Learn to design scenario-based training with Cathy Moore

Design training scenarios
that your learners love

The most in-depth & practical guide
for L&D professionals

Create challenging activities
that respect learners and improve their lives.

Learn from short videos
and interactive text

Practice with the fictional client
in branching scenarios

Make confident decisions
with the interactive worksheets

Immediately apply each step to your job

Use the toolkit to navigate every project

Plan for strong activities

The 3 crucial steps to take before you decide you need a scenario
How to decide between a mini and branching scenario
The common scenario structure you'll want to avoid
The 7 questions you need to ask your SME about the job task
How to manage stakeholders who want to add too much information

Choose the best format

How to design scenarios for any format, including live sessions
Why starting with the activity, not a presentation, makes learning stick
Why you'll want to think twice about creating a course, and what you can propose instead
Why stock photos can work against you, and what to consider instead

Write challenging questions

The 5 ingredients of a thought-provoking scenario
When to use "you" and when to avoid it
Five ways to make options more challenging
Six ways to give feedback without sounding preachy
How to identify which information to provide, and when
One simple trick that will move you from "showing" to "telling"
How to write realistic dialog

Plot a branching scenario

The best way to plot a branching scenario and keep the story under control
How to create an easy-to-read plot in Twine
Why you need redemption paths
When to provide help, and when to step back
How to write debrief questions that help people transfer their learning to the job

Dig deep into design
and do your best work

More than 100 mini-challenges
to build your design muscles

See your recommended tasks
and track them in the toolkit

Download and customize worksheets

Earn your badge by doing
real-world work

Learn from 38 years of experience

I'm Cathy Moore. Since 1983, I've helped people solve performance problems in the corporate, educational, and government worlds. I created the action mapping design process that's used by organizations around the world.

Starting in 2003, I focused on writing scenarios for Fortune 500 and government clients. In 2009, I began sharing my scenario design tips in my blog.

Those ideas became a four-week course that ran from 2013-20. The hundreds of participants included designers from the International Committee of the Red Cross, Ikea, Thomson Reuters, YUM! Brands, and Habitat for Humanity.

Now this toolkit goes into more depth than the live course ever could. It will help you write strong scenarios, and you'll also practice persuading stakeholders to listen to your ideas.

It's not another course!

The toolkit is a how-to guide with lots of practice. You'll refer to it again and again.
See for yourself. Click the thumbnails below to see the full page. You'll need to zoom in.

Choose the format

Interactive worksheet

Write a strong stem

Are images always a good idea?

Toolkit or course:
What's the difference?

You could use this toolkit, or you could sign up for a live course.
Which will be more useful?

Toolkit

Start now
You set the pace
Apply it immediately
Dig deep into design
Practice with branching scenarios
Use it often as a reference
Mix of interactive formats
Certificate based on work

Course or webinar

Wait until the next session
Presenter sets the pace
Can't work while attending
Not enough time to dig deep
Unlikely to have scenarios
One-time experience
Mostly presentation
Certificate based on attendance

Write a branching scenario, step by step

Help design a branching scenario for the fictional client, from the analysis to the final script.

Wide variety of practice

Use the more than 100 mini-challenges to practice choosing ideas, writing strong questions, and deciding which media to use for a wide variety of scenarios.

Interactive decision tools

Answer questions about every aspect of your activity and get custom feedback — it's like talking it through with Cathy.

What they're saying

about the live scenario course and action mapping

I'm in a "happy place" now. Your action-mapping approach, advice, and insight will help me create learning experiences for the right reasons (to benefit the learner!) and articulate those reasons to others. You've helped me find value in my work again. I can't thank you enough!
—Senior instructional designer, US

I was lucky enough to be able to do your scenario-based learning course last year. I've just completed a SBL project. 72,000 people have completed the training so far and we've received unsolicited feedback from around 500 users, who had so many positive comments to make! I'm really overwhelmed by how useful everyone has found the training.
—Learning designer, Australia

Just wanted to let you know that I finally got feedback on the prototype I sent to the client and it's very positive. They've really got on board with the idea, all thanks to your course!
—Instructional designer, UK

I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough. So practical, so filled with insight — you will be able to immediately implement what you learn, regardless of the format or size of your project.
—Lead learning experience designer, US

Your work and framework is so amazing! The value I provide as a consultant has improved by applying your methodology.
—Independent ID, Canada

Design for any format

Want to use scenarios in live discussions? Provide them as spaced practice?

The toolkit helps you choose the best format for your goal and audience.

No software required

The toolkit helps you design a prototype activity. It isn't a development tool.

You'll develop your design outside the toolkit, using any tool and any format.

Use it for every project

Your payment gives you one year of access.

After the first year, we'll give you free access at the same level for the lifetime of the product, as our gift to you.

Get instant access
to the Scenario Design Toolkit

Solo

$975

>40 videos
Branching scenarios for practice
>100 mini-challenges
Interactive decision tools
Customizable downloads
Job tasks with tracking
Lifetime access**

GET IT NOW

Team of 3*

$2750

>40 videos
Branching scenarios for practice
>100 mini-challenges
Interactive decision tools
Customizable downloads
Job tasks with tracking
Lifetime access**
Add team members
See team members' progress

GET IT NOW

* Add more people for $915 each:
Buy a team plan, then log in and go to "Team leaders > Manage your team." More info.
** Your payment applies to one year of access. After that, we'll give you free access as our gift, for the lifetime of the product.
All prices are in US dollars. This is not a subscription. Your card will be charged only once.
Purchasing, cancellation, and refund policy

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Create a team
of 3 or more

1. Identify a team leader. They'll have access to the toolkit and see team members' progress through the tasks.

2. Buy one team license. The team leader will log in and enter the email addresses of team members. The leader can also buy additional seats.

