The Power of Surprise in Story-based design

Our belief: At Vignettes Learning we use stories in eLearning; however, we make them interactive. The emphasis is getting learners involved in the story and not just telling the learners the story.
Synthesis. In most endeavors – war, sports, marketing or storytelling – the element of surprise works wonders. By using the strategy of surprise, people are caught in their vulnerable state, a condition that leads to openness and non-judgment. This component of surprise is important in the Story-based eLearning design because it creates an environment of awe and marvel in learning. 


The element of surprise adds more impact to an event or endeavor. In the movie Sixth Sense, the audience was blindsided when Bruce Willis – whom everyone thought was a regular character – was actually a dead person. During the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive launched by the communists caught the US military off-guard that it nearly depleted the American forces.

The power of surprise is as important in the Story-based eLearning design. Since eLearning follows the dynamic or hypertext method instead of the linear one, the lessons are unexpected with open-ended outcomes. Thus, it heightens the learner’s sense of wonder and causes them to be more receptive. 

How is surprise attained? 

Story-based designs are basically provocative and argumentative. It compels learners to take different views and answers that are not labeled as right or wrong. In effect, there is a flow of new ideas and it gives learners an opportunity to ‘stack experiences’.

Surprise is also based on the unexpected. In real life we cannot always predict how events will turn out. We attempt to bring the unexpected into our learning scenarios to make lessons more authentic. Our eLearning designs usually mirror real life with its own surprises.

On the contrary, when we spoon-feed learners, we eliminate the surprise factor. When this happens, the learners tend to be passive and take less active roles. When elearning lessons are dynamically designed, the learners are taken to various twists and turns. They flow with the story and discover context as it unfolds. Learners wait with anticipation and see how the scenario will turn out.

In his article Surprise Is Still the Most Powerful Marketing Tool, Scott Redick writes:

“Surprise is addictive. Surprise is like crack in your brain. Scientists at Emory and Baylor used MRIs to measure changes in human brain activity in response to a sequence of pleasurable stimuli, using fruit juice and water. The patterns of juice and water squirts were either predictable or completely unpredictable. Contrary to the researchers' expectations, the reward pathways in the brain respond most strongly to the unpredictable sequence of squirts. "The region lights up like a Christmas tree on the MRI," said Dr. Read Montague, an associate professor of neuroscience at Baylor. "That suggests people are designed to crave the unexpected." Birchbox, a subscription service that sends customers a box of mystery beauty products each month, and Phish, the rock band that never performs the same show twice, proves that entire business models can be built around this insight.”

What are the other lessons infusing surprise? When learners are surprised, It is actual evidence that they have more to learn. The fact that they were surprised proves that they still lack knowledge or have not learned enough; thus, there is an exciting room for growth.

Related Blogs

Learners Don't Know What They Don’t Know

Adding Tension to eLearning Stories to Engage Learners

Reference

Surprise Is Still the Most Powerful Marketing Tool by Scott Redick

Allowing eLearners to Correct their Mistakes

Our belief: At Vignettes Learning we use stories in eLearning; however, we make them interactive. The emphasis is getting learners involved in the story and not just telling the learners the story.
Synthesis: In eLearning, we give more control to the learners. We conceptualize designs that give learners more independence. Thus, a controlling trainer or a very controlled eLearning design might stifle the learners. New technologies are being introduced to give social media users and elearners more control over their learning environments.

Imagine that you are a teenager. Let’s say that at the height of a very bad mood you take your heart out online. Out of sheer frustration or anger, you posted a status on Facebook against someone: Hey, you #@%RTG@!#!!!, I hope you !!!#!@#!!!

Then, after your emotion has subsided, you regret that undesirable post and scramble to erase it. Too late: it has become viral. How could you hide or erase that comment you just made on social media like - Facebook, Twitter and other sites?

An app called Snapchat solves that predicament. Snapchat gives social media posts an ‘auto-erase’ capability. With Snapchat, your posts are temporary and it erases itself after you post it. 

I have been espousing the idea that “eLearners are the controllers” of their own learnings. This is more evident in eLearning behaviors. The eLearning courses have to allow learners to control their pace and learning approach. 

We now see in classrooms and conferences that participants are doing back channel conversations with Twitter and other postings. Back channeling is productive since learners follow their own interests and process ideas while the presentation goes on.

Snapchat provides us another clue as to what might be considered as another dimension of the eLearning behavior. The ability to erase ones entry into a post or comments in social learning environment perhaps is a backlash or extension of learners need for privacy and protection of reputation.

