I was recently loaned a book on insects. I politely accepted the loan and the assurance that I would be pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be a weirdly wonderful book… “Extraordinary Insects” by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson. Her writing is so fun and engaging I read it from cover to cover.
And you know what was best? You can apply her techniques to your writing for eLearning.
Want to captivate learners with your writing too?
1. Shine a light on bit numbers
Numbers are great because they add credibility to your writing.
Research suggests that we associate numbers with facts and when we’re learning, numbers will attract our attention.
But there’s a downside to numbers, especially big ones because it’s hard to picture what they mean. For instance, a quintillion has 18 zeros. Big number eh? Yet, hard to imagine how big.
Here’s how Sverdrup-Thygeson explains it:
“There are more than 200 million insects for every human being living on the Planet Earth today. As you sit reading this sentence, between one and 10 quintillion insects are shuffling and crawling and flapping around on the planet, outnumbering the grains of sand on all the world’s beaches.”
Depending on how you feel about insects, this is still an amazing figure. But it is an interesting statement.
First, she helps us understand this huge number of insects by comparing it to the number of humans on earth.
Next she explains there are more insects than grains of sand, not just on Brighton beach, but on all the world’s beaches. This is a whole lot of insects shuffling, flapping and crawling.
Tip: Next time you use a big number, try to put it in context. As many as there were at an All Black’s test.
2. Brighten up abstract rules
In most of my eLearning modlettes, I explain guidelines and techniques.
Do you? The problem with how-to’s and techniques is that they are abstract. And abstract writing leaves learners confused.
That’s why we need specific examples so learners can imagine our tips and explanations.
Here’s Sverdrup-Thygeson again:
“In many ways, insects communicate through smell. Scent molecules allow them to send each other various messages, from personal ads such as ‘Lonesome lady seeks handsome fella for good times’ to a restaurant recommendation: ‘Follow this scent trail to a delicious dollop of jam on the kitchen floor.’
You see?
First the general rule: Insects communicate through smell. But what do they communicate? Personal ads and restaurant recommendations. That’s more specific but Sverdrup-Thygeson goes one step further and gives specific examples. Being specific not only helps clarify your ideas, it also helps learners experience your words. You can picture that drop of jam, right?
And what’s more…
Your choice of words will help shape your voice, just like Sverdrup-Thygeson’s examples add a splash of fun.
Tip: Next time you’d like to explain to your learners how to do something, breathe life into your writing with an example, or two.