Instructional Designers In Offices Drinking Coffee

Our Drink'n'Draw host, Kevin Thorn, recently took his family to Disney World and he sketchnoted the entire experience.  Of course he did.If you think this doesn't have any relationship or impact on your work, well, you'd be wrong.Analyzing business processes is a mandatory part of L&D work.  We listen.  We ask questions.  We watch. And then magic happens... poof... instructional objectives are written.While that may be how your stakeholders see it, we all know the invisible magic is often a struggle in organizing data and working through business processes that often don't make sense.  Most often these processes are trapped inside a SME's head and it's your job to get it out.  Understand it.  Document it. And then ask if that looks about right?You might already use a spreadsheet and outline the process, or maybe a flow charting app.  But have you ever just wanted to sketch it out and get the first draft visual done quickly in order to get their feedback?Kevin Thorn joins us and offers an opportunity for y

The corporate 9 to 5 isn't for everyone, and never has been. In a post-pandemic world nobody is even really sure what "work" looks like any more. Are you going back into the office? Maybe, you're in the office for half the week and working from home the other half. Or maybe not. It's been a frustrating experience for many, and a liberating experience for others.Why liberating? Well, some IDs used their "pandemic time" to work on making their dream of freelancing become a reality. And you can too. It's never too late. But before you up and quit your corporate gig, you might want to think this through a little more deeply. You should at least start by freelancing on the side. Doing that can open all kinds of possibilities and prepare you for what's in store.We've asked Cara North to join us and help everyone figure out and plan their future in freelance. It's a road traveled by many, but few are truly successful. Cara has 5 Tips that will get you started on the right path, with the right mindset, before you tak

Did you know the same percentage of employees who quit due to pay also quit for not having career advancement opportunities (63% - Pew Research)?We talk a lot about the technologies and processes used by instructional designers, but have you ever thought about how important your role is in providing career opportunities for others? It's easy to focus on the details of our work, and it's important to do so.  However, looking a little further down the road at the great impact of our work for other professionals will help us all see the greater importance of what we do.Don't think of your course development as just another training course. Think of it as building an opportunity for someone to improve their career, and their life, and those around them.Matthew Daniel, Principle for the Career Mobility Center of Excellence at Guild Education, joins us to talk about what it takes to improve talent mobility on the frontline and create meaningful career and life opportunities for essential workers.Matthew has a broad

If you're new to Instructional Design, or a more experienced L&D professional, you've probably seen the need for our skills spike recently.There has never been a better time to be an Instructional Designer. Job growth is predicted to be at the top of the list of professional careers. Emerging technologies and a systemic migration of our definition of a learning space has created a wave of innovation like nothing before. The talent and creativity necessary to perform this work has never been more demanding, and sometimes unforgiving.As we think about the future, and our role as instructional designers we are often left wondering where technology and good design best intersect. Is the latest fad in technology worthy of our interest, or just another one-hit wonder? In this new wave of learning design, this tension only gets more pronounced.Joining us this week is Chuck Hodell to talk with us about riding the ISD Wave. We'll focus on how to find the best design solutions for our learning populations based on

Damn it, Jim! I'm an Instructional Designer! Not a scientist!That may be so, but it doesn't mean you can't perform experiments. Testing things out is how we learn. You can ask experts, consultants, and thought leaders, to give you all the answers, but you'll never truly know what will work until you do it.  So, let's learn how to experiment within L&D.Trying things out first is how we gain the confidence to make decisions.  And the biggest decision you need to make is how can you improve your work, your team, your training designs, and your career.Shannon Tipton joins us to talk about the insights she gained doing research with Laura Overton. In the middle of 2020 they asked 32 practitioners/thinkers from around the globe "How can L&D emerge stronger from the pandemic?"It turns out that the ability to experiment, try something new, fail fast and learn faster has been a characteristic of high performing learning teams throughout the disruption of the pandemic. Experiments in L&D are under-utilised

Building a learning culture is the latest trending priority within many organizations. It's a daunting task. However, it's not impossible. Even the smallest shift in the corporate culture towards a learning culture can offer significant outcomes. But where do we start?The most important step is to define a culture of learning within your organization. While there will be significant similarities at the strategic level for many companies, the systems, processes, and resources will be unique in each case. Once you've defined what the future learning culture should look like, then you should assess your current culture. You never know, you might already have a learning culture but it's just hidden beneath a tyranny of bureaucracy. So, let's start this conversation.Andrew Barry joins us to discuss his approach to developing learning cultures. You can read more and prepare for what to expect, at his substack: curiouslion.substack.com.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always s

