eLearning Leadership Blog

Reposting October 29, 2019 in honor of National Cat Day

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

If the Internet has taught us anything over the last twenty-five years, it’s that every single event in the history of all humanity can somehow be represented by adorable cat videos. Why fight it? We present some common instructional design truths best illustrated by, you got it—those furry little monsters.

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

In my last blog, I introduced the 2014 book, The Marshmallow Test by researcher Walter Mischel. His life’s work reveals insights collected from decades of research on willpower and its relationship to decision-making. While this book was not written for instructional designers, the implications for the affective domain are fascinating.

My previous blog addressed the power of “hot and cold focus” in decision-making moments as well as how we might use those insights in creating training experiences. Now, I’d like to share insights equally applicable to the world of training.

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

My favorite analysis question to ask clients is: “What if your target audience already understands how to perform the behavior you’ve outlined, but just doesn’t feel like doing it?”

Very often, I receive a blank stare with a standard answer. “They have to do it. It’s their job.”

I never get to say what I’m thinking, “Well then, why aren’t they?”

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

I want you to read every line of this blog post, so here’s what I’m going to do. I will give you 50 points, and you can use those points to buy an avatar and accessories. No, wait—

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

"I don't have a spring-form pan. Can I use a regular cake pan for this raspberry truffle cheesecake?" – TV show host to guest chef, HGTV

I saw this question asked on television one Saturday afternoon.

One might argue that this TV show host didn't ask me this question directly. One might even argue that the question is not related to e-learning. Yes, one might make this case.

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

We remember stories.

Stories provide an organizing structure that makes the subject matter more relevant to learners and can maintain learners' interest throughout a lengthy module or course; the stories lend personal importance that can be lost when dealing with abstract facts and rules.

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

Regularly, I see clients get excited about the possibility of using phones for training without considering their organization’s true readiness to jump into this technology. They just want it. They mask their quiet enthusiasm behind very serious professionalism, believing themselves quite reasonable when they say, “We’ve got to get IT in on this right now. We need their buy-in.”

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

Not far from this village, perhaps two miles, there is a little valley among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook glides through it, with just enough of a murmur to lull one to repose. The occasional whistle of a quail, or tapping of a woodpecker, is almost the only sound that ever breaks in upon the uniform tranquility. 

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

When driving, I happen to get lost a lot, and I absolutely hate asking people for directions.

I would argue this is not the stereotypical male thing of being too stubborn, too testosterone-driven to break down and ask. Actually, the opposite is true: I want good advice from someone who knows the terrain.

By Edmond Manning, Senior Instructional Strategist

When I taught the e-Learning Instructional Design Certificate program for ATD, I would regularly encounter this complaint and question: