The Most Important Skills To Look For In An Instructional Designer
Here are the top skills an effective Instructional Designer needs to have.
1. Creativity
Instructional Designers need to be creative; think outside the box. They need to be able to look at content and find new and exciting ways to present that information to the audience. Making the information more visually stimulating can help the audience interact better with the information and use the information to change their behavior. Having games or interactive activities can also help keep the audience engaged and help with retention of the material. Being able to provide a variety of activities is very helpful when creating training for the same audience.
2. Communication Skills
Instructional Designers need to be able to say a lot in few words. They need to know how to draw in the audience to continue the education and to remember the content of the education. How they word items and put them together can have a big impact on the overall education itself. Having good grammar, punctuation, and writing skills can ensure that the correct message comes across to the audience.
3. Research Skills
Instructional Designers need to be able to research the newest trends and incorporate them into the education. How do learners learn best? What activities have been known to increase retention or critical thinking? Being a good researcher can ensure that the education they create is consistent with what is going on in the Instructional Design world and can be the most effective for your audience. The Instructional Designer can also research the audience inside the organization to ensure that this audience has their needs met through the training.
4. People Skills
Instructional Designers need to be comfortable around people and know how to converse with others to get the content they need to build. Being able to ask the right questions and understand what is being said can help the Instructional Designer connect with the material and the Subject Matter Expert to ensure that the material flows smoothly. Understanding body language, tone, and wording can help the Instructional Designer get the correct message to then put into the training.
5. Time Management Skills
Instructional Designers need to have good time management skills as they are usually working on several projects at once. They need to be able to keep each project moving forward so the deadlines are met. How does the Instructional Designer ensure that those deadlines are met? Does he keep a calendar and write down the due dates? Does he chunk up the project into smaller tasks and put those on his calendar? Knowing how the Instructional Designer prepares his time can tell a lot about his thought process and give you insight on whether he would be a good fit to your organization.
6. Flexibility
Instructional Designers need to be flexible as projects do not always run smoothly. How would the Instructional Designer handle a glitch in the project? How would he use his time when he is waiting on the glitch to be fixed? What attitude does he have when given the news about the glitch? Being flexible shows that he understands that Instructional Design is not an exact science and that he needs to be able to flex his time on different projects to keep them moving forward while maintain a good attitude.
Final Word
Instructional Design is a booming business and there are a lot of Instructional Designers out there. The 6 tips above can help you ensure that you are hiring someone that will do a good job and continue to move your organization forward. Although you are not looking for the perfect candidate, you are looking for the perfect candidate for your organization so take your time to look at the overall candidates and which one would fit best into your culture. Using the 6 tips above can ensure that the skills of the candidate are there and then you can pick for culture and the best fit for your organization and department.
