writing style - Training design

“Show, don’t tell” — How do you do it?

Good fiction writers “show, don’t tell” so their scenes seem real. What does that technique actually look like, and how can we apply it to scenario-based training? Learn more.

3 classic tips for writing training scenarios

How to write a strong mini-scenario, why you want to use “showing” feedback, and how to make your characters sound like real people: Three classic scenario tips from my blog. Learn more.

Video: 3 ways to motivate

How can we motivate people to complete our activities and change what they do on the job? Here’s a video of the webinar I recently ran on that topic, plus a summary of what we talked about. Learn more.

How to get everyone to write like Ernest Hemingway

Text in elearning should be concise and lively. But what does “concise and lively” actually look like? Use a simple readability formula to make sure you’re writing in the best style. Learn more.

7 ways to make dialog sound natural in your training scenario

Do your scenario characters sound like robots? Try these 7 powerful tips to write natural dialog and give your characters some character. Learn more.

Makeover: How to write challenging scenario questions

We’ve all seen scenario questions that are too obvious. But how can we make them more challenging? Let’s fix a boring question right now. Learn more.

Jettison the genies and let learners think

Elearning has genies, superheroes, and wizards. Live training has the all-knowing instructor. I say all of them should stop being so darned helpful. Learn more.

5 attention-grabbing ways to start a course

5 quick ways to pull learners into a course

How can you create a lively start to your course? Try these five techniques to get learners involved and kick up the pace. Learn more.

4 ideas you should steal from interactive fiction

Here are a few fun stories from the wild world of interactive fiction. Try them out to see cool techniques you can steal for your training scenarios. Read more.