Balancing art and science

You see, the rules are the framework; a great starting point. You still have to respond instinctively and use your judgement because the theory doesn't always translate into practice.

One of the things I love about training design is that exact same blend of art of science: of instinct and rules. When the logical combines with the emotional, we can create something truly effective and engaging.

Capturing creativity and whilst being methodical is always a challenge, and perhaps one of the reasons I use mind-maps so much. I use them during the research and scoping of a sessions, when summarising a session plan AND when taking notes in our weekly Designer Drop-In meetings.

VIP members have often asked me how I go about it, so in May we had a Lunch n Learn on Mindmapping and sketchnoting to explore just that. You can get the recording that session HERE.

And if you want to learn more about mindmapping, you can watch this video from Tony Buzan (who is credited with popularising them)
How to Mind Map with Tony Buzan and follow the very detailed guidelines in this useful article. Mind Mapping 101: Your Practical Introduction | MindMaps Unleashed

Mindmapping and sketchnoting are a great example of where art meets science, which is at the very core of great training design. We have to engage the heart and the head. We have to be creative within a structure. Making things visual helps us to capture ideas quickly and make them easier to recall. Of course, graphics and icons are central to good mindmapping and sketchnoting, but it can feel quite scary if you aren’t a skilled artist.

Luckily, VIP member Emer O'Leary specialises in using simple graphics to enhance training design and facilitation. She has an online portal that you can access to Discover How to Create Simple Hand-Drawn Graphics that will Ignite Your Creativity, Bring Your Training to Life and even help you to Win You More Work (If you're freelance).

It includes short lessons, templates and more, so why not TAKE A LOOK?

Training Design Festival

Our virtual event takes place on 30th June and is aimed at busy L&D practitioners so it's going to be ACTIVE with lots of opportunities to collaborate, discuss and explore. During the day, you'll have the opportunity to:

🎉 Learn about using Artificial Intelligence in training design.

🎉 Pool knowledge about the tech and apps that your peers use to work efficiently or design/deliver effective training in our Round Table session.

🎉 Tap into the hive mind to get new ideas, solve problems and inject a little creativity into the learning solutions you're designing right now in a Designer's Drop-In.

🎉 Try out new ideas and techniques to bring content to life and refresh your delivery with a brand new Transform Deck in an Explore session.
Add the link to book! (and mention that VIP members get £50 off, so if they want to join our community before booking, that would make sense!)

VIP Members get £50 off the price, so if you would like to join the VIP Community, this would be a great opportunity to join us and save!

OUT NOW: Podcast Season 3 - all episodes are now out!

Episode 5 - This episode is all about Learning Journeys. Jackie Clifford and I talk about a learning journey being something that is continuous and the journey should not stop until everything has been finished - that there is no where to go and that person has left the organisation.

Episode 6 - This episode tackles Training Middle Management with Annette Cairns of Green Shed Talent Development. We discuss how the middle management and more importantly the training of the middle management is sometimes forgotten or not seen as important as other training, despite being an integral part of the company.

Episode 7 - Is all about Subject Matter Experts as Trainers including situations where this training has been done well and not as well as it could have been when using SME's as Trainers.

Episode 8 - I chat with Natalie Houlton of Yellow Duck Development about designing and delivering Graduate Training Programmes. I started my career on a graduate programme and you'll find it facinating how thing have changed

Last week, someone in the Training Designer's Club VIP community asked if anyone can share or recommend some good Train the Trainer materials for a contact of theirs. They need something QUICK and (surprise surprise) there wasn't a big budget.

Luckily, I have TWO detailed PRACTICAL guides that can help out with that. They aren't textbooks because they are theory light: they are all about taking someone through a process, explaining how to do each step so that they can use skills immediately.

The Practical Guide to Designing Great Training is an essential for the toolkit of any training designer, it covers:

Initial Consultancy - Is training the answer?
Training Needs Analysis – What are we trying to achieve?
Research – How do we get from A to B?
Transfer of Learning – Is your organisation ready?
Stakeholders – Who are they and what do they want?
Aims and Objectives – What will people be able to do after completing the training?
Content Scoping – What will we cover, and what should we leave out?
Blend – What will be in the learning mix?
Structuring an Event – How do you decide a structure that flows?
Methods – How can you bring your content to life in a way that is meaningful and will stick?
Variety – How can you adapt your training to suit different people and different circumstances?
Practicalities – How can you make sure your event will work no matter who delivers it, where or when?
Materials – What materials do you need and in what format?
Write (or Create)! – How can you create materials that gain and retain attention?
Review – What should you do to get your training event approved?
Learning Evaluation – How will you demonstrate that your training has worked?
Pilot – Why should you pilot, and what should you focus on?
Launch – How can you create some excitement about your event and get people signed up to attend/complete it?

Design Training in 6 Simple Steps is perfect as an introduction to training design OR for SMEs who support L&D in specific areas
MASTER your training design takes you through a simple accelerated learning model that will allow you to maximise engagement and effectiveness in your training sessions
Plan a Training Session takes you step by step through the first part of training design, so that you have a clear outline/plan which can then be developed in more detail
Design a Training Workshop is all about taking the plan/outline and designing in more detail, and considering how you will bring content to life
Design a Session Plan is a short course that explains step-by-step how to design a session plan in detail
Design engaging virtual training is a collection of resources that you can use to help make sure that virtual sessions come to life and get everyone involved.