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“Four Gateways to the Heart”
Hillcrest Church Office
October 30, 2003
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Here is this week's
“Four Gateways to the Heart”
by Tom Goodman
There are four primary “gateways” the mind uses to obtain information. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory learners, some are experiential learners, while others are independent learners. While
everyone learns through all four of these “gateways”, we have a strong preference for one or perhaps two.
As a leader, you need to be sensitive to these various gateways. A teacher needs to design his lessons and a leader needs to design her presentations to “enter” these various “gateways.”
VISUAL LEARNERS acquire information through the eye gate. They prefer to read books, newspapers and magazines and they like viewing information over the TV by watching live programs or pretaped videos. They like watching others
work and perform so they can see how things are done. They prefer to work with visual aids such as photographs, computer screens, charts, graphs and handouts. They like seeing pictures, paintings and movies and are often focused on how
information is organized and presented, preferring it to be logical and sequential.
AUDITORY LEARNERS acquire information through the ear gate. They prefer to listen to others talk in person and through the radio, TV and tapes. They like music and are good at remembering lyrics and specific sounds. They are
also good at remembering names and details because they are naturally good listeners who focus on others when they are talking. They often prefer to hear more than one opinion before deciding on something and learn best when they can hear key
points repeated several times.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNERS acquire information through the kinesthetic or “moving, touching” gate. They prefer to touch things as they are learning about them. They are very people-oriented and like learning with groups of people.
They want to be allowed to be active while learning. This means they especially like to talk and move their hands and legs during the learning process. They also love to hear the leader tell stories and jokes to illustrate their learning
points.
INDEPENDENT LEARNERS acquire knowledge through any of the above gates they choose. They strongly prefer to learn without assistance from others. They prefer to take things apart and put them back together; to work alone rather than
with others; to learn quickly rather than slowly; and to be in charge of what is being learned or taught. They are very goal-oriented and want to know how what is being learned can help them to reach their goals. If learning is not linked
to their goals, they often “tune out.”
Now which of those four is your preferred learning style? We typically teach or lead in the manner we prefer to be taught or led! To increase your effectiveness, try to identify the preferred learning style of others, and send your
information through all four gateways!
Still Learning,
Tom
P.S. Here are a few quick notes to keep you in the loop:
First, we’d like all those who are currently serving on committees to stay in those positions for a few more months. We’re returning to the practice of running committee assignments from September to August (the “church year”). This
return will go smoothly if we simply keep you in your current positions until August.
Second, I’ve talked with our Personnel Committee and deacons about assigning Friday as the day off for all Ministry Staff. Currently,
Third, make a note of an important “All Hands on Deck” meeting for Sunday School teachers and officers on Wednesday,