In this episode of IDIODC we have the pleasure of talking with the founder of the 5 Moments of Need, Dr. Conrad Gottfredson.Dr. Gottfredson recently released a white paper titled EnABLE: The 5 Moments of Need Instructional Systems Design Methodology.  And if you missed it, or have not downloaded it, I would encourage you to do so prior to this amazing episode of IDIODC.The brief white paper introduction describes it best:"When it comes to instructional design, most corporate learning programs still focus on knowledge rather than performance. Although gaining and retaining knowledge is an appropriate primary focus in academic institutions, the real world of work calls for a performance-first approach to Instructional Systems Design (ISD) where knowledge requirements are driven by what people need to do. With that in mind, we have spent the last four decades evolving traditional ISD practices into a performance-based instructional design methodology that we call EnABLE.EnABLE is the 5 Moments of Need instructio

Building measurement skills is critical for corporate training professionals who seek to align their L&D programs to business outcomes for organizational success.Achieving measurement maturity is a change effort requiring commitment and discipline. Understanding your current capabilities and gaps is an essential first step followed by determining where your organization wants to go in this area. Once both are achieved, you will be able to develop your desired measurement and reporting strategy—the bridge between where you are today and where you aspire to be.David Vance has co-authored The Measurement Demystified Field Guide to be that bridge. And he joins IDIODC to discuss how to improve your measurement capability and advance the measurement maturity of your organization. We'll discuss, and refresh our minds, on the talent development reporting principles framework and measurement strategy. Did you even know about the Talent Development Reporting principals (TDRp)? Well, now you do.  And you should lear

As an aspiring, or new, instructional designer, PowerPoint is okay to start building eLearning graphics. But at a certain point you'll need to level up your skillset in graphics creation by moving to Photoshop.After all, you're a professional now.  It's time to start working like one and using professional-grade tools. Photoshop is a powerful tool that will support you in designing and creating learning solutions of all types.Mark Lassoff, Founder of Tech Learning Network, joins us to share his top Photoshop features that instructional designers need to know and can't do in PowerPoint.Here's a few we plan to cover:- Creative Coloration for Dramatic Effect- Compositing One Image From Several Sources- Cutting Elements out of a Complex Background- Cleaning up a Messy Image with Content AwarenessWe are a community and should all be helping each other raise our collective level of professional skills.  Tune in with a friend!Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the

We often forget that creating a training event is only one part of the process. Just because you build it does not mean anyone in the business will hear about it, or want to engage. Some might say that if you use good enough instructional design practices that you don't need to do anything else.  However, if you've spent any time at all working on large launches, or new initiatives, you know there is more to it than simply good instructional design.Part of your program design should include a marketing and communications plan.  And to do that effectively you need to understand the learning journey of the audience you intend to engage.  Because, in order for them to engage you must engage with them first.  And how you engage will drive if, and how, they engage with your instructional designs.Ashley Sinclair, founder of MAAS Marketing, joins us to discuss marketing and comms strategies for your learning solutions.  Ashley has built an award winning marketing company specifically focused on the Learning and Deve

VR Headsets? Avatars? Metaverse? You may have heard these terms, but aren't sure how you might apply them in your learning solutions.  You may still believe they are too expensive and out of reach for you and your team.  In this episode we wanted to help training professionals understand where the VR industry is at and if anything has changed over the last few years.I was pleasantly surprised by the number of chat room attendees who had experience building VR learning solutions. That, in and of itself, is a huge change from our previous experiences talking about VR on IDIODC.Solving specific business problems requiring training of physical, real world, problems is by far the most used case of virtual reality, We talked about how these technologies can help you achieve better L&D outcomes and some of the many use cases. But today’s VR training isn’t just for technical skills training – many companies use VR for onboarding, DEI, communication, and leadership training, whether stand-alone or in blended learn

When done well, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training creates space for courageous conversations that acknowledge hard truths around systemic inequities and explores topics that touch on people’s vulnerabilities in all facets of their lives. For those of you who do this work, there has not been a clear path to follow for making progress. As a DEI trainer, you have forged your own way and learned as you went.Maria Morukian joins IDIODC to discuss her new book Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Trainers: Fostering DEI in the Workplace. The need for DEI trainers to go at it alone has come to an end. We'll discuss how to develop the knowledge and skills required for DEI training as well as the historical underpinnings and rationale for DEI work. We'll cover the process of organizational assessment, design, and delivery, and strategies for embedding DEI and promoting sustainability through collaborative practices and dialogues.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can alw

"You must ENGAGE your learners!"  Have you heard anyone say that before?Yep. Us too.We've had a few guests talk about it on IDIODC in the past.  And from those conversations we've learned about games, experiences, and making learning fun.  But what, exactly, do we mean by creating "engaging learning"?Dr. Clark Quinn joins us to talk about how we need to make our learning solutions meaningful to those experiencing them.  He's well known for his writing on the science of learning and many other subjects.  He wrote the book, "Learning Science for Instructional Designers". Dr. Quinn's next book, Make it Meaningful, focuses on how we Make it Meaningful.He frames the first part of the book using a fishing metaphor:"...the learners have to take the proverbial bait, becoming willing to start the experience. Then you need to reel them in, getting them from hook to net. It’s a matter of taking them through the experience successfully, carrying them through to the end of the experience, and achieving the outcomes."He'll

