Emotions play a pivotal role in learning, too, and eLearning courses should reflect our natural tendency to rely upon our emotions as we learn, grow and discover. Four inspiring leaders provide excellent examples of how to incorporate more emotional content into eLearning courses throughout the year.
1. Nancy Duarte: Create S.T.A.R. Moments
Nancy Duarte, well-known graphic designer, author and speaker, coined the term STAR moments in her 2010 book "Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences." STAR stands for Something They'll Always Remember. It's that special moment in a presentation, speech or eLearning course where the material is brought into sharp focus and magnified for the audience. It’s the “Ah Ha” or “WOW” moment.
"The S.T.A.R. moment should be a significant, sincere, and enlightening moment during the presentation that helps magnify your big idea—not distract from it" says Duarte.
These moments work best when they engage the learner at the emotional level. In eLearning, this is best achieved through engaging stories, funny or emotional anecdotes involving famous people in your industry, or powerful graphics that can help people see content in a different light.
Learning design research clearly shows that learners engage and learn more when a course connects emotionally for students. Using Duarte's STAR moments in eLearning can accomplish that goal.
2. Andrew Stanton: Make the Learner Care
Inspiration comes from many places, including film. Andrew Stanton, a Pixar studios filmmaker responsible for "Finding Nemo," "WALL-E" and the Toy Story franchise, says getting the audience to care is the most imperative commandment of all.
"Make me care," he exhorted in a TED Talk. "Please — emotionally, intellectually, aesthetically — just make me care."
In eLearning courses, learners have to care before they'll truly engage with the content. The curriculum must clearly connect to them and their lives before they will feel motivated to engage with it or feel inspired by it.
Getting them to care means designing courses with the learner, not the teacher, in mind. The learning must matter. What will engage them? What will turn them on to the content? How do they want to receive the information?
Make it easy for learners to care about a course and focus on what matters to them, or they will resent the course and the time wasted on it. Evoke in them some kind of emotion.
3. Steve Jobs: Use Amazingly Zippy Words
Steve Jobs, the genius behind Apple, chose his words wisely when introducing his new products to the world. In 1984, as he introduced the first Macintosh, he used the words "insanely great." He didn't talk about the computing functions; use any technical jargon, or complex phrases. In fact, he actually let the computer do most of the talking for him.
That continued to be his style as he introduced more and more products. When the iPod was introduced, he didn't say it had powerful search functionality. No, he said you could find your music faster.
Use simple, concrete and emotional words to deliver content in eLearning courses, not jargon that doesn't mean much to the learner.
4. Garr Reynolds: Design Matters
Garr Reynolds, author of "Presentation Zen," tells us that good design changes things. Sometimes design has a profound effect while at other times making small and subtle, yet meaningful changes.
"Good design must necessarily have an impact on people’s lives, no matter how seemingly small. Good design changes things” says Reynolds.
At its core, good design must make a positive impact. In eLearning, good design can make the difference between an engaged learner and one just going through the motions. It affects the way they interact with the course.
In information design, slides must communicate, inform or persuade those interacting with the information. Great design not only helps achieve those goals, but also connects emotionally with the learner by showing the learner that the designer put time and effort into creating the best learning experience. eLearning professionals who understand that they need to present content in aesthetically pleasing way, will be able to better share that content.
This holiday season, get inspiration from these four emotionally engaged leaders to transform your eLearning courses.
