My client was puzzled. He had new software for his HR team The supplier had provided a manual (and charged for it) Despite this, managers bombarded the HR staff with phone calls and made many mistakes We finally concluded that the problem was the legalese used rather than everyday language. Here’s some tips to use […]

We’re writing a learning narrative for a Modlette. Sometimes we feel distracted We focus on writing for the learner We pick our words with care We pay attention to punctuation We try to avoid poor grammar and spelling But do we forget the basics of writing well for our audience. In his book The Sense […]

Last week I wrote about four types of bland words: Chewy and tasteless Stale Doughy Low in nutrition If you didn’t read last week’s article which leads into this one, here’s the link Bland words This week I’ll show you how to add flavour to your words. To spice up your content, remove chewy words […]

You work late at night to finish your Modlette. But in the morning when you read your written passages the writing sounds bland. You can’t send it for approval like this. What happened? Have weak phrases sneaked into your writing? Will your learners be bored and switch off? Weak phrases are very sneaky and can […]

Uh oh. June feels stuck. She has a contract to write some text for training Modlettes.  She really wants to impress a new client. But she’s very afraid her text will be boring that she can’t get started.  She’s afraid her text will be like a bland chicken dish without salt, without chillies, and without […]

What if you were in a classroom and the trainer answered every participants’ comment by saying “Right” or “Incorrect”? If this went on throughout the session imagine how confused the participants would be. So, why is this one of the most common types of feedback to user responses in eLearning? How can we overcome this? […]

Ever got lost in the bush? Ever stared at a map, wondering where the hell you were? Or you were arguing with your walking companion about whether to turn right or left? Getting lost in training content makes learners feel bad, too. But there’s one big difference.  When you were lost in the bush you […]

When writing for learning our toolbox is limited. We can’t use body language We can’t shout! We can’t even bang on the table to add weight to the message. We only have our words to communicate our message with passion. But written words can be powerful. Want to learn how? Step #1:  Write with clarity […]

Let’s face it even good voice over, can be tiring to listen to for long periods. We get a bigger buzz by listening to the to and fro of two voices. A change of pace and tone. It’s easier to write dialogue and you tend to stay away from bullet point lists. Some studies have […]

Did you ever want to be a great CEO, or perhaps the marketing guru everybody looks up to? Very few people want to be a trainer because for years there’s been a disparaging comment doing the rounds which goes:  “Those who can’t do, train”.