Let’s say you’ve created a training course and put it online.
You run a report on your course a few days later and discover that nobody has opened
it.
Then you send a personal reminder to each student, emphasizing the importance of the
content — and still get only a few views.
So what’s wrong with your content?
Chances are the issue is poor writing.
Now how to write an online course that will be both interesting and useful for the learner?
Good eLearning writing includes two aspects: writing a captivating title to entice the
learner to open the course, and laying out the subject clearly to keep them engaged.
In this video, we will cover both aspects with two simple eLearning writing techniques,
so keep on watching.
Happy learnsday everyone, my name is Polina and today is another great day to learn something
new, so let’s get started.
The reason companies are creating online courses is that they need to train their employees
on loads of important things quickly: from workplace safety to product updates and sales
methods.
All these aspects are important for a business, but such things rarely engage employees — especially
if they’re struggling with a heavy workload or project deadlines.
Here are a few examples of boring, but necessary topics:
Each of the topics listed above conveys something that is important to the business and therefore
must be learned by all employees.
The trick is that you can’t make people learn something.
If you want them to invest their time and effort and truly immerse themselves in the
content, you need to inspire and motivate them to do so.
Learners will be far more interested in taking the course if it promises to resolve their
pain points.
Therefore, the topic of the course should clearly state why this content is worth exploring
and how it can make learners’ lives easier.
Let’s look at some examples of the titles that get the employee interested in taking
a course: Now, how can you tell if a topic is sufficiently
motivational to the employee?
Here’s a simple test: ask yourself if the employee has this issue on their mind when
they wake up in the morning.
It’s rare that a person will think about warehouse safety while sipping their morning
cup of coffee.
But if they’re struggling with a conflict in their team, it hardly leaves their mind
— even outside the office.
The course topic shouldn’t simply promise the reader a benefit but correlate with the
specific problem they are trying to solve.
To find out what bothers employees, immerse yourself in their environment: communicate
in person, listen to conversations in the corridors, and read chats and forum posts.
Let’s discuss an example.
Let’s imagine that some of your employees would like to avoid working overtime.
In this case they would more likely take a training on
rather than This course will be more appealing to those
saying: Apart from telling the learner how the course
will be useful for them, the title also gives the course a specific orientation.
For example, when you present the course as a guide for beginners, you assign the learner
a certain role.
The trick is to make the learner feel that the course will help them become a better
version of themselves.
Avoid intimidating the learner by referring to them as a dummy, disorganized, mediocre
specialist, etc.
Instead, make them believe that they are smart and successful if they are about to take your
course.
Once you come up with the course title, ask yourself two simple questions:
If you answered “yes” to both questions, chances are your course title will grasp a
learner’s attention.
If your course is industry-specific, it is also a good idea to make this clear in the
title.
This way, the course will look even more relevant to people in that industry.
For example, the course title will immediately attract the attention of
digital equipment salespeople.
The information itself may be quite generic (because the same sales principles work in
most areas), but the fact that the title is personalized will definitely spark the interest
of the target audience.
Now that you’ve gotten their attention, the goal is to keep them engaged.
Learners often quit a course because the content seems difficult to understand and irrelevant
to their life.
On the other hand, when the content is crystal clear, it becomes easy for them to apply knowledge.
The key to making your writing clear and understandable is giving a lot of examples.
Let’s say you’re writing a course for sales reps.
You give learners one simple piece of advice: In theory, this idea is clear and useful,
but in practice, it is very difficult to maintain a good mood – especially when dealing with
a difficult client.
This advice won’t trigger any change in behavior.
But if you enhance this abstract idea with a couple of examples to illustrate possible
outcomes, it immediately becomes a practical technique that sales reps can apply to their
work.
Here’s how it works: When an abstract idea is supported by an example
and an opposite outcome, it gives the learner a clear understanding of the situation and
possible consequences.
To make your examples as descriptive as possible, avoid using the passive voice.
When there’s a character in the sentence, and this character acts in a certain way,
it always paints a picture.
Once a learner has looked at the situation from several angles, they gain a deeper understanding
of the topic and are prepared to handle similar situations in real life.
Giving many examples often makes your course longer, but if they are written in the active
voice, they are usually easy to read or scan.
To Wrap Up In order to write an online training course
that will hook learners at first sight, follow these simple rules:
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