Does a lot of e-Learning seem a bit boring?
As if designers are just reproducing text book stuff and not putting their heart into it.
Of course, we’ve all been there.
Instructional design is demanding, it requires thought and passion.
Sometimes our training is just a tip.
But when all we do is sharing tips, our writing remains flat. We miss an opportunity to connect with and inspire our learners.
Want to know how to fire up your learners’ enthusiasm for your training?
Here’s some tips to inspire learners and make them eager to take in your ideas.
- Allow readers to look through your expert eyes.
I recently found our daughter’s doctorate thesis on the synthesis of liverwort metabolites. Eek!
I have never thought much about liverworts so although I couldn’t understand the biochemistry, I could read the summary.
You’ve seen these primitive plants that thrive in the most unlikely places. They’re like mosses. They grow in the crack of a tile or brick, on tree barks, on rocks. Did you know there are 8,000 species in the world and an estimated 10% live in New Zealand? Her description of various liverwort species allows the reader to visualise what she is seeing.
Of course, this thesis is the result of three years of constant study which has sharpened the author’s observation skills. When she looks at liverworts, she believes more than you and me.
By projecting her enthusiasm through her writing even though it was written twenty years ago I get quite interested, and after reading her work I followed up with some more search on liverworts.
By letting us look through her expert eyes, she gives us a glimpse of her enthusiasm. A spark flies from writer to reader.
2. Share facts and tell stories
Storytelling creates an emotional connection between the learners and what you want them to learn.
Storytelling allows us, as trainers, to inject creativity and levity into complex, dry topics.
From systems to security, we tackle topics that are of great importance for organisations and learners but tend to be a bit boring. By transforming facts, processes, and procedures into a narrative, we’re able to hold the learner’s attention and hope to make learning more enjoyable for them.
3. How to teach with head and heart
In today’s grim world let’s try and make our training more soothing. Let’s keep our learners interested and enthusiastic.
To let learners see through our eyes and teach them how to observe and pay attention.
To share facts and tell stories
To spark interest
To make your students eager to learn more.