I’d like to ask you to read the following piece of text; then I’ll ask you a few questions on it.
The old tree stood alone on the top of the hill. Its dying leaves rustled in a wailing wind. Below its branches, the woodsman stood bent over while sharpening the edge of his axe…
Thank you. Now for the questions. Please feel free to re-read the passage if you need to.
Q) While reading the passage, did you have an image, in your mind, of a tree on a hill?
A) If you answered ‘yes’, then you are a ‘Visual Thinker’.
Q) While reading the passage, did you imagine the sound of the leaves and the wind, or even the stone against the edge of the axe?
A) If you answered ‘yes’, then you are an ‘Auditory Thinker’.
Q) While reading the passage, could you feel the leaves blowing in the wind or, maybe, feel the tree and the branches being buffeted by the wind?
A) If you answered ‘yes’, then you are a ‘Kinaesthetic Thinker’.
Q) While reading the passage, did you have a sense of loneliness or a feeling of impending doom?
A) If you answered ‘yes’, then please don’t worry; it all turns out well in the end.
Can you see what I am doing?
I have tried to create a short passage which appeals to each reader according to different modalities or ‘learning styles’. You have possibly come across this kind of approach before. You may possibly have even been trained, yourself, in this type of approach; where the speaker engages the audience using different senses or ways of thinking.
This approach is based upon studies within the field of neuroscience. They seek to explain what goes on in a person’s brain as they read or listen to a speech. This had led to various theories of ‘learning styles’ which have claimed that people’s minds respond in different ways and follow certain ‘modalities’, such as ‘visual’, ‘auditory’ or ‘kinaesthetic’ (feeling).
The problem is that these theories of ‘Learning Styles’ have largely been debunked, especially the most simplistic or extreme theory; the VAK model (Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic). The VAK model had sought to categorise individuals into Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic thinkers; much like I had attempted to do in my short passage above. Despite being debunked, you will still come across speakers, speechwriters and their trainers, employing these techniques. Why?
The inference or implication to be drawn from these theories is that your speech or your presentation will not ‘resonate’ with or engage the audience if it does not appeal to each member’s ‘learning style’. Consequently, speakers and speechwriters will spend time crafting and delivering their speech in ways to ensure that the language appeals to the different styles or ‘modalities’. Why?
As I have already said, these theories have been largely debunked. We now believe that very few individuals can be categorised as solely ‘visual thinkers’ or ‘auditory thinkers’, and so on. It is now believed that almost any individual is capable of using any learning style while listening or reading. A person may prefer one style over another and may have more experience in one or more, but they are able to deploy any style and to switch styles when necessary. To label people as being of one style is quite wrong.
So, if you are a public speaker, a presenter or a speechwriter, what does this mean to you?
The good news is that you do not have to ensure that your speech contains elements of all the various modalities in order to reach and engage your audience. You can pick just one style and then lead your audience in that style through your choice of vocabulary. You still have to be careful to craft your speech effectively, of course, but you do not have to repeat your points in different ‘styles’ throughout your speech.
You can also switch styles within your speech. So if you feel an auditory approach mighty work better to emphasise certain points, then you can change your vocabulary to match this.
One caveat, though. If you are delivering a speech to an audience of, say, deaf people, then they may not have the skills to imagine a speech delivered in an auditory modality. The same might be true of visually impaired or autistic members of your audience. The golden rule still applies; know your audience.
