Dear myUdutu Account Holder,
Welcome to this issue of myUdutu's monthly Newsletter. Full of interesting information, tips and tutorials, we hope you will enjoy it.
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IN THIS ISSUE
Author's Note:
A Stitch in Time
Experts Corner:
How to Customize myUdutu's Interface
Tips, Techniques & Ideas:
Make Money using myUdutu
Article:
Turn your Script into an Interesting Story
Webinar Schedule:
December 2007 Webinars
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
A Stitch in Time
If you're like me, you do not enjoy a visit to the dentist! However I must admit that I admire these professionals who willingly dig inside your mouth with what feels like an entire tool box of steel and latex implements all at the same time! I recently had the 'pleasure' of this experience having reached a point of desperation (that's what happens when you put off a dental problem for a year).
As I lay there, jaw stretched wide enough to swallow Jonah, I thought about how smart it would have been to come earlier and not let the situation get to this critical stage. If I had, perhaps my visit would have been only a half hour instead of two! The old saying "a stitch in time saves nine" certainly holds true in this case, but I am not writing about dentistry or how to take care of your teeth, as important as that is. No, it is about how to keep your training program healthy and strong.
You see, just like we tend to ignore a small cavity thinking it's not that bad, quite often we procrastinate on important issues such as staff training, or educating our customers on how to use our product or services. All may go well for a period of time, but if we don't plan ahead, there comes a day when the situation becomes critical and could cost us a small fortune to remedy.
What is your training program like? Do you have one? Is it engaging and effective? If you answered negatively to any of these questions, it's probably time to review your training goals. Perhaps your goal for the New Year is to take your training online. If so, myUdutu is one solution that will enable you to transform your current training material into interesting, interactive online courses at a ridiculously low cost. Training videos and application tutorials are another option, but these generally involve third party expertise, time delays and additional cost for edits and updates. Of course you don't have to maintain your training program ... but have you considered the alternative?
Seasons Greetings and best wishes for the New Year.
Laureen Barry
About The Author
P.S. "New Year's Resolution" - Go and see your dentist!
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EXPERTS CORNER
How to Customize myUdutu's Interface
You've created your course complete with text and rich media. Everything looks perfect ... except the interface. How can you change it to reflect the 'look and feel' of your company? Well actually it is quite simple. Here is a tutorial to show you how to do it.
Customize Your Course Theme
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TIPS, TECHNIQUES AND IDEAS
Make Money using myUdutu
Are you an entrepreneur looking for new and innovative ways to make money online and off? If so, myUdutu may be just the tool you are looking for. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Learn how to use myUdutu's authoring platform and sell your skills to those who are looking for an expert to create their online course for them.
- Create a multimedia ebook. You can even make it interactive if you choose. Ebooks are primarily delivered in PDF format, but why be locked in to the old style of doing things? Here is an example of an ebook I created to illustrate my point.
- Do you have a skill or expertise that others would pay for? Perhaps it is a hobby or a business. Create your own courses to teach others what you know. You can sell your course online and off.
- Use the scenario builder to creating fabulous interactive children's books. Create them in myUdutu and then deliver them online. You can even burn the finished book to a CD that can be shipped or sold separately.
- You can also use the scenario builder to create stand-alone case studies for educational institutes, instructors and professors which they can use in their curriculum.
- What about designing a quiz using an instructor's text based material? You can create interesting, interactive quizzes that can also be sold as stand alone objects.
You don't have to be a genius to make money using myUdutu - just creative!
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ARTICLE
Turn your Script into an Interesting Story
How do you make a course compelling or engaging? How can you turn a boring subject like how to operate a computer based software program into something interesting? The secret is in asking questions.
I recently re-worked a course script for a company who was facing this very issue. While the logical way to design a course on computer application training would be to walk the learner through the steps systematically, (click here, select this or that then click there), chances are they are going to be asleep by screen three!
When I was called in, I began by quizzing the SME (subject matter expert). I was not at all familiar with the software, so I asked a lot of questions such as:
• Why is that important to the student?
• Give me an example of a situation where the learner may run into this problem.
• Where can the learner go for assistance if needed?
• Is there an alternate way of performing this task?
By asking questions, you are drawing out more information, but why would you want more information? Are you making the course more complicated by adding additional information? Absolute not! What’s happening is you are collecting data to create a compelling story. We learned in the previous newsletter that people love stories and can relate much easier to them than facts and statistics. When creating a compelling course, especially one involving repetitive processes, you must build the story around the 'why', 'when', and 'who' with just enough emphasis on the 'how' to show them how to perform the task correctly. Once a learner grasps the concept of why a task is important and when implementation is appropriate, they are more likely to be interested in and remember the how.
Here is an example to illustrate this principle:
Let’s say you want to teach a learner how to write an ebook. You could outline all the steps associated with such a task, from topics to research through to the final delivery format. You could use plenty of rich media to support your training, but what is going to compel the learner to want to take your course in the first place? What is the reason behind researching a topic? Why is one format better than another? Let's look at these three sample areas and see how we can change our script to create interest and hold the learner's attention.
ADVERTISEMENT: We deliver the best training on ebook authoring.
Does that statement make a learner want to take your course? Probably not. Everyone claims to offer the best training in their field. Of course if the training was a requirement for their job, the learner would definitely take the course. But what if you were trying to sell your course? What could you say that would be more compelling? How about:
We deliver in depth training on ebook authoring that will take you from novice to published author in just a few short days. Published authors are perceived as experts in their field, and are well positioned to enjoy increased revenue and media attention.
This statement gives the learner a reason to want to take your course. The WIIFM principle (What's In It For Me?) holds true even in training, regardless of subject matter.
RESEARCH: Research a topic to write about.
While this may be obvious, we haven’t told the learner why it is important. A more compelling script would look something like this:
You can write about any topic you like, but we suggest you find something you’re passionate about. Why? Simple, not only will you enjoy the subject matter and process, but you will be writing from real life experiences, which people enjoy and can relate to.
The principle of why something is important is just as important in mandatory staff training. If an employee has to perform a specific task, try and explain why it is necessary and how they can benefit from this knowledge.
CHOOSE A FORMAT: There are a number of formats to choose from. Select one of these three – Word Document, PDF and HTML.
Here we’re giving the learner a choice of three, but haven’t explained why or in which situation one may be a better choice than the other. A more effective explanation would be to give a quick comparison and overview such as:
You can choose from three popular formats – Word Document, PDF and HTML. Word documents can easily be copied or modified and is probably not your best choice, unless you are sending it to a co-author to review and edit. HTML is easily accessed on the web, but is difficult to make secure and doesn’t print well. The PDF format offers good security to your document and is a small file which can be sent via email. It also prints very well and is by far the most popular choice.
By giving a short explanation or reason for a certain choice, you are causing the learner to use critical thinking skills. They are no longer going through a course that says click here click there and hey presto you have an ebook! They become the master designer and builder and you merely supply the tools that enable them to build well.
Every employer wants their staff members to be critical thinkers. Ensure you create a learning environment in which they can practice and exercise these skills and you will all reap the rewards.
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WEBINAR SCHEDULE
We will be hosting only two more sessions this year:
Space is limited, so if you plan on attending, make sure you register early to secure your 'seat'. You will receive an email reminder before the session, with details and instructions on how to attend the webinar. We look forward to meeting you online and answering any questions you may have about the tool.
