Thinking Styles: “You Talkin’ to Me?!”

If you’re at a loud party and someone says your name from across the room, you will usually turn. There are things that your mind pays attention to, and things it doesn’t pay attention to. And this is different for different people. So if you “wanna be talkin’ to me,” for each particular person, it can help to know how that person thinks best.

Lila mentioned in her comments here that different people have different ways of remember things. For example, she said, for best retention, some people need to see a list of items while others need to hear them. True that, double true.

I was thinking, “What are the different dimensions along which people learn and think differently?” When you search for “learning styles,” the two main topics that you’ll find are Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic and MBTI, but there are so many others. Today, we check out some of the dimensions along which people think differently!

MOST WELL-KNOWN CATEGORIES OF THINKING STYLES

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* Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic
You may have heard this when you were in college: some people absorb information best when it is seen (visual), heard (auditory), or touched/sensed/experienced (kinesthetic). The typical examples are the equation that is written on the board, the equation that is repeatedly spoken in the classroom, and the lab experiment that you perform. Here and here are summaries of the three different styles. Here is a quick assessment you can take to determine your style among the three.

* Myers-Briggs dimensions
I was surprised that there is a lot written about teaching to the four different dimensions of the MBTI type. I was introduced to the MBTI in a business context, and so I’ve never thought of it as a thinking styles assessment, but more as an overall personality assessment – especially for the business context. However there are some sites out there that particularly discuss the learning styles of the MBTI: here and here.
Continue reading “Thinking Styles: “You Talkin’ to Me?!””

How Do You Become an Expert?

Hi guys, happy Friday!
Clarification: not “how would you become an expert?” but “how DO YOU become an expert?”

How have you become an expert on any topic?
What did you do? What was the most effective part of what you did?

Here are my items in which I’ve become an expert (I guess answering this question kind of makes you brag):
* How to run a start-up company
* How to do accounting for a company
* How to rock climb
* How to ballroom dance

“Expert” is a person’s own definition, but when you’re commenting here, please just brag! :) Don’t hold back. Let it all out. I’m a fan of bragging among friends! One of the ways that I define expert is that I could teach an intro class in any of those above topics, and that’s my personal indication of expertise.

How do I become an expert?
* Practice something diligently – e.g.: rockclimbing 3x per week
* Do it a long time, for many years – e.g.: running a company and accounting
* Take classes! – I love taking classes and learning from experts – rock climbing, dance, going to hear CEO’s speak
* Form my own opinions on the topic, OWN the topic – be able to teach rockclimbing, implement company decisions, take a position on the correct way to do something in business.
* Read or watch videos or go live to see more of the topic.

Welcome to Friday questions! Look forward to reading your answers. :)

Why?

Why?

* Because it is the way of the world.
* Because you want to.
* Because that’s how the cycle of life goes.
* Because of you, because of me.
* Because.

* Because the little prince and charlie brown have a lot of the answers.
* Because every life is different.
* Because YOU ALREADY KNOW.
* Because nature is out there, and the wind blows through the tops of the trees.
* Because of the march of the penguins.

* Because only you know why you choose to climb the mountains you choose to climb.
* Because we seek bliss.
* Because it is an incredible feeling to be alive.


Today’s question: Why?

On Fridays, I post a question. I would love it if you feel like answering the question. :) Thanks. (I’m a big fan of privacy also, so if you don’t want to put your name in, just use an initial or just fill in the letter “A” and we’ll know it’s anonymous, and if you don’t want to put your email address for privacy reasons, just put mine – it’s at the link ‘email me’ above.)

Which is your favorite room in your house?

I spent a lot of time in my study this weekend, writing a paper… and my answer is:

MY STUDY!!!!! I love, love, love having my bookshelves filled with books, and organized by subject. I love having it clean in there, just one simple desk, and being able to sit at that desk. I’m a huge fan of the window and that it’s often breezy in there despite it being summer and quite quite warm in general. That’s all.


Would love to hear your answers! (We’ll still have the Friday question, but this week we’ll have this Wed question too). :) I’m actually especially interested in this question because I wonder which rooms you guys really love the most – I wonder if it’ll be a range of rooms, or if people will have similar views on which room.

Who are you happiest around?

Who are you most happy around? What are the qualities of that person? What is that person like?
* Adventurous people, confident & crazy people!
* Optimists
* Dreamers
* People who love a sport, their job, or some topic!

When you read this question… you may have thought of a person or of some people. What is it about being around that person or those people makes you so happy?
* Feeling comfortable makes me happy
* Doing new things that I might otherwise not do makes me happy
* When talking feels good, that makes me happy (also, when I learn new things about the world!)

This is my first time posting a two-part question! Here goes:
a) Who are you most happy around?
b) What is it about being around that person or those people makes you so happy?


On Fridays, I post questions because I love questions. I would love it if you feel like answering the questions! Thanks. (I’m a big fan of privacy also, so if you don’t want to put your name in, just use an initial or just fill in the letter “A” and we’ll know it’s anonymous, and if you don’t want to put your email address for privacy reasons, just put mine – it’s at the link ‘email me’ above.)

What’s the Best Thing in the World?

Question Day! I’m so glad it’s Friday, question day on this blog! I love questions! Am looking forward to hearing your comments on this! Have a super Friday and best of the weekend!

What’s the best thing in the world?

* Breathing
* The Wind
* Family, Friends
* Calm, relaxed happiness
* Reading a fiction book while eating a bowl of blueberries
* When you feel good inside
* When you don’t need to rush
* Being high up on a mountain in the warm wind

Those are some of my answers. What are yours?


On Fridays, I am going to post questions because I love questions and ask myself questions regularly. I would love it if you feel like answering the questions! Thanks. (I’m a big fan of privacy also, so if you don’t want to put your name in, just use an initial or just fill in the letter “A” and we’ll know it’s anonymous, and if you don’t want to put your email address for privacy reasons, just put mine – it’s at the link ’email me’ above.)