This is the insightful take of Jeffrey Rosen and Christine Rosen in their article Temporary Social Media:

But regardless of the fate of Snapchat in particular, the idea of temporary social media is important because the ability to be candid and spontaneous—and to be that way with only some people and not others—is the essence of friendship, individuality, and creativity. Facebook and Twitter do make it possible for their members to wall off posts from the wider world and share them only with trusted people in certain circles. But since those posts still last forever, its capacity for limited sharing is technologically insecure. To the degree that temporary social networks increase our sense of control over the conditions of our personal exposure, they represent a first step toward a more nuanced kind of digital connection—one acknowledging that our desire to share can coexist with a desire for reticence, privacy, and the possibility of a fresh start.

Argument and guess on impacts 

How could this impact our current thought in eLearning design where we encourage openness and sharing of experiences, ideas and commentaries?

I would venture to guess that, this behavior will create a conflict if the learning environment is a controlling learning environment. This is where it is mandatory to post and someone is policing and watching the posts. If we call this an eLearning behavior, for argument sake, erasing ones posts is in conflict with most formal learning environments.

On the other hand, erasing ones posts, photos or entries, require total trust in the eLearners judgment of what post to retain or erase. In a way, it is like a constant editing and rewriting ones work. This is natural and normal way to learn.

In my blog on “not Interrupting the learner’s learning” ,I stressed that as trainers and eLearning developers, we must not interrupt the learners ways of learning. We give them the road to thread – then, we get off the way. Let them run the horizon on the highway we created for them.

If erasing post is part of their learning process, then we must allow learners to erase or delete posts in an eLearning environment. Changing minds is part of the learning process.

So, at the end we are left with the dilemma: to erase or not to erase?

Give the learners the choice.

Related blogs
Is it spoon-feeding or discovery scenario learning?
Are you guilty of interrupting the learners learning?

Reference
Temporary Social Media by By Jeffrey Rosen and Christine Rosen on April 23, 2013

The Dream of Personalization – Far fetch but Possible

Our belief: At Vignettes Learning we use stories in eLearning; however, we make them interactive. The emphasis is getting learners involved in the story and not just telling the learners the story.
Synthesis. In concept, using the experiences of learners to personalize eLearning design is ideal. At Vignettes Learning, we believe that ‘stacking experiences’ is one of the best ways to impart knowledge. However, methods and technology still need innovation to make this approach better or feasible.

Click here for the larger view.

I presented Learning Oscillation: How to Apply Advance Story-Based eLearning Design Techniques to Immerse Learners, a webinar on ‘stacking experiences’. The Oscillation method is presenting the emotional state of stories and allowing learners to bring in their experiences. Click to view the webinar handout.

The brain only processes 5% data and 95% remains unprocessed. The 5% are extraordinary and new events. The other 95% is just stored in the memory. Stories with emotional impacts are designed for the 5%. Experiences with embedded lessons are stacked in the brain especially those with the most significant emotional impact.

In our eLearning designs, we devise ways to create the same impact with emotion and personification. There is so much to be done in order to improve this process and even create new approaches to oscillate learning. 

Sharing experiences is one of the best and reliable ways to learn. However, there is very little progress or a lack of method in the learning industry that enables learners and workers to share experiences effectively. Much of the sharing happens in social networks and collaboration tools. The exchanges of learning are mostly socially-driven or task-driven such as project activities and the like. To some extent they encourage sharing of experiences. The challenge we face, however,is how to weed out the “noise” in social communication and encourage “genuine” experience-sharing that adds value.

Stacking Experiences

The chart above indicates that learners respond to content because they find them meaningful. The content strikes a chord. It has a personalized impact. The items in red circles are examples of topics with personalization while those in blue circles have less personalization. Experiences are usually those topics encircled in red, at least for this illustration.

Experience is more important than data
Why is experience so much more important than data per se? Experience not only comes with factual data but also context of the value of the data. In Stacking Experiences, a software platform we are now testing, what we want to pursue is the systematic method of collecting experiences from peers and construct reliable learning and work knowledge around them. So I am constantly challenged about how to approach this – making experience a pivot of learning and knowledge. 

Growth of data
The article of “The Data Made Me Do it” by Antonio Regalado convinced me that we have a long way to go in the commercial world in terms of personalizing data. According to writer Regalado, there is so much data on personal activities and behaviors, but the systems and platforms are not integrated. 

