DIYEL #13 How to avoid impersonal programs and encourage conversations.

Introduction
Table of Posts

When was the last time you had a face-to-face conversation with someone and that person was not really present with you? He or she was “not really there”? How did you feel? You were probably annoyed or insulted. If this person was a friend or family member, you may have pointed it out: “Hey, what’s wrong with you today?”

If this frequently happens during face-to-face meetings, it is bound to be a bigger problem with eLearning design. Most design has the common navigations, such as “click here,” “forward,” “back” and “continue.” Although they help learners know what to do, these navigations are impersonal.

Do-It-Yourselfers communicate a lot of presence and warmth to learners by adding conversations to their pages. For example, you may add: “Click here to see an exciting slideshow,” “The link presents a summary of the benefits,” or “This will be a quick two-minute exercise.”

Think about how to be more conversational. Conversations with learners keep the lessons alive. Remember, there is a human being on the other side of the screen.

(This is a series of post from my book "Do-It-Yourself eLearning 2009).

Related Blog Entries:

Do You Tell Stories, Rumors or Controversies?
How to instantly grab e-learners attention!
“I’ve Been Robbed!” “I’ve Been Sexually Abused.” Emotional Events in Scenario-Based e-Learning

Ray Jimenez, PhD
http://www.vignettestraining.com/
http://www.simplifyelearning.com/

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"