In this lesson Vickie learned how to simplify or flesh out ideas and create a map to a happy place. Creating a map is often called outlining, but Vickie found the idea of maps more useful. When you have a clear map, it’s easier to guide your ideal learner to their happy place and make […]
The 3 steps to clarity To gain clarity in your mind, it helps to: Understand which specific problem you will be solving for your learner Map out what you need to communicate to help your learner solve that problem. Make sure that a problem is not too big to discuss in a single Modlette You […]
What is a good idea? A good idea is at the sweet spot of what you feel excited writing about and what sparks your learner’s interest because it helps them change their lives. The 4 categories of good eLearning ideas Good eLearning ideas usually fall into one of 4 categories: Goals and aims your ideal […]
How Vickie imagined Karl’s profile in detail What are Karl’s aims, goals, and dreams? He eventually wants to be promoted to a more senior position. It’s not the money that appeals to him. It’s the power and opportunity to influence the company culture. What keeps Karl awake at night? Karl worried about managing his people. […]
When Vickie writes for her learning course, she thinks about the various people who might be enrolled for her course. She also can’t help thinking of her high school teacher looking over her shoulder to check she doesn’t make any grammar mistakes. The first thing Vickie learnt was not to try to engage too many […]
The non-fiction books I enjoy mostly have two things in common: First, they teach well by making me curious to learn about something. Secondly, they incorporate the power of storytelling. Miniature stories are woven into the text, gripping me as if I’m reading fiction. Here’s an example of a story from a sales training Modlette:Roger […]
When it comes to reaching out to your learners, perfect professionals can be kind of boring, just like robots lack engaging personality. Our funny ways, flaws and eccentricities make us human, and more interesting. So, why hide our imperfections. Our characteristics are obvious in the classroom so why try and hide them behind an electronic […]
The idea of writing from the heart used to feel alien to me. It isn’t really about training as we know it. We write to train people, not a memoir nor a love letter, so why would I write from my heart? Sometimes our writing for learning is wearing a business suit, and not our […]
Writing for learning needs to have a flavour of excitement about it. When we learn things and how to apply them can cause an adrenalin rush so write for your learners not because you have to write how to do something . . . how will they feel when they have read your writing. Here’s […]
Writing for learning needs to be free flowing, it needs to exercise the mind and have just enough repetition of the good (important) bits to be committed to long term memory. I’m going to share with you over the next few Modletters some of the lessons of 10 years of writing for eLearning. Ideas breed […]
