What Are VAK Learning Styles?

Welcome to Mind Tools' Video Learning Series.

Have you ever struggled to make sense of written instructions, while your colleague seemed to "get" them straight away? Maybe they only made sense once someone showed you what to do.

It's understandable: each of us learns in our own way. Some of us prefer written instructions, others might find watching a video more useful, or favor learning by doing.

The VAK Learning Styles Model outlines the three most common ways people prefer to learn.

The V in VAK stands for Visual.

Visual learners gather information with their eyes. They learn best when they're provided with images, videos, diagrams, and charts.

The A stands for Auditory.

Auditory learners are natural listeners. They respond well to other people's voices, and are therefore most engaged during lectures and discussions.

The K stands for Kinesthetic.

Keen to put new skills into practice immediately, kinesthetic learners prefer a more "hands-on" learning approach.

We each have a dominant learning style, even if we need to adopt other styles from time to time.

But what about the people around you? How do they like to learn?

Knowing your team members' learning styles can help you to deliver information in a way that they'll find easy to understand.

To identify your colleagues' preferred ways of learning, look at the way they communicate and behave. Do you notice them listening to podcasts, for example, or reading the news?

If you're still not sure, ask! If they don't already know their learning style, helping them to work it out will allow you both to communicate better.

Finally, try to cater to a range of learning styles by including visual, auditory and kinesthetic aids when presenting to a group.

To learn more about the VAK Learning Styles Model, read the article that accompanies this video.