There is no doubt that people learn in various ways and there are a number of resources available to help you ascertain your preferred learning style. The danger as a trainer of not knowing your preferred learning style is that you unconciously design training in a manner that is most preferable to you. The most popular by far is Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles. These are good value for the amount of material you get and will show your preference for one or more of the following styles Activist, Reflector, Theorist or Pragmatists
Website for Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles
Activists - Involve themselves fully and without bias - Enjoy the here and now - Happy to be dominated by immediate experiences - Open minded, not skeptical - Enthusiastic about anything new - Days are filled with activity - Short term crisis fire fighting - Tackle problems by brainstorming - As the excitement from an activity has died down they are busy looking for the next - Thrive on the challenge of new experiences - Bored with implementation and longer term consolidation - Constantly involving themselves with others but can hog the limelight. They are the life and soul of the party and seek to centre all activities around themselves.
Reflectors - Like to stand back and ponder experiences and observe them from many different perspectives. They collect data, both first hand and from others and prefer to chew it over before making a move. They prefer to take a back seat in meetings and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. They listen to others and get the drift of the discussion before making their own points. When they act it is as part of a wide picture which includes the past as well as the present and others’ observations as well as their own.
Theorists - Adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think problems through in a vertical, step by step logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories. They like to analyse and synthesise. They are keen on basic assumptions, principles, theories, models and systems thinking. They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to rational objectivity rather than anything subjective or ambiguous. Their approach to problems is consistently logical. This is their “mental set” and they rigidly reject anything that does not fit with it.
Pragmatists - Are keen on trying out ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work in practice. They positively search out new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with applications. They are the sort of people who return from management courses brimming with new ideas that they want to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and confidently on ideas that attract them. They do not like ‘beating around the bush’. They are essentially practical, down to earth people who like making practical decisions and solving problems. They respond to problems and opportunities ‘as a challenge’. Their philosophy is, “There is always a better way”, and, “If it works it’s good”.