If you’re a social maven, then read these tips to hack your Social Learning Style and raise your grades!

Not everyone can work well with other people around, and I’m one of them.

The distraction of other people makes it hard for me to focus.

But for many people it’s the exact opposite; they prefer and maybe even NEED to be around others to get the job done. 

These social, or interpersonal, learners thrive from social interaction. 

Sharing ideas, having conversations, and the chance to collaborate, all work to get a social learner’s juices flowing. 

And social settings are where they often come up with their best ideas. 

Interaction with others helps social learners focus, process information, and gain a deeper understanding of material or ideas. 

So, if you want to know how to hack your social learning style then read on!

Sound like you? 

A social learner is exactly the opposite of what the traditional educational world pushes on society: be quiet and work alone (usually in a musty library). 

Yeah, no.

Unless what you want is for the social brain to slowly shrivel up in a dark corner.

So, the best thing to do is hack your social learning style to make your brain work for you – and not against you.

So, who are the Social Learners?

Social learners are often the ones who most drive their teacher (or their boss) crazy because they love to talk and interact with others – even when they’re not supposed to. 

Especially when they’re not supposed to. 

However, the real reason these people are talking is that they process information better when they talk about it to someone else. 

These are the people who defend their talking by saying, “but we were talking about what you just said!” Read on to see if you recognize yourself or someone you know:

– Social Learners are social butterflies who never miss a party, gathering, or meeting

– They love collaborative work and the adrenaline of engaging and throwing ideas back and forth with colleagues and peers. 

– As avid communicators have no problem speaking in groups or writing out their ideas to share with others. 

– They often seek out advice from others as a way of considering different perspectives

– As much as social learners love to talk, they’re also excellent listeners; listening and considering other’s opinions motivates and energizes them.

NOTE: Social learners often also may have (less dominant) Aural and/or Kinesthetic Learning styles.

Not sure if you’re a social learner?  Take this Learning Style test!

How can you make your Social Learning Style work for you?

The most important aspect to understand about interpersonal (social) learners is that interacting with others lights up the learning and creative parts of their brain. 

What works for you:

Workshop settings:

These are small learning groups where participation, interaction, and active listening are practically required.

This setting, which seems perfectly designed for social learners, provides the perfect environment to process new information. 

Stuck in a big lecture hall for learning or training?  No problem. 

If you can (and when appropriate), ask questions.  Also, make friends early on so you can discuss the lecture or training later and listen to their take on what they heard.

Study and Work Groups:

Created to focus on a class or tackle a problem, these groups (when done well) give social learners the interaction and constant communication their brain craves. 

These groups are all about brainstorming, idea association, and critical thinking, which is perfect for your social style. 

Can’t find a study group? 

No worries.  Reach out to like-minded people and set-up an impromptu study or work session.

Can’t meet?

Use Zoom, or a similar video conferencing app to meet online. I guarantee better results if you do!

Class Participation: 

Though it seems I covered this in the first point, it’s important enough to give it its own space. 

In other words, gosh darn it, raise your hand!  Ask that question!  Make that comment!

But don’t raise your hand just for the sake of doing so. 

Make sure you have a good question or comment. 

You know, something that actually ADDS to the conversation and doesn’t simply repeat what the last person said.

Act it out: 

Okay.  There are times when none of the above is possible. 

Maybe it’s 10 p.m. and no one has answered your calls for a last-minute study group, or even a study pair.

You’re alone, staring at your notes, and freaking out.

Then, act it out. 

After you’ve reviewed your notes and studied the material, pretend you’re explaining the ideas to someone else. 

If you need a face in front of you, find a picture of someone you trust on your camera roll.

Or, set up a fake audience with images or toys (don’t laugh–it works), and talk to them.

You can even ask yourself questions and answer them (I swear it doesn’t mean you’re crazy).

Roleplay:

Another take on the Act-it-out theme is role play. 

Say you need to learn a skill, understand a procedure, learn a definition, or process a meaning.

Roleplay can help ideas stick in your brain.  Roleplay for you, the social learner, works best if done with others, of course. 

It not only helps you process the information, but you can learn by watching others. 

Also, since many social learners have an underlying physical (kinesthetic) learning style, which means they learn by moving, role-playing is right up your alley.

Putting it all together

It’s not enough to know you’re learning style, you also have to act on it. 

The best way to hack your learning style is to look for ways to integrate your dominant social learning style in all the things you do. 

The more you practice this the easier it will get, and your work will get better results.

However, when physical social interaction is not an option, use conferencing apps whenever possible.

If conferencing is unrealistic then jump onto social media platforms to connect with others.

Also, don’t forget to find your support (or less dominant) learning styles.

By adding these to the mix you optimize how your brain works by creating and supporting strong neural connections.

And, the more neural connections you have, the smarter you are.

So, rock your learning styles, build those neural connections, and rule the world.