How to Coach Yourself and Others How To Perform On The Job Coaching | Page 55

6.9 Learning Styles
How does a trainee’s learning style relate to the coaching style?
The idea of a learning style refers to the fact that each individual trainee will be inclined to learn
better from different activities and approaches. Some trainees like to learn by carrying out practical
exercises and learning from their mistakes, others like to watch demonstrations and receive
explanations first, before applying what they have seen and heard. In 1986, Honey and Mumford,
identified four basic learning styles:

Activists. These trainees enjoy 'having a go' and being 'thrown in at the deep end'. They like to
solve problems and carry out practical tasks.

Reflectors. These trainees like to stand back and think about the task. They tend to observe other
people doing the task and discussing it with them and their colleagues. They enjoy reading books
and listening to experts.

Theorists. These trainees like to either 'draw up' their own theory, or take someone else's theory
about a task. In deciding how to tackle a particular task, they will try to develop a model or staged
approach to help them to carry out the task.

Pragmatists. These trainees enjoy experimenting with a task and like to identify different
opportunities to carry it out. They are usually full of bright ideas and like to run 'pilot' exercises or
try out new ideas.
Recognising the preferred learning style of trainees can have implications on the kind of approach
you adopt for their training. This is particularly the case with activists, who learn best from one-toone instruction and pragmatists who prefer a coaching programme.
Activists seem to learn more easily when they can get involved immediately in short practical
activities and when there are a variety of things to cope with. Activists do not learn well when they
are required simply to observe and not be involved or have to listen to theoretical explan F