Storytelling Brings Training to Life!

If you have children, you’ve probably witnessed the power of a good story. Picture a story hour at the local library—children gathered around, quiet, focused, and interested, even if only for a few moments. Whether gathering for coffee or at the water cooler, it seems human nature to be interested in stories. Think of a time when you had to sit through a presentation; didn’t a good story make it more memorable?

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Show Me to Tell Me: Infographics

As an instructional designer, most of my work consists of summarizing, condensing, and rephrasing existing data and materials. I do my best to make training projects more clear, memorable, and understandable for learners, so I am always seeking tools and technologies to assist me in the process. I recently came across infographics. At first glance, infographics seemed to meet many of my instructional design objectives, so my curiosity led me to do some deeper research. I found, surprisingly, what I thought was something new and innovative, was actually quite old and time-tested.

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Kicking the (Tin) Can

Every new learning and development technology is frequently hyped as the next big solution. Tin Can API, also known as Experience API or simply xAPI, is a promising addition to this collection. I recently attended a workshop about Tin Can led by Mike Hruska and Neil Lasher, both deeply involved in shaping its development. Despite all the reading I had done about Tin Can to prepare for the workshop, I still wasn’t able to fathom exactly what it did, but I was excited to learn the details from the experts...

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Let them drive! Learner-centered training gives learners the keys to drive

Personalization is the modern standard. Previous experiences and preferences shape our world, embedding personalization everywhere, including online shopping, smart phone apps, social media sites, and more. Improved technology has provided the means for us to receive what we want, when we want it, avoiding what doesn’t interest us. With this level of personalization widely available, why do we still encounter employee training and development that seems to use a one-size-fits-all approach?

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