Expounding further, Regalado writes:

“The holdup, says Wolfram, is that some of the most useful data isn’t being captured, at least not in a way that’s easily accessible. Part of the problem is technical, a lack of integration. But much data is warehoused by private companies like Facebook, Apple, and Fitbit, maker of a popular pedometer. Now, as the value of personal data becomes more apparent, fights are brewing. California legislators this year introduced a “Right to Know” bill that would require companies to reveal to individuals the “personal information” they store—in other words, a digital copy of every location trace and sighting of their IP address. The bill is a part of a social movement that is demanding privacy and accountability, but also a different economic arrangement between the people who supply the data and those who apply it. “

Furthermore, these movements may just one day help us realize what Stephen Wolfram observes to be the thrust of data personalization. Regalado adds:

“Wolfram is interested in predictive apps, but also in the insights that large data sets can have on personal behavior, something he calls “personal analytics.” Wolfram’s idea is that just as his search engine tries to organize all facts about the world, “what you have to do in personal analytics is try to accumulate the knowledge of a person’s life.”

What fascinates me in this discussion is the observation that data, personal or business, will continue to grow, faster than we are prepared to process. The personalization of this data is what will make it truly useful to people.

Although, we in the elearning and training industry might be too far out from the advances of the commercial and consumer world in data personalization, it is good to ponder and make some attempts to study and understand how we can apply the process to learning content and experiences – to enable us to perform better and accomplish our personal goals. I must mention here that there is a growing interest in the industry about the solution proposed by ExperienceAPI.com.

For your consideration
1. Think of ways to encourage learners to share experiences that solve problems, explore opportunities and enable better performance;

2. Reflect on where we can provide opportunities for learners to personalize the learning content, for example, always allowing learners to add their context and meaning to data and experiences of others;

Personalization is a dream of every learning designer. Let’s keep pushing and pursuing that goal.

Related Blog
Learning Facts and Foundational Knowledge with Stories

Effective Rapid eLearning from Classroom Learning Content?

Reference
The Data Made Me Do it by Antonio Regalado

Instant Learning According to Hangover Joe

Our belief: At Vignettes Learning we use stories in eLearning; however, we make them interactive. The emphasis is getting learners involved in the story and not just telling the learners the story.
Synthesis. The human brain has a tremendous capacity to store data, information, and experiences. By tapping the regions of the brain where experiences are amassed, we can activate instant learning. At times, all we need to do is allow the learners to be by themselves and avoid interrupting their process of learning.
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In a workshop I was running, I asked participants to come up with the shortest and most instantaneous way to help learners recall memories of some work incidents and events. My idea is that experiences help us learn instant learning.

Due to past occurrences in our lives, we retain certain information and react spontaneously towards conditions or environments which are similar to the past set of experiences.

To highlight this point, watch this storyimpact below.

Click here to preview.
Note: this is an HTML5 file. Preview it with IE10 or in your iPad and Android tablet.

I continued to challenge the thinking of the participants and asked them these questions:

• How do we develop instant learning?
• How do we help learners instantly a past experience to remind them of a lesson or policy?

This is the summary of responses from the participants:

1. Lapses of memory. Most participants who have learned about safety are aware of the policies and have been trained in safety procedures. Accidents do happen when there are moments of lapses where the worker is not paying attention. To provide instant learning - like Chainsaw Joe - they must be reminded of the safety policy they already know. It is not learning new ideas, but application and reinforcing the ideas that can be easily forgotten.

2. Learning by drawing from abundance of experience. Participants were almost unanimous in saying that abundance of experience is the source of instant learning. When a child accidentally touches a candle’s flame and gets his or her finger burned by it, that kid would grow up knowing that fire is hot and definitely dangerous. After that experience, the child learned instantly and carries that lesson throughout life.

I attended a TEDX session at Caltech last January 14, 2013. One presenter, Allan Jones shared a research that showed, that a micron of a brain section is lodged with terabytes of data. Scientists are awed by the extent of wiring in our brains due to the expanse of memory stored.


Click here to view larger image.

To draw learners’ attention instantly, it is logical that we appeal to the most abundant areas of our brains in terms of experience. Why? The wealth of experiences can quickly help learners connect the context of the idea like Chainsaw Joe to a past experience. Hence, when one views Chainsaw Joe, the person is instantaneously and unconsciously reminded of a past incident and the learning. I certainly believe that this is one way to help learners learn quickly and reinforce what they already know.

