The most universal piece of career advice is to be constantly learning, adding skills so you can do your job better or give yourself more alternatives, whether you want to get a promotion or change careers. But suppose the lessons seem particularly hard, or you get frustrated when you’re trying to teach subordinates and they just don’t get it. What then?

You might not be having a problem of substance, but of style.

People learn in a variety of ways, depending on their motivation and personality, says consultant Marcia Conner, author of "Learn More Now: 10 Simple Steps to Learning Better, Smarter & Faster."

"If you understand yourself," Conner said in an interview, "you can change the information coming to you so that it makes more sense."

People who are motivated by relationships, for example, draw their energy from interacting with others. That means classroom lectures or online lessons usually won’t work well for them, unless the students or teachers adapt.

"If you do need to be learning through your computer, instant messaging is very useful," Conner said, explaining that relationship-motivated people who get stuck in long lectures also do better if they can send instant messages to friends or colleagues — inside or outside the classroom.

Even if those messages are not related to the lecture, Conner said, the students will absorb more that way than if they just sat there and listened. The relationship activity makes them more receptive to learning.

On the other hand, people who are motivated simply by the quest for knowledge would have no problem with any such lecture, and people who are goal-oriented would listen to someone read the dictionary for three hours if they knew that somehow it would help them achieve an important goal.

In the same lecture, people who are visual learners would get more if the speaker also offered illustrations or at least used vivid language to describe things so they could form mental pictures, Conner said. She added that kinesthetic learners, who like to feel and manipulate objects, could help themselves endure that lecture by chewing gum, playing with silly putty or shaking their legs.

And yes, that might make third-grade teachers cringe, but it can make a difference for kinesthetic learners.

"People who take frequent notes but never read them are kinesthetic learners," Conner said.

Another concept the author explains is that people have four potential ways or organizing our thoughts so that they make the most sense. Although people use all four methods, most have one that dominates. The attention styles are:

— Time learners. These people love making lists, and feel awkward at meetings if they don’t know its agenda and how long discussions are supposed to take.

"You are probably frustrated if something has no order for you," Conner said. "Work with that person to find out some order for you."

— Space learners. They want furnishings at home and at work to fit together in some organized fashion. They aren’t necessarily neat freaks, but they do want to put everything is in its place.

"You’re the one who has your closet organized by colors or clothing types," the author said.

— Comparison learners. Offering metaphors or providing examples of something similar that these people have done before give them the context they need to understand what is going on.

Conner said that people who did poorly in school or are having trouble understanding a lesson often can help themselves with four words: "Give me an example."

— Contradiction learners. These people often play devil’s advocate. They will resist someone’s point temporarily because that is what helps them to make sense of it, even if they don’t realize it for the moment.

If you’re the type who gets frustrated by such people, Conner advises giving them time to consider all the negatives and potential risks. Then bring up the subject again, and address any of the negative items that are still unresolved in their minds.

"If you can understand that this is for a reason other than to drive you crazy, it can be helpful."

Dave Murphy is the San Francisco Chronicle’s workplace columnist. His Web site is at www.couchpotatoguide.com.