The Importance of Engaging Audiences with Different Learning Styles -And How To Do It

Audience engagement is an illusive goal for many public speakers. My grandfather once told me that he started every presentation with a joke, to warm up his audience and break the ice. So here we go...

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Four different types of learners.
Four different types of learners who?
Are in your audience who came to be engaged, to learn and be inspired.

Ok, so you're not rolling on the floor laughing, probably because it's not really funny. But, it is true. Your audience will be filled with all different types of people, and they will all be there for the same reason - to have an experience and to learn.

We all learn differently, so it's critical to develop presentations that engage audiences in the various ways humans learn and interact with information. After all, we want our audiences to be engaged and to feel connected. And every human wants to feel understood - especially the presenters!

There are four primary learning styles and being aware of each one gives us insight into how to develop presentations that resonate and connect with audiences.

1. Visual Learners
2. Auditory Learners
3. Kinesthetic Learners
4. Reading/writing Learners

How to Engage Audiences with Different Learning Styles
In my presentations, audiences become active participants in learning experiences that create genuine understanding. I combine presentations, worksheets, team interaction and physical props to create unique, memorable and high-impact learning experiences.

Let me break this down for you, so that you can use this same framework in your next presentation.

First, I believe that most people learn through a combination of learning styles, not solely from one style alone. This is important because I not only want to address each of the four styles to connect with each audience member, but also to reinforce the subject matter by accessing each individual's multi-modal preferences. This gives every audience member a different way to learn and remember each topic.

Second, I craft every presentation to have subject matter that can be experienced in each of the four different learning styles. Initially this might sound challenging, but this is how to do it.

1. Visuals - Use photos, imagery and diagrams to explain your concept. Include these visuals in both your on-screen presentation and in your handouts. Make sure you have a whiteboard or a flip chart to visually express your concepts in real time. (Hint - This helps other learning styles too.)
2. Audience Participation - The verbal portion of your presentation will engage the auditory learners, but what will help them even more is audience participation. Ask the audience questions. Have them repeat concepts back to you. Create micro-workshop elements to your presentation to evoke team interaction. The more your concepts can be individually explored and discussed, the more different learning styles will be engaged.
3. Physical Props and Kinesthetic Engagement - In addition to workbooks or worksheets, I like having physical props that relate to my topics. I want the audience to do something physical in every presentation, whenever possible. This can be standing up and looking under their chair for a physical surprise, taking out a marker and writing on a physical item, or folding a piece of paper in half to make a flashcard. The takeaway is that I want them to do something physically associated with the topic. And, I want to make it fun.
4. Encourage the Audience to Write Something Down - Throughout the presentation, when there is an especially salient point, pause and tell the audience to write down the information. The pause is powerful. It allows the audience to catch up on whatever they may be processing, and it engages kinesthetic, reading, and writing learning styles.

Third, enjoy yourself as a presenter. Whenever I am presenting, I want to reach my own personal mindset of where I am having fun sharing my content and interacting with my audience. I want to be fully present with myself, my audience and my content. When I can achieve this state, then I am naturally engaging my audience and achieving my goal of being understood by and connecting with those around me.