Part B: Learning styles

1. Research learning styles, especially behavioural traits that will assist in recognising these, and what to look for in a professional development opportunity that best suits an individual's learning style.
2. Read the case study of team member profiles at the end of this assessment.
3. Consider the following questions.
   • For each of the three persons described in the case study, what is the predominant learning style (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) of each individual? List the clues given in the case study. Justify your answers and include references to your research.
   • If you were arranging training/professional development sessions, describe some strategies that you would look for in the program delivery descriptions, notes/handouts, and study materials which might assist the learning of a person favouring each learning style. Describe at least three for each learning style.

Team member profiles

Graham manages the purchasing for your team. This is a critical role for the organisation but his ability to manage multiple tasks and stay focused are what delivers his above-average results. His administration skills are good and he consistently meets deadlines. His strong personality and his ability to articulate new information he has briefly heard has served him well on many occasions. Graham does not like reading reports and meeting minutes, and prefers to call/talk to a person rather than negotiate via email correspondence. Graham has been doing this job for a number of years and is very capable in what he does. He has confided in you that he is feeling frustrated with the same old thing each day. He would like to use his considerable skills to help others but he does not know how to take the next step.

Maria has a similarly strong background in business and administration, and has good knowledge in all aspects of this area. She has responsibility for maintaining the contact schedule and salespersons' diary with customers and suppliers. She develops customer visit schedules for the sales personnel on charts and maps which she loves to use. Maria knows what needs to be done but sometimes overlooks tasks and directions, usually only when they are given verbally. When a task is set with a deadline she gets results quickly. Finance is not Maria's favourite area and she often leaves this part of her work - including the issue of invoices - to the very last minute. On occasion, she will work 12-hour days in order to meet deadlines and is subsequently sick for days afterwards.

Gino consistently has the best sales record out of all the sales team. He could be described as fidgety and a 'livewire' but he is an extremely capable communicator. He talks fast and illustrates every point with his hands. Gino is a very jovial and bright person. His interpersonal skills are high, and he works hard to ensure the team stays positive and motivated, regardless of the challenges. He loves to know what everyone is up to and, as a result, he often gets sidetracked from the task at hand and falls behind in his work. This carries on into meetings that always go over time, as he easily gets bored. Without a strong chairperson, the team gets off course and Gino now has a major backlog of work that he does not have time to address. He is a team player, and enjoys seeing the team and organisation meet its targets. You know that sometimes his administration can be sloppy, as he often narrowly avoids getting his orders through to Maria late. You have noticed that Gino tends to take copious notes when learning something new, and then never seems to refer to them again. His contribution of communication across the organisation and helping people embrace different cultures is highly valuable.