Blockchain, NonFungible Tokens, Crypto, ethereum, and other terms are making their way into L&D. Welcome to Learning3: The L&D version of Web3.  Nobody has any idea what it is, but we might as well start calling it what we always call these evolutions when they hit our industry.All joking aside, now is a really good time to start having these conversations. L&D may not feel any real impact of Web3 for another 5 years or more, but some in our industry have already started experimenting with these new technologies.Myra Roldan joins us as a guide in this important conversation.  In her last appearance on IDIODC she shared a game she was creating that teaches about Blockchain.  But in that conversation we talked a lot about the game and blockchain.  In this conversation we'll attempt to cover a the larger topic of Web3. We'll talk about what Web3 is today...as far as we know, and how it works.  Nobody knows what the future holds but we definitely know enough to start this conversation and discuss pote

Instructional Designers and eLearning developers play an important role in DEI programs.  When stock characters are required it's often difficult to find the right image that reflects your requirements.  And when you do find something that works it's often quite boring and unfitting of the style you had designed. So, we're often left wondering, "I wish I could make my own diverse set of characters for my eLearning content".Kevin Thorn, joins us to do just that. Kevin is the Chief NuggetHead of NuggetHead Studioz and our guest for the ongoing favorite Drink'n'Draw series.  In this episode Kevin will walk us through the process of designing and sketchnoting our own diverse characters for eLearning.If you're new to Sketchnoting, then I would encourage you to go through Kevin's "Sketchnote School".https://nuggethead.net/2013/09/sketchnote-school-6-steps-to-great-conference-sketchnotes/He wrote the series of 6 Blog Posts teaching conference attendees how to sketchnote during DevLearn. But, of course, all of the el

The world of Learning and Development has changed over the decades, but many companies have a difficult time deviating from the comfortable path of "the way they've always done it."  As instructional designers and corporate training professionals we make it our responsibility to improve all forms of learning within the organizations we serve.  But that is no easy task.  It's often a very long journey that requires a strategy, patience, and more than a few skills we're never taught in our graduate school ID programs.We are very lucky to have Keith Stoneman join us on IDIODC to discuss his journey.  He'll share his successes and failures and give us all an opportunity to reflect on the things that might be holding us back in our own personal journey.Keith has identified 5 key principles to success:Have an executive sponsorUse updates to educate key leaders and stakeholders - a little at a time.Demonstrate you're using everything you have before asking for more.Good SME content + good L&D practice = great re

As instructional designers, we're often working on projects related to very specific processes.  We want to be clear, precise, and concise, in training that process.  However, there are many other situations where training is asked to influence behaviors and build better cultures.  This requires nuance, and creating training that impacts how the learners feel.  This is where dramatic storytelling has a powerful effect for learning.Gagné's 9 events of instruction puts "gaining learning attention" at the number one spot for a reason. If you can't get your learners to pay attention and to feel something on an emotional level you are not likely to persuade them let alone help change their behavior. Video is the perfect medium for providing that positive impact.However, if done poorly, it can have a negative effect.  It's not easy, but if you can learn some of the basics and practice with small projects and shorter videos you will begin to see positive results.Tom Hickmore creates award-winning dramatic instructio

We had so much fun with Jeanne Bakker last year that we had to invite her back.With a strong background in psychology and the science of education, Jeanne has a keen understanding of how we learn and has applied that understanding to training companies around the world.We'll talk with Jeanne about a broad range of topics related to designing instruction like storytelling, gamification, and measuring the success of your training programs.  She has many successful case studies to share with us as well as offering up her top suggestions and tips to help all of us level up our training game.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Brent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow

It seems like every time you blink, a new learning platform pops into existence with some new innovative twist. There are now well over 800 learning platforms on the market. The real question is: what are we supposed to do with that information? How does any organization even begin to make sense of the crazy LMS (...or more like Learning Platform) market place.Tune in for an informal discussion as Bryan Chapman shares his framework for learning platform market segmentation, with 10 primary segments and 37 sub-sectors based on different user models.  After presenting his map of the learning space, we'll let the discussion and questions take us anywhere you'd like to explore. Some topics that may be fun to touch on include innovations around collaborative learning, balancing highly structured learning with learning-on-demand; and how many organizations use multiple technologies as part of a broader learning ecosystem.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loo

Have you ever wondered why training solutions often don't actually solve business problems? Or maybe you just inherently know that the REAL issue is something other than a training issue. How can you be sure? And if you're right, how do you effectively communicate that to management?Performance Improvement Consulting, or PIC, is an outstanding answer to that question.Guy Wallace is a long time Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect.  He's joining IDIODC to share his knowledge of PIC and how you can level up your career from ID to Performance Analyst Consultant.Discovering root causes to performance problems is critical in your success.  Even if you're "just the instructional designer", you'll want to know if the work you're doing is going to have any impact on the business.  And if the business problem is not a problem that your training solution will solve, then you will fail.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #ID