Kate is sitting at her desk, staring at her laptop. For the umpteenth time, she’s scrolling through some eLearning her boss has asked her to look through. He is on the point of signing up for a subscription to modlettes, a popular learning management system that’s been recommended to him.
As the training manager, Kate will be expected to convert a lot of their manuals and training books into eLearning.
So much content. Mostly bland.
Even some of the popular trainings feel rather non-descript.
Kate’s read the modlettes eBook, “Make My Modlettes Awesome” and feels this is her best opportunity to rewrite great eLearning for the new on-line opportunity.
Kate wants to be different. She wants her writing … her modlettes … to be human, to be personal.
She wants to make a difference and help her learners commit to their objectives.
But how?
How to write like a human
Writing like a human requires cultivating courage, compassion, and connection:
- Practice the courage to show up, be yourself, and be vulnerable.
- Write to sell, to teach, but always put human connection first.
- Foster compassion in your writing … compassion both for yourself and for your learners.
Let go of the shiny mask of perfection
Wholehearted writers don’t write to impress, to show off as more expert than someone else. I used to think that sharing our flaws, weaknesses, and struggles would damage our professional image, but the opposite might be true.
Of course, being vulnerable is not the aim. It’s being real and human. My rule is to leave a piece of me in every piece I write. Sometimes, I share only a tiny piece … like a personal comment. Sometimes, I share a bigger piece of me, like sharing a mistake I once made to highlight an action that may be counter-productive.
Sharing a bigger piece makes me feel more vulnerable. But that’s okay. It makes our conversation more real, more human.