Better Now – How A Book On Visual-Spatial Learning Improved How We Serve Customers

The clock on the wall showed I only had a few minutes left to complete the test. Most of the other students were done and as I looked down at my multiple-choice quiz, there were a lot of blank circles. I tried going through each question again, struggling to recall the lesson. Times up, the teacher said. I reluctantly turned in the sheet of paper – another failure.

If that story rings true for you, or if you have struggled in timed scenarios, or have been accused of daydreaming when you should have been working, take heart. Chances are that the way the task or information was given to you conflicts with your innate learning style. That style and overcoming the challenges that come with it are the focal points of Visual-Spatial Learners by Alexandra Golon. In Visual-Spatial Learners, Golon gives us both hope and practical tips to succeed.

What Is Visual-Spatial Learning?

Golon begins with a breakdown of the two primary learning styles. These are audio-sequential and visual-spatial.

Audio-sequential are those learners who think in words and in a sequential manner. This is the style of most traditional schooling (think lecture-based). In contrast, a visual-spatial individual thinks more in pictures. They often remember what they see, but forget what they hear. They may struggle under pressure, especially with timed tests. Likewise – getting organized can be a challenge. If this feels like you or someone you know – you’re not alone! Research by the author and others indicates that up to a third of their students lean toward this learning style.

Golon provides a simple checklist to help both adults and parents identify if they or their children are visual-spatial. A key point in Visual-Spatial Learners is that improvement is possible, regardless of a person’s innate learning preference. I couldn’t agree more.

The Impact Of This Book

Visual-Spatial Learners has had a profound impact on me and my business, COS Exterior Services. This book helped me improve how I communicate and increased my empathy for others.

When a customer contacts COS Exterior Services, our estimating process happens all over the phone. By asking questions and listening carefully, I can give that potential customer an accurate price. However, this approach isn’t ideal for everyone.

Remember, a person with a visual-spatial orientation often thinks in pictures. So, I’ve created several infographics that illustrate what we do. The intent behind these infographics is to reach customers who want to see what we’re talking about. Here’s an example:

Besides better communication, this book has also increased my empathy for others. One of the main points Golon makes is that our society, our school system, and our workplaces are geared towards an audio-sequential learning style. Yet, a significant part of the population thinks and learns differently.

I’ve started to think about ways to show rather than tell things to customers. One example is that after a gutter cleaning service, all clients receive receive a personalized video. It’s much easier to understand why your gutters were clogged before our service or what I mean by a downspout outlet if you can see these things.

Visual-spatial learners also helped me to challenge some long-held beliefs about myself.

Changing My Identity Story

For most of my life, I’ve struggled to be successful. Whether it was in school, sports, or even jobs, there were many failures. These failures led me to believe that I was dumb. Golon’s book

helped me to understand that these challenges are because I’m different. The way a visual-spatial person’s brain is wired is unique. Below are some ways to help harness that unique wiring.

3 Tips That Everyone Can Use

Visual-Spatial Learners provides us with many practical tips. Golon gives advice to improve in areas like reading and spelling, as well as ways to make learning new things easier and become better organized. Here are the nuggets I’ve applied to myself and COS Exterior Services.

• Use the mind mapping technique.
  • This technique is an excellent way to organize your thoughts around a topic. Start with a central idea in the middle of a page. Then create boxes with other ideas off of that.
• Color code things
  • For many folks, color helps them stay organized. One of the processes COS Exterior Services uses is a post-job checklist. This checklist ensures things like gates being closed and faucets being turned off get done. The issue I had, was needing to differenate at a glance which checklist to bring for each job. Now, I use different color stickies to identify them.
• Break those long tasks into smaller chunks
  • In her book, Golon states that waiting until the last day when an assignment is due, is a classic indicator of the visual-spatial learner. I know I struggle with this. Lay out longer assignments or tasks on a schedule. Then, work backward to help build a plan that ensures you or your student isn’t working on things at the 11^th hour. I used this scheduling technique to help plan our Black Forest, CO Gutter Cleaning blog series.

Recommendation

Before reading Visual-Spatial Learners, I had always had some internal head trash that said you’re dumb. Yet that’s not true. But for many visual-spatial learners, they can feel or get labeled this way because how their brains work is different than how our schools and workplaces are geared to work.

If you can’t tell already, I enjoyed this book, Visual-Spatial Learners. The content is immediately useful, written in a clean straightforward style, that inspired me to improve myself and my business. I hope you’ll find a similar inspiration.