If you use the visual style, you prefer using images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information and communicate with others. You can easily visualize objects, plans and outcomes in your mind’s eye. You also have a good spatial sense, which gives you a good sense of direction. You can easily find your way around using maps, and you rarely get lost. When you walk out of an elevator, you instinctively know which way to turn.
The whiteboard is a best friend (or would be if you had access to one). You love drawing, scribbling and doodling, especially with colors. You typically have a good dress sense and color balance (although not always!).
Some pursuits that make the most use of the visual style are visual art, architecture, photography, video or film, design, planning (especially strategic), and navigation.
You may use phrases like these:
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· Let’s look at it differently. · See how this works for you. · I can’t quite picture it. |
· Let’s draw a diagram or map. · I’d like to get a different perspective. · I never forget a face. |
If you are a visual learner, use images, pictures, color and other visual media to help you learn. Incorporate much imagery into your visualizations.
You may find that visualization comes easily to you. This also means that you may have to make your visualizations stand out more. This makes sure new material is obvious among all the other visual images you have floating around inside your head.
Use color, layout, and spatial organization in your associations, and use many “visual words” in your assertions. Examples include see, picture, perspective, visual, and map.
Use mind maps. Use color and pictures in place of text, wherever possible. If you don’t use the computer, make sure you have at least four different color pens.
Systems diagrams can help you visualize the links between parts of a system, for example major engine parts or the principle of sailing in equilibrium. Replace words with pictures, and use color to highlight major and minor links.
The visual journey or story technique helps you memorize content that isn’t easy to “see.” The visual story approach for memorizing procedures is a good example of this.
Peg words and events come easily to you, however you need to spend some time learning at least the first ten peg words. Afterwards, your ability to visualize helps you peg content quickly.
The swish technique for changing behaviors also works well for you, as it relies on visualization.
If you are reading this and thinking that visualization is only good for those who use the visual style, think again! While visual people do have some advantages over the other styles for visualization, the other styles have much to gain from visualization.
The word “visualization” is inaccurate. The visual sense in visualization is only one of five senses you can use. Visualization is just as powerful when you use it with your non-visual styles. If you use the aural style, focus on the sounds within a scenario. If you use the physical style, focus on the movements, textures and sensations.
Here’s an example. You want to use visualization to help you to remember to set the throttle to idle as you land an aircraft. How can you apply each of the styles to visualize this action?
· Visual: See your hand pulling the throttle down to idle.
· Aural: Hear the engine slow down as you set the throttle to idle.
· Verbal: Say “Cut Throttle” as you set the throttle to idle.
· Physical: Feel the friction in the throttle as you set it to idle. Feel it stop at the bottom.
· Logical: Understand that to land an aircraft you need to set the throttle to idle. Say to yourself “I want to land, therefore I set the throttle to idle.”
The social and solitary styles aim more at the environments in which you learn, however even in this scenario you could add to your visualization by:
· Social: See three other pilots in the aircraft with you, encouraging you to set it to idle.
· Solitary: Visualize yourself being the solo pilot, deliberately setting the throttle to idle without prompting from anyone else.
Having said all this, the visual style is still a powerful style for visualization. If you don’t often use visual style, it’s worthwhile spending some time to develop it further.