At the start of this year, I had high hopes for a 2012 full of innovation and creation. At the end of this year, I’m looking back with a bit of a sigh. Innovation and creation are slow coming, but we haven’t stopped trying. Here’s a review of my dreamspace statements and where we are with them:
“Our department will have a regular video production schedule set up so that we can improve our production time and our creation process. This will enable us to provide better support to our clients (colleagues and learners) by giving them a clear idea of when their project can be started and completed.”- We don’t currently have a regular video production schedule. Efforts were made to put one in place at the start of the year, but personnel changes made sticking to it impossible. That being said, right now we’ve hit a good rhythm with our video production. While it’s not on a regular schedule, it is being handled on a regular cadence of
“Social learning will be alive and well in our business collaboration space. Users will create their own spaces and blogs, and share materials, photos and videos. Learners will collaborate across departments, functions and levels generating innovative ideas.”- Our focus moved away from social learning this year for our external users, but a much larger focus was placed on it for our internal teams. We’ve started to collaborate much more over our SharePoint site- posting articles and blogs, kudos and recognition and commenting on the posts. It’s a huge culture shift for our department, but the shift is happening.
“Our LMS (including the social and mobile platforms) will be integrated seamlessly into the Learner’s experience. They won’t know when they leave the portal and when they enter the LMS. Log in will be seamless and content will be simple to find with intuitive searches.” – This goal was accomplished successfully for our external partners- their experiences are seamless now. The experiences for our internal users are still not seamless, but our technology department is working to resolve this issue.
“We will provide monthly, targeted remote training to our Learners. This will be delivered in simple, yet effective methods that fit both the Learner’s needs and our available technology. We will not force one to fit the other.” We’ve delivered this successfully with an implementation of live monthly webinars. These were met with excitement and success and will continue on into 2013.
Other goals came up throughout the year that shifted my priorities from my dreamspace statements to the changing needs of my department. While its important to have your vision, your dreamspace, you have to be flexible enough to make sure your goals are focused on what your company needs.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Benefit of Good On-Screen Talent
I just wrapped production on a video about selling skills. We didn't have a lot of time for production and I was nervous that we wouldn't get everything done in time… but we did. You know why? Not because my script was incredible or because I’m a brilliant director [even though it totally was and I completely am! :)]. It was because the talent we had on set was amazing. I've worked with all sorts of actors before- good, bad, amazing and terrible. Nothing is better than being on set with a good actor who is interested in the project, prepared and ready to go.
For this particular project, the talent served two distinct purposes. The first was to serve as a mirror to our audience, showing them how to put into action what they just learned. For this part, our actor was a member of our extended team who was familiar with the job and the technique. Using a face that our audience is familiar with lends an air of credibility to the content and shows them that we understand.
The second distinct purpose is to make the audience comfortable while we educate them. So often our learners are talked at- through voice over video or webinars. In this video, we chose to make the voice a host on screen. For this part, we needed someone who was trustworthy and believable. Another member of our team was perfect for this part- his voice and on screen demeanor made him instantly likable.
Both of these actors brought a familiarity to the end piece that makes the learner feel like they’re being spoken to directly. What we liked the most about this was that it most closely duplicated a classroom setting in an asynchronous format. This wouldn't have been so successful without the talented actors that we found.
So, what’s the biggest lesson to learn from this? Don’t settle when it comes to on screen talent for training videos. The more convincing and compelling the performance, the more compelling and educational the video
For this particular project, the talent served two distinct purposes. The first was to serve as a mirror to our audience, showing them how to put into action what they just learned. For this part, our actor was a member of our extended team who was familiar with the job and the technique. Using a face that our audience is familiar with lends an air of credibility to the content and shows them that we understand.
The second distinct purpose is to make the audience comfortable while we educate them. So often our learners are talked at- through voice over video or webinars. In this video, we chose to make the voice a host on screen. For this part, we needed someone who was trustworthy and believable. Another member of our team was perfect for this part- his voice and on screen demeanor made him instantly likable.
Both of these actors brought a familiarity to the end piece that makes the learner feel like they’re being spoken to directly. What we liked the most about this was that it most closely duplicated a classroom setting in an asynchronous format. This wouldn't have been so successful without the talented actors that we found.