For consideration:

1. In designing quick and short learning nuggets, draw from the abundance of the learners’ experiences.

2. It is OK to be brief, snappy and concise, like Chainsaw Joe. Allow the brain to take over the learning.

3. The shorter, the better, since we allow learners to draw from experience faster. Avoid interrupting learners’ learnings. Click here.

For further information, preview the Webinar Recording on Instant Learning. Click here.

Related blog 
Instant Learning: How it works and how to make it happen?

References 
Map of the Brain by Allan Jones, TEDx, Caltech video

Assessing Authenticity Quotient in Story-based eLearning Design

Our belief: At Vignettes Learning we use stories in eLearning; however, we make them interactive. The emphasis is getting learners involved in the story and not just telling the learners the story.
Synthesis:  Authenticity is the heart of Story-based eLearning design.  eDevelopers do not use stories to create fiction out of human stories. On the other hand, it is their task to develop authentic human situations in their designs.  Stories are the scaffoldings  in eLearning.  It is the framework where we stand on while we build our lessons. If our story designs are not authentic, our lessons become superficial and we would not be able to achieve our lesson objective.

Image source: http://babieswallpaper44.blogspot.com/2012/03/smiling-baby-pictures.html

A few weeks ago, I introduced the basic principles of Story-based eLearning design to a batch of teacher-authors . After the given period of time to develop their story-based lesson, I asked each group to present their outputs to the class. Here are summary points of the presentation:

• A group composed of varied subject teachers created a story design to teach conjunctions. They drew a mother and a child separated by a huge chasm. The conflict of the story is the divide that separated the mother and child. They explained that the resolution of the story lies on how the learner could bridge the two separated individuals. So, they drew a small section from where the learners can select 1.) a rope 2.) a plank of wood and, 3.) a bridge. Each of these represents the correct conjunction that will correctly complete a sentence. When the correct answer is punched in, the gap is resolved and the mother and child reunite at the middle of the bridge.
• A group of science teachers opted to teach a lesson for heat transfer by showing a drawing of two broken eggs casually conversing on the sidewalk while being cooked sunny side style up by the heat of the pavement.
• A group of math teachers decided to teach budgeting by devising a story about a boy who received an allowance from his father. The boy goes around town to buy stuff but he has to make sure he does not go over the budget.

I was thrilled as I watched these teachers present their story-design lessons. They have humanized their stories and quite effectively entwined their lessons in them. I gave a couple of suggestions on how to further improve their concepts and the class offered their ideas as well. It was a lively session.

I have several blogs and even a webinar on the importance of authenticity in story-based design. Authenticity is the soul of story-based design. Stories by themselves can be fictional but they should represent authentic and believable human situations. Without authenticity, connection with the learners is quite impossible. 

Coincidentally, I chanced upon the blog of Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins entitled To Be Authentic, Look Beyond Yourself in the Harvard Business Review. The authors have very strong valid points about authenticity:

“Authenticity — what is it, who has it, and how do you get it? Most people associate authenticity with being true to oneself — or "walking the talk." But there's a problem with that association; it focuses on how you feel about yourself. Authenticity is actually a relational behavior, not a self-centered one. Meaning that to be truly authentic, you must not only be comfortable with yourself, but must also comfortably connect with others."

As story-based lesson designers, we should assess our outputs with two questions:

• Does our lesson evoke authentic human feelings and reactions from us?
• Can our lesson evoke authentic human feelings and reaction from our learners?

What is authentic for us may not be necessarily authentic for our learners. A story about “X+X giving birth to aY” may thrill a physicist but it may fail to garner interest from the learners. We must be able to water two sides of the field in story-based design: ours and our learner’s. 

Based on the blog of Su and Wilkins, I suggest that the authenticity quotient of story-based lesson design be assessed by these factors:

Point of View Factor. How are you expressing your point of view? Are you expressing it too forcefully that it can be mistaken for the truth or fact in your design? Is your design based also from the points and perspective of your elearners? Do you base your design from surveys and studies based on interaction with different people?

Positioning Factor. Do you stand at a neutral position whenever you design your story-based lesson or are you biased so that you can get the results you want?

Personal History Factor. Authenticity comes from real human experience. Be aware and conscious of your random spontaneous and authentic reactions and disposition whenever you are confronted with real-life conflict. Use this experience to make your story design authentic. 

Related Blog
How the ‘Anchoring Effect’ Affects eLearning Scenario Development
eLearning Lies or Truths? How do you find authentic stories?

Reference
To Be Authentic, Look Beyond Yourself by Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins