1. It was a dark and stormy night…

2. About Engagement
Just as with a play, movie, television show, dance, or speech, you need to capture your audience’s attention from the very first moment. And never let it go.
This roundtable will focus on how to start your eLearning in a more compelling way that will capture your target audience’s interest.
We’ll do that using some Rules and Tools….

3. About Engagement Most eLearning courses start with something like:
Welcome to this training on X. It is important for the company that you understand all about X. Here are your objectives. There will be a quiz at the end.
Instead, let’s start our eLearning by getting the learner involved using some Rules and Tools….

4. Rules Make them want to engage with your content.
To do that, find an angle that speaks to your specific audience. Why should they care? What’s important to them?
Make your learner the hero (either explicitly or implicitly). Make it all about them.
Break a few rules. Give them a new experience, even if it’s in small ways.
Companies often make the mistake of forcing their training content onto learners, rather than inviting the employees to the table as players, as contributors—as heroes who can help solve the challenge. The challenge might be honoring a compliance policy, mastering a new software, or becoming a valuable new hire. Learning happens when people want it to happen. When they choose to engage with your content. Make it easy for them.

5. Tangible Tools Word choice and usage Images Sounds Video Interactions
Words, images, sounds, interactions—these are all valuable ways to stimulate the learner’s senses and involve them on a deeper level.
Choose them all with care. Craft voiceover scripts that sound like someone talking, not lecturing. Use these tools to connect with your audience’s emotions and intelligence.

6. Intangible Tools Humor (appropriate to audience/company)
Mystery/exploration
Surprise
Scenario/Storytelling
Inspiration
Game-like elements
Corporations are often afraid of humor—and they lose out as a result. Appropriate humor is a HUGE and powerful tool for engaging your audience. Be bold. When learners laugh, they’re engaged, and you have a chance to teach them something.
Who doesn’t love a hint of mystery, or the chance to explore a new environment on their own? Remember: adult learners value the ability to make choices for themselves. By the same token, never frustrate your learner; just tickle their interest.
Surprise is one of the triggers that releases endorphins in the brain. Use that fact to entertain and engage your learner.
Many topics lend themselves to a scenario or story setting. Who doesn’t love a good story? It can help learners relate to your topic(s), if they recognize the world and the people in the picture you paint for them with your words and images.
Inspiring people to take action, appealing to a learner’s “better self,” can be another way to engage your audience. But it can’t be bogus. To inspire them, you have to choose your words and images with great care.

7. Your Project
And your chance
to shine!

8. From the Appendix, pick a topic (or come up with one of your own if you prefer).
Leverage the free image and audio samples included in the Appendix (or come up with your own).
Using the Tools, and guided by the Rules, create 1-3 slides showing us an engaging way you might start an eLearning course on that topic. Describe any interactions you propose in the Notes for each slide.
Let your imagination run wild, and have fun!
Send the files to no later than Tuesday, May 17th at 5pm. Earlier is great!

9. Appendix Free Stuff you can use for this project and others, too!
(But you can’t sell them, okay?
‘Cause that would be wrong.)

10. Choose a Topic: New hire onboarding or new hire orientation
Compliance: information security, sexual harassment, or equality in the workplace
Sales management coaching
Accounting/Finance best practices
Software training

11. From Unsplash.com and DeathtotheStockPhoto.com
Free Images
From Unsplash.com and DeathtotheStockPhoto.com

37. Free Audio, Video, & More
From Various Sources

38. Free Audio http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml
Great links for audio & visual freebies:

39. We look forward to seeing what you create!
Remember to send your slides to by 5pm Tuesday, 5/17.