07/10/2021
👋 Howdy everyone, Kristina here.
Writing.
I've been thinking a lot about it lately.
But, before that, I was thinking about video.
Video is the big thing in learning right now. On the surface, it seems that nobody wants to read anymore. They'd rather watch a video, and video in learning has been expanding, and sometimes it feels like, swallowing other delivery methods whole.
Why is this?
> Well, for one, video is no pervasive in our everyday lives, so it's expected as an option to learn.
> Then there is that it's inherently more engaging to many people.
> And to give credit where it's due, some things are better explained through video, like things that are visual in nature (explaining how to use something) or where it helps to read visual cues (watching a customer service conversation).
Okay Kristina, where is this going again?
The Instructional Designer in me cringes at how much video has taken over the field of learning because it's for the most part, a completely passive way to take in information. Passive = less effective.
And then the developer in me cringes, because needing to make everything a video greatly increases the complexity of development. This is especially true when the content doesn't lend itself to that type of format.
But Kristina, weren't you talking about writing? Yes, I'm getting there. Thanks for the reminder.
I've been thinking about the whole 'people don't like to read' thing and the push to passive learning delivery methods. You know what I really think this is? People don't like to read boring things. They have to expend effort to read, so we have to make it worth their while to do so.
And, now we're full circle, since this brings me back to writing.
I haven't seen a large focus on it in the Instructional Design field. It seems glossed over as a basic skillset. Most of the time it's not even mentioned in job descriptions. But, it is literally the foundation of all good training, video or otherwise.
Lately I've been paying a lot more attention to what I like to read. What's sucking me into the article? What keeps me with the hard topic? What makes me want to keep going? What makes a good story? How do great writers 'tell the story' in content that is literally not a story? What type of writing does marketing use? What strategies do they use to help the audience identify with them and want to 'buy' in?
I've been thinking a lot about writing, because I think that by becoming better writers, we can become exponentially better educators.
Maybe the key to more effective training is as simple (and complex) as our writing. So, we're brushing up this skillset to make even better training content for you!
I read a fantastic article about blockchains last night. < Who says this?
It's not for the faint of heart, but it is a fantastic example of how writing can:
> Teach a complex topic
> Engage
> Motivate to endure with something that's hard to learn
If you can handle it, take a look for a good dose of inspiration. I'll put the link in the comments.
