. Listeners: If you’re a listener-type learner, you thrive when you hear someone explain things or give lectures. Podcasts are like gold for you!

  3. Writers: These people can’t help but jot down everything they read or hear. Writing is their way of learning, and they might not even go back to what they wrote.

  4. Talkers: Learning for them means talking it out loud, explaining stuff to others. It’s like Richard Feynman’s technique or the classic “explain it to me like I’m five.”

  5. Doers/Tinkerers: And then there are those who learn best by doing. They jump right in, make mistakes, and learn as they go. Failure and iterations are cool for them. Most engineers fit right into this category.

I am a talker We can have more than one style of learning. Take me, for example; talking is the most natural way for me to learn, but I also pick up things well through listening.

Talking as a learning style works wonders for me because it keeps me focused. With reading and listening, my attention tends to wander. However, this rarely happens when I’m engaged in a conversation. Moreover, talking forces me to learn by clarifying my own thoughts. It’s a lot like writing in that sense - when I talk, I need to organize my non-linear thoughts into a sequential flow. This process also helps me spot any gaps in my thought process that may arise due to the leaps we often make during a train of thought.

Conclusion: Find your learning style.

Embrace it.

Make it your super power.

References:

Shreyas’ Tweet

HBR- Managing Oneself