Several years ago I found myself in a bit of a jam. I made the “mistake” of opening my mouth and declaring that the courseware we were developing at company-not-to-be-mentioned was not fit for delivery. To be more specific, the writing was abysmal. The content was a proofreader’s worst nightmare: passive voice, spelling errors, improper use of punctuation, poor grammar, and little or no continuity from one page to the next. The saddest part was that each of the “writers” had college degrees, many with Masters or Doctorates in instructional design. My “reward” for pointing out the flaws in our course content was for me to quickly assemble a proofreading team to address the faulty content and develop a process to keep the situation from ever happening again.
So, my number one tip for anyone wanting to become an eLearning Pro is to “learn how to write.” While there are any number of online resources to help you become a better writer, let me highlight a few of the methods we employed for our eLearning programs.
- Turn on spelling and grammar checking (you should never have a spelling error with today’s technologies)
- Use punctuation (yes, it really is that simple)
- Create the story first (do not use a storyboard template)
- Write in Active Voice (this helps keep the reader engaged)
- Read your draft out loud (if it sounds strange, edit it)
- Read your draft to another person (preferably the subject matter expert) to make sure it does not sound strange to them
- After writing, create a storyboard and add visuals to compliment your narrative (you may even be able to reduce your word count)
- Give the storyboard draft to a proofreader (the very best writers do)
The most engaging eLearning relies on the message it contains. Even the best learning technology cannot mask poor grammar. As the Greek sage, Epictetus once said, “If you wish to be a writer, write.” I charge each of you that as learning professionals it is vital that we write well.