This excerpt on Multiple Intelligences comes from my book Your Writing Partner. If you want to get the entire book, you can find it on Amazon.

The information below contains a survey that you can find in the book that delves into how different people learn. We highlight one respondent to the survey, Judi Schindler. She is a business professional who does not get visual social networks. That is not how she sees the world, which is exactly the point of sharing this snippet from the book.

Your Writing Partner Snippet on Multiple Intelligences

Everyone sees the world differently. When I was a teacher, I discovered a book that would change my life. It was Multiple Intelligences (Affiliate Link) by Howard Gardner. I am pretty sure I referenced Gardner in every book I ever wrote.

He talked about how IQ tests were bunk (my words), and that people had different intelligences. These intelligences included visual-spatial, auditory, kinesthetic, empathetic, etc.

The ideas Gardner discussed how different intelligences help people understand how everyone reacts to a different communication medium.

Many people love photos that adorn social media sites.

Still others, like speaker and performer Judi Schindler, prefer traditional forms of communication. She understands the Web, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. However, she is lost using Instagram, Facebook Live, and Pinterest.

We talked at the beginning of Your Writing Partner about how to find your audience. Part of understanding your audience is by studying how they learn.

When you approach someone like Judi with photos, you lose her interest. However, a well-written website page is something she relates to based on her intelligences.

Other people avoid text messaging. As one survey respondent said, it is one of their “worst enemies.” They think it is a waste of time. Understanding someone’s learning style helps you know what types of communication work best for them.

Interestingly enough, a book on writing recommends you add video, infographics, podcasts, and other media your audience wants in addition to text.

Still, every video and podcast should have an outline or script. Every infographic has data and text that goes along with it. Even the visual communications we look at that dominate so much of the Internet today still rely upon written communication to work.

These intelligences are one of the reasons why memes and gifs are so popular. Many of them combine the best images with appropriate (or sometimes not) text. When you know how to write dynamic business content, you can transform the vision your business has to others outside and inside the company.

Quick Action Steps to choose the right Intelligences for your Audience

1. Discover the best medium for your audience? Do they like videos, podcasts, webinars, infographics, blog posts, etc.?
2. Research the best ways to provide content in that medium

If you found this information helpful, then check out the entire book on Your Writing Partner by clicking on the book below.