So, what’s the biggest lesson to learn from this? Don’t settle when it comes to on screen talent for training videos. The more convincing and compelling the performance, the more compelling and educational the video
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Webinar Scripting
Do you use a script for your webinars? If not, you should! Far too often webinars are bogged down with “umms” and “wells” and awkward pauses while you or your presenters take time to gather your thoughts. Using a script gives you the chance to gather your thoughts BEFORE you’re on the air. This leaves your audience with the best impression of you possible.
Scripting should map out exactly what you want to happen during your session. It should cover when breaks for questions or interactive polling occur, when the control switches form one presenter to another and when to switch to web cams or videos if you’re using those.
Not every word has to be scripted out exactly, but an idea of what you want to say helps to lead the webinar in the right direction and keeps you on track. Ultimately your webinar will be easier to follow and participate in if you follow a script that was put together in advance.
Scripting should map out exactly what you want to happen during your session. It should cover when breaks for questions or interactive polling occur, when the control switches form one presenter to another and when to switch to web cams or videos if you’re using those.
Not every word has to be scripted out exactly, but an idea of what you want to say helps to lead the webinar in the right direction and keeps you on track. Ultimately your webinar will be easier to follow and participate in if you follow a script that was put together in advance.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Software Review: Articulate's Storyline
I’ve used a lot of different elearning software, all the basics- Trivantis Lectora, Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate. Each one of these has strengths that make it a leader in the industry. I’ve enjoyed working in Lectora and Articulate’s Presenter suite a lot over the years.
Despite that, there’s no arguing that Captivate has bugs, Lectora has a big learning curve and Presenter just isn’t powerful enough sometimes for what you want to do… Well, the gang at Articulate sure listened to those concerns. They created a new software platform that has the screen capture and recording of Captivate, the power of Lectora’s variables and the simplicity of Presenter’s PowerPoint integration all wrapped in to one program. Sound too good to be true? I thought so, too- until I tried Storyline. Let’s look at how it compares to the three software programs I mentioned.
Screen Capture and Recording of Captivate? Oh yeah. In a few simple steps you can record anything on screen. Then, you have the option to insert it as video on a single slide or Step by Step slides. The step-by-step slide options include view mode, try mode and test mode. This becomes a powerful tool for demonstrating processes and testing the learner on these processes.
The Power of Lectora’s Variables? Oh yeah. Storyline has variables and triggers that combine with conditions and states to create powerful interactions. The ease of creating these powerful interactions make for immersive courses that engage your audience with a low learning curve on the developer’s side.
The Simplicity of Presenter’s PowerPoint Integration? Oh yeah. Just like Articulate’s flagship software, you can import convert PowerPoint presentations to Storyline courses in just a few clicks. While not all animations can be converted, entrance and exit animations, hyperlinks and master slides are converted. The software itself is based on PowerPoint’s familiar structure (the ribbon, the shapes, the master slides and themes) making the learning curve very low for anyone who uses PowerPoint on a regular basis.
What else do I like about Storyline?
Despite that, there’s no arguing that Captivate has bugs, Lectora has a big learning curve and Presenter just isn’t powerful enough sometimes for what you want to do… Well, the gang at Articulate sure listened to those concerns. They created a new software platform that has the screen capture and recording of Captivate, the power of Lectora’s variables and the simplicity of Presenter’s PowerPoint integration all wrapped in to one program. Sound too good to be true? I thought so, too- until I tried Storyline. Let’s look at how it compares to the three software programs I mentioned.
Screen Capture and Recording of Captivate? Oh yeah. In a few simple steps you can record anything on screen. Then, you have the option to insert it as video on a single slide or Step by Step slides. The step-by-step slide options include view mode, try mode and test mode. This becomes a powerful tool for demonstrating processes and testing the learner on these processes.
The Power of Lectora’s Variables? Oh yeah. Storyline has variables and triggers that combine with conditions and states to create powerful interactions. The ease of creating these powerful interactions make for immersive courses that engage your audience with a low learning curve on the developer’s side.
