Nuts and Bolts: What’s Your Story?

Designersattached to company HR departments or other areas that deal withcompliance and procedural concerns have all felt the pain. Taskedwith developing training on policy, procedures, and otherdistressingly dry content, even the best designers fight to keepeLearning from devolving into “ePresentation.”

The trick is toget away FROM just delivering data and to get TO developing aninteresting treatment for the content instead. For instance:

Fromthis: “Facts about the Cascade” – ForUK-based veterinarians, circumstances under which they may use drugsnot formally approved. Screens provide details about the policy and aprintable “do/do not” job aid.

Tothis: “The Gamekeeper’s Conundrum” –Provide an overview of the Cascade prior to accessing the eLearningcourse. Challenge: Faced with an angry farmer whose partridges aredying, the new field veterinarian must correctly decide whetherconditions warrant administering a non-approved drug.

Another example:

Fromthis: “Reporting Harassment: TheSupervisor’s Role” – Screens outline circumstances, rules for,and processes required in reporting unlawful workplace harassment.Program includes multiple-choice and true/false assessments.

Tothis: “It’s About Richard” – Using stillimages and audio voiceover, a stressed employee comes to hersupervisor (the learner) to report harassment by a coworker. Thelearner must choose appropriate supervisory responses as thesituation escalates.

And yet a finalexample:

Fromthis: “World Hunger” – Slides of facts anddata about world hunger, including some interactive maps.

Tothis: “Hunger Banquet: A Seat at the Table” –User is offered a choice of cases to review. Each case focuses on oneperson dealing with hunger in his/her own environment and culture.Cases include the person’s full name, a brief biography, and thereality of life for the person, often struggling against impossibleobstacles. Facts and data are built in alongside the main portion ofcontent. (Seehttps://www.oxfamamerica.org/multimedia/flash/a-seat-at-the-table)

Whatdo the “To this” examples have in common? In everyinstance, a designer took dry, static content and found an engagingstoryline, a meaningful context in which to situate the content. Intwo of the three instances here, the story asks learners to makedecisions and experience the consequences; in the third, there aredire consequences for the case subjects.

It’sfrustrating that some people view the word “story” as “soft andsquishy.” So let’s try some other words: Narrative. Detailedcase. Contextual example. Scenario. Diegesis.There are no cutesy fairy tales in the examples here. “A Seat atthe Table,” for instance, offers vivid realistic details abouthumans who are struggling to live.

Making it happen

Thegood news: There is nothing expensive or technically complex aboutthis. It’s where the designer is able to apply some imagination andcreativity, where art meets technical skill. In looking for yournarrative thread, remember that stories can have many roots.

Considersending a character on a journey to a destination, on a quest for aresolution, or in search of the solution to a mystery. Look forworkplace anecdotes or problems. Listen for metaphors (“dealingwith that policy is like navigating a maze”). If you’re adaptingan existing classroom program, sit in and watch for trainer warstories.

Learnthe basic arc of a story: setup (who are thecharacters? Why are they here?), conflict (what is theproblem? A harassment complaint or a sick child in need of adoctor?), crisis (some turning point, in which adecision is made or action taken), and resolution (theoutcome).

Thebad news: No magic authoring tool is going to do this foryou. This is where the human, creative part of design comes in.

Sodon’t fall into the trap of blaming your content. If people canfind compelling approaches to harassment, and world hunger, andveterinary-drug-administration rules, then surely there is help foryour content as well. Put your hands in the air and step away fromthe computer, and find the narrative that will make this experienceinteresting, memorable, and useful for your learners.

Want more?

Atkinson,C. (2011). BeyondBullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentationsthat Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (2^ndedition). MicrosoftPress.

Bozarth,J. (2008). Betterthan Bullet Points: Creating Engaging eLearning with PowerPoint.Pfeiffer.

Gargiulo,T. (2005). TheStrategic Use of Stories in Organizational Communication andLearning. M.E.Sharpe.

JoinJane Bozarth for several sessions at DevLearn,including “Designboarding:Leveraging Good Treatment for Your Content” with Kevin Thorn.