Ever looked at your course portal and seen a sea of “0% complete”?
Or hosted a Zoom coaching call where most faces looked… blank?

😬 Oof. That stings.

But here’s the thing:
Your students aren’t not getting it.
You’re just not teaching it for them yet.

In this blog, we’re breaking down the five learning styles and how your teaching bias might be the reason students aren’t finishing your course.

Let’s fix that. 🎯

🧠 What Are Learning Styles?

Learning styles are the ways your students absorb and process information best. Think of them like learning languages. If you're only speaking your language, most of the room will miss the message.

There are 5 core learning styles:

💡 Question: Which one are you?

🤔 Most People Are Multi-Modal (So Don’t Panic)

If you can’t choose just one… that’s actually normal.

In fact, up to 70% of people are multi-modal—meaning they need more than one way to truly “get it.”

So if your course only leans on one learning style (usually your default), you’re unintentionally excluding most of your audience.

🚨 Your Bias Is Showing

Yep, we’re calling it out.

Most course creators teach in the way they like to learn:

• Auditory bias? You love teaching out loud and using stories.
  
• Visual bias? You build slides, flowcharts, and pretty Canva graphics.
  
• Kinesthetic bias? You drop in worksheets or breakout tasks.
  
• Reflective bias? You prompt deep questions and silence for thinking.
  
• Reading/Writing bias? You load your course with PDFs and summaries.
  

This isn't wrong—but it becomes a problem when it’s the only way you deliver information. Your teaching becomes one-dimensional. Your students disengage. And your completion rates drop.

🎯 Pro tip: Recognizing your teaching bias is the first step to expanding your impact.

📈 Coaching Spaces Often Miss the Mark

Here’s what we see a lot at CRE8TION when clients come to us to redesign their curriculum:

Their group coaching sessions heavily favor just three styles:
✔️ Auditory (because you’re talking)
✔️ Reflective (because you ask deep questions)
✔️ Kinesthetic (because you’re facilitating real-time action)

And while that works for some, it leaves others in the dust—especially reading/writing learners and visual processors.

They’re not slow. They’re not disengaged.
They just didn’t get the format they needed.

🛠️ 3 Simple Fixes You Can Make on Coaching Calls

1. Draw something.
   Even a quick sketch on a whiteboard or a digital diagram helps visual learners grasp what you're saying.
   
2. Give reflection time.
   Add a moment where everyone silently writes down their takeaway. This supports both reflective and writing-based learners.
   
3. Send a written summary post-call.
   This makes your content stickier and gives people something to refer back to—especially the folks who process through reading.
   

✅ Small changes. Big results.

🔄 The Design Audit That Changes Everything

Before you film your next lesson or run your next group call, ask yourself:

• What’s my teaching bias?
  
• Which learning styles am I currently leaving out?
  
• Have I included at least 2–3 learning styles in this module or call?
  

Use this cheat sheet to fill in the gaps:

✅ Ready to Make Your Course Stick?

Designing for multiple learning styles doesn’t mean doing more—it means doing it smarter. When you meet your students where they are, they’re more likely to stay engaged, complete your course, and get real results.

So the next time you see a blank face or a 0% progress bar, don’t panic.
Just remember:

They’re not not getting it. You’re just not teaching it for them—yet.

💬 What’s YOUR learning style?

Drop it in the comments below—or better yet, tell us how it’s shaped the way you teach.

📌 And don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel for weekly strategies to turn your expertise into a transformational experience.

❓ FAQ: Learning Styles & Course Completion

1. What is a learning style in online courses?

A learning style is the way someone best absorbs and processes new information—like hearing it, seeing it, doing it, reflecting on it, or reading it.

2. Why is teaching to only one style a problem?

Because most students are multi-modal. If you teach only in your style, you exclude learners who process differently—and that impacts engagement and results.

3. Which learning style is most common?

Kinesthetic learners are the most common single style, but most people use 2 or more learning styles to fully understand a new concept.

4. How do I identify my teaching bias?

Ask yourself: How do I naturally teach—by talking, showing, writing, asking deep questions, or giving tasks? Your answer likely points to your own preferred learning style.

5. Do I need to include all learning styles in every lesson?

Nope! Aim for 2–3 per module or call. That’s often enough to make the content click for more people—without overwhelming your design process.