The Simplicity of Presenter’s PowerPoint Integration? Oh yeah. Just like Articulate’s flagship software, you can import convert PowerPoint presentations to Storyline courses in just a few clicks. While not all animations can be converted, entrance and exit animations, hyperlinks and master slides are converted. The software itself is based on PowerPoint’s familiar structure (the ribbon, the shapes, the master slides and themes) making the learning curve very low for anyone who uses PowerPoint on a regular basis.
What else do I like about Storyline?
- The built-in characters- They add some fun and color to your courses.
- The freeform quiz slides- The drap and drop and the hotspot are my favorite!
- The built in templates- There are great interactive and character driven templates
- The community- E-Learning Heroes- This is such an amazing website! The community members and Articulate staff members are always a huge help.
- The low learning curve- If you can use PowerPoint, you can use this software to create POWERFUL elearning courses, no training necessary.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Help Stop SOPA and PIPA!
We're going to take a break today from our normal subject and talk about something really important- stopping internet censorship. You may have noticed something a little different at some of your favorite websites (check out Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, this website!).
Today we're protesting two bills: SOPA (US House of Representatives) and PIPA (US Senate). To learn more about these bills, check out Wikipedia. The site is blacked out, but they have a link to learn more that directs you their article on the subject.
If you have a blog or website, here's a link to JavaScript code that allows you to blackout with the rest of us:
sopablackout.org
Anything you can do helps- tweet, facebook, email and call your Senators and Congress People. Notify your friends and family. Stand up and fight!
Today we're protesting two bills: SOPA (US House of Representatives) and PIPA (US Senate). To learn more about these bills, check out Wikipedia. The site is blacked out, but they have a link to learn more that directs you their article on the subject.
If you have a blog or website, here's a link to JavaScript code that allows you to blackout with the rest of us:
sopablackout.org
Anything you can do helps- tweet, facebook, email and call your Senators and Congress People. Notify your friends and family. Stand up and fight!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Engaging and Entertaining your Learners
Our company recently reorganized. My department went from supporting one specific group of users, to a much broader group. One of the new groups I work with are the agents at our call centers. As anyone who as ever worked in a call center knows, this is a tough job. Generally speaking, customers don’t call a company (or a help desk) when things are going well. So you spend your work week fielding concerns, issues, instruct opportunities and the occasional venting via scream. I can tell you right now, I’m not sure I’d last a week. But the people in our call center? They’re wonderful- Funny and nice and excited and generally interested in the company, the product and the tools available to them.
Engagement for the call agents is really important. Sometimes it can feel a little bit like high school- bulletin boards, themed days, contests, baked goodies, giveaways. Yeah, a little like high school, but worth it. It's all to promote our strategy and reinforce the metrics they’re held to. We also hold very popular “Blitz” weeks. These are run similarly to a career fair. Experts on the particular topic are on hand to answer the agents’ questions, provide information and give insight into new products and initiatives.
This week marks the first blitz of the year, the “Ready…Set…GO!!” Blitz. This blitz introduces the agent to the metrics the call center is held to for the year and the tools we’re providing to help them reach these metrics. This slightly dry topic has been spruced up with a race theme. Each group of agents must complete the race track- stopping at each of the 6 pit stops. Each pit stop is manned by the subject matter expert for that topic. This puts a face to the metric, process or system, something the agents really like. Each SME has 5 minutes to get the important information to the agent. Kitchen timers sound after the time has run out forcing the SMEs to be succinct, clear and quick. Each pit stop has some sort of takeaway- generally a 1 page handout with the most important information and some sort of fun (we had race cars, Hershey kisses, our videos playing on an iPad and one of our team playing the Paparazzi).
At the end, the agent is directed to our LMS to complete a short, 6 question knowledge check based on what they just learned. Anyone who scores 100% is entered in a drawing to win one of our most popular products. I love this model. It’s fun, entertaining, informative and doesn’t waste anyone’s time. I really like that it pulls together many forms of training (instructor led, online, traditional handouts) and blends them together in a way that feels natural and easy, not forced. I really enjoyed meeting my coworkers and sharing our department with them.
It’s difficult shifting my attitude from remote, online only training to this entertaining, engaging blended approach. The demographic of this group of learners is much different than the demographic of the focused, specific group we supported before. I think everyone we train can benefit from some version of this sort of training. Every employee, remote or onsite, wants to know that they’re worth the time and that they’re success is vital to the company.
