If you’re a writer, teacher, multimedia designer, or IT guru – you could be a brilliant Instructional Designer waiting to happen. If that sounds like a vast background spectrum, you’d be right. I’m yet to meet a “purist Instructional Designer” who studied the craft, as usually, someone will enter the field via an associated side step. Take me for example; I studied architectural design, then proceeded to teach graphic design and multimedia in Universities… and here I am.
Even after a decade, “What do you do for a living?” is still the party question that has me on my toes, because a successful Instructional Designer is a jack of all related trades and a master of many, who also possesses a little bit of magic. You’ll need to conjure your inner writing wizardry to create content for varied audiences, maintain a consistent trickle of creative juices, be all over effective chunking and organization of content, AND keep your finger on the pulse of technology trends. Yes, it’s a juxtaposition of many skills.
Here are my tips for initiating your Instructional Design journey:
Never stop learning. Become a learner yourself and you’ll have the edge when connecting with your audience. Develop a passion for knowledge and always pay attention to how content is structured and presented.
Wield your words. Get writing, it’s one of the key skills that set a great Instructional Designer apart from the good. Start a blog or write articles and remember to practice many styles.
Cultivate creativity. Whether it’s writing, information structure problem solving, or devising multimedia elements, you need to access your creative flair to bring new perspective and breathe life into your work.