For more, see How does team access work?

Build these skills

This toolkit helps you build the action mapping competencies shown here.

o = Addressed at a high level

X = Discussed more in depth with examples, practice, or worksheets

= Might be new or challenging for conventionally trained instructional designers

Still have questions?

Are there any prerequisites?

1. Analyze the problem

Someone, ideally you, should first analyze the performance problem and determine if training is part of the solution.

The Partner from the Start toolkit walks you through that, using the same fictional client whose story continues in this toolkit.

However, you're not required to use Partner from the Start first. In this toolkit, you'll quickly review the needs analysis steps and will find links to more in-depth information.

2. Have access to the SME at least

The toolkit helps you practice working with stakeholders, and your real-world project will be much stronger if you have access to the SME at least. Ideally, you'll also have access to learners to test your ideas.

How long does it take to complete the toolkit?

It depends on your project — ideally, you apply the toolkit to a project on your job.

You'll have tasks to complete on your job. Each one could take minutes or hours, depending on the project.

If you don't have a project, you could spend 7 to 8 hours just watching videos, using the practice scenarios, and reading. That's without using the worksheets, completing any on-the-job tasks, or following any links to more information. However, that's not how I'd recommend using the toolkit.

If you apply it to project, you could work with the toolkit for weeks — however long it takes for you to do a cognitive task analysis, write a draft, create a prototype, and have it reviewed.

The content is roughly equivalent to a two-day workshop that has extensive on-the-job work after the event.

Can I produce elearning with the toolkit?

Does the toolkit teach me how to use elearning software?

When will you provide a live course on scenario design?

How is this toolkit different from your book?

My book, Map It, covers the entire action mapping process. And while it tries to provide practice activities, there's only so much you can do in a book.

The toolkit focuses on the design steps of the process -- analyzing the task, brainstorming activities, creating a strong prototype, and deciding how to produce it. It goes into more depth than the book, and, more importantly, it gives you lots of practice:

Practice with the fictional client in branching scenarios, and learn from the consequences of your choices.
Practice with many mini-challenges: identify which type of scenario would be appropriate for a range of examples, improve weak activity ideas, rewrite "telling" to "showing," respond to common client concerns, decide the best format and media to use for many situations,... all from a wide range of workplaces and problems
Immediately apply what you're learning to a project on your job with real-world tasks, and track the tasks in the toolkit

You'll also have many downloadable worksheets that you can customize for use with your clients, including a detailed SME interview worksheet.

What data does the site collect?

Which toolkit should I use? Partner from the Start, or Scenario Design?

It depends on your role in the project.

Needs analysis; will training help? - Partner from the Start
Activity design and task analysis - Scenario Design

Partner from the Start goes into depth on how to manage the initial client conversations. It helps you determine if training is part of the solution, and how practice activities like scenarios might help. It doesn't cover designing the activities.

The Scenario Design toolkit briefly reviews the steps covered in Partner from the Start and has you complete a checklist to make sure you're ready to design activities. Then it digs into designing the activities.

Is this a course?

Some people call it a course and treat it as one. However, it's designed to accompany you through a real-world project. It's more of a mega-reference than a course.

It's a normal, scrolling web site. You can jump into any section through the menu. It's not a sequence of lectures or locked-down screens.

The toolkit includes real-world actions that you apply to your workplace. The only progress that's tracked is your progress through these real-world tasks. You mark them complete yourself.

Will I get a certificate of completion?

For how long can I access the materials?

What are the technical requirements?

You'll need a browser and an internet connection that's fast enough to handle video.

The toolkit works on phones and tablets, but you might want to use a keyboard for activities in which you rewrite content.

If you live in Indonesia or elsewhere in Southeast Asia, make sure you can see videos hosted by Vimeo. Visit vimeo.com to check. If you can't see videos there, your internet service provider has blocked Vimeo. You would need to use a VPN to access the toolkit. There are many free VPNs, such as this Chrome extension.

Do you accept purchase orders?

I live in Southeast Asia. Can I use the toolkit?

The toolkit videos are hosted on a professional video platform, Vimeo, that is blocked by some internet service providers in Indonesia and other parts of Asia. This means that you might see a notice saying you can't play the videos.

To see if Vimeo is blocked by your internet provider, visit vimeo.com. If you can't see any videos, Vimeo is blocked.

Many people in the region use a VPN to avoid the issue. There are many free VPNs; one is the browser extension for Chrome called VPN Free.

A VPN makes it look like you're in another country so you can see the videos.

If Vimeo is blocked by your internet provider and you're unwilling or unable to use a VPN, unfortunately the toolkit videos won't work for you.

Still need answers? Contact us.

Action Mapping SRL
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Toolkit: Scenario design

Design training scenariosthat your learners love

The most in-depth & practical guide for L&D professionals