What do you do to bring some entertainment and engagement into your training?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Where are You Going in 2012?
Happy New Year and welcome to Learntastic! If you’d like to know about the author, click the Megtastic tab at the top of the screen. A few things you should know before you get started, sometimes we make up our own words, concepts or sayings here at Learntastic. If we ever make you go “What?” click the Wordtastic tab at the top of the screen for a definition. We’ll try to link you there when necessary. Alright, let’s get started!
My first post of the year (and ever here on Learntastic!!) was going to be a review of the trends in e-learning for 2012. I just wasn’t happy with what I found. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with many things I read (Cloud development, social learning is necessary, mobile learning!), but I just didn’t have anything to contribute to the articles I found. That, and most of the articles I found were thinly veiled ads for different companies, which really annoys me.
I thought I’d talk about where I was going in 2012 instead. My department develops all training for our Service function (warranties, call centers, repairs, parts and accessory replacement, etc), but my little group focuses specifically on the media needs for this training. We produce videos, animations, sound clips, interactive courses, quizzes, graphics, photos and manage the delivery of this content through our learning management system.
2012 is our year of change, simplification and fine-tuning. Last year we focused on developing and implementing a flexible learning management system that can meet the needs of our various learners. This year we need to focus on providing accessible materials that can be accessed on demand and training that can be grouped into curriculum and courses that help guide our learners through their careers.
So where do I see my department ending up by this time next year? Here are my Dreamspace statements:
“Our department will have a regular video production schedule set up so that we can improve our production time and our creation process. This will enable us to provide better support to our clients (colleagues and learners) by giving them a clear idea of when their project can be started and completed.”
“Social learning will be alive and well in our business collaboration space. Users will create their own spaces and blogs, and share materials, photos and videos. Learners will collaborate across departments, functions and levels generating innovative ideas.”
“Our LMS (including the social and mobile platforms) will be integrated seamlessly into the Learner’s experience. They won’t know when they leave the portal and when they enter the LMS. Log in will be seamless and content will be simple to find with intuitive searches.”
“We will provide monthly, targeted remote training to our Learners. This will be delivered in simple, yet effective methods that fit both the Learner’s needs and our available technology. We will not force one to fit the other.”
Where are you going in 2012?
My first post of the year (and ever here on Learntastic!!) was going to be a review of the trends in e-learning for 2012. I just wasn’t happy with what I found. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with many things I read (Cloud development, social learning is necessary, mobile learning!), but I just didn’t have anything to contribute to the articles I found. That, and most of the articles I found were thinly veiled ads for different companies, which really annoys me.I thought I’d talk about where I was going in 2012 instead. My department develops all training for our Service function (warranties, call centers, repairs, parts and accessory replacement, etc), but my little group focuses specifically on the media needs for this training. We produce videos, animations, sound clips, interactive courses, quizzes, graphics, photos and manage the delivery of this content through our learning management system.
2012 is our year of change, simplification and fine-tuning. Last year we focused on developing and implementing a flexible learning management system that can meet the needs of our various learners. This year we need to focus on providing accessible materials that can be accessed on demand and training that can be grouped into curriculum and courses that help guide our learners through their careers.
So where do I see my department ending up by this time next year? Here are my Dreamspace statements:
“Our department will have a regular video production schedule set up so that we can improve our production time and our creation process. This will enable us to provide better support to our clients (colleagues and learners) by giving them a clear idea of when their project can be started and completed.”
“Social learning will be alive and well in our business collaboration space. Users will create their own spaces and blogs, and share materials, photos and videos. Learners will collaborate across departments, functions and levels generating innovative ideas.”
“Our LMS (including the social and mobile platforms) will be integrated seamlessly into the Learner’s experience. They won’t know when they leave the portal and when they enter the LMS. Log in will be seamless and content will be simple to find with intuitive searches.”
“We will provide monthly, targeted remote training to our Learners. This will be delivered in simple, yet effective methods that fit both the Learner’s needs and our available technology. We will not force one to fit the other.”
Where are you going in 2012?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)