3 Tips to Getting Started with Articulate Storyline

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Our team at Endurance Learning recently expanded as we added Lindsay Garcia into our fold.

Over the past year, Lindsay made the leap from k-12 classroom teacher to learning and development professional and has quickly picked up the skills necessary to put together effective, visually engaging elearning courses using Articulate’s suite of rapid development tools.

When I asked Lindsay if she had advice for anyone in a similar situation – anyone who found themselves in a role where they had to quickly pick up Articulate Storyline development skills – this is what she had to say:

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What it means to be an “L&D Detective”

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Recently, gamified LMS platform creators Growth Engineering released their list of “the top 20 L&D experts and influencers you need to know about in 2021.” Along with some of the titans of our industry such as Josh Bersin and Karl Kapp, there were also some nose-to-the-grindstone practitioners on the list.

One of the people on the list was Kevin Yates, a self-described L&D detective doing some of the most important work that can be done in our industry: uncovering the impact and value of learning initiatives.

I had a chance to talk with Kevin about what we should all be doing in the field of learning and development to play the role of L&D detective and uncover the impact and value of our own training initiatives.

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Better training might make me want to use that new web-based software

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I was getting ready for a team meeting earlier this week and I wanted to do something different as an opening, teambuilding activity. We’ve used polls and we’ve used Kahoot. We could do something like that again… or we could try something new. I was itching to play around with digital BINGO, but with so little time before the team meeting, was I going to be able to use the online software properly?

I checked out a digital BINGO game through My Free Bingo Cards and it looked cool, but I was a little anxious it wouldn’t work when we went to play it for the first time and it would be a big waste of time.

There were several support features on the website that gave me the courage and confidence that I’d be able to use this online software correctly the first time, and I think this could be a great transferable lesson if you’re trying to get people around your organization to adopt a new web-based tool. Heck, some of these ideas could be transferable even if you want your colleagues to adopt something more analog or offline.

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Reading for improvement is different than reading for information

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Alaina Szlachta has made a living out of helping authors go beyond what they’ve written in their manuscripts so that their audiences can not just nod their head and think: that’s a good idea. Alaina helps authors create learning experiences that lead to behavior change when someone decides to pick up their book.

I recently had a chance to ask Alaina what the difference is between reading for improvement vs. reading for information/entertainment. In our conversation, Alaina shared five steps you can take if you want to truly improve while you read a book about something you’re interested in.

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Mentorship is a 2-way Street; Both People Benefit

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My local ATD chapter recently piloted a mentoring program for our members. One of the pilot participants, Bethany Kline, had the opportunity to mentor someone and be mentored by another person, which gave her a unique perspective on the impact and benefits of both sides of the mentoring relationship. This week, Bethany (who, last year as a guest on the Train Like You Listen podcast, gave her perspective on the topic: Can Curiosity Be Taught?) shared some of her thoughts and reflections on these experiences, which are captured below:

I recently got the opportunity to take part in ATD Puget Sound’s mentorship program pilot, where I participated as both a mentor and a mentee. I learned firsthand that there are many benefits to participating in a mentorship program, no matter which role you play. From reflecting on the experience, I’m hoping to share the benefits–if you’re on the fence about participating in a mentorship program in your network or at your workplace, I encourage you to give it a go! 

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Animation isn’t just for Saturday mornings anymore!

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Perhaps I’m dating myself with this title since Saturday morning cartoons mostly died off in the 1990s, but all I’m trying to say is that animation isn’t just for children. Similar to games and gamification, there can be a serious side to animation as well that can truly aid in the learning process.

Recently I had a chance to sit down and talk with Kevin Doherty, who is a Communications Manager at the animation software company Vyond. We spoke about the importance of animation software as an element to any instructional designer’s bag of tricks and we also discussed how to overcome the learning curve that accompanies any effort to grow comfortable with a new technology.

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How do you train your colleagues how to train?

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Ajay Pangarkar doesn’t have your typical L&D background. He’s a “numbers guy” and comes from the world of finance. Perhaps that “numbers guy” background helped create the lens through which he views learning and development initiatives, because it all comes down to finding evidence and statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of a program for him.

Of course, for any program to be effective, it needs to be delivered well. In this week’s episode of Train Like You Listen, Ajay, who currently has six courses available on LinkedIn Learning, shares some insights on how to effectively craft a train the trainer program to help your colleagues be more effective trainers.

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Examples of Easter Eggs in Learning Programs

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Monday’s podcast featured gamification expert Karl Kapp sharing some insights on what “Easter Eggs” (in a learning context) are and how they can be used most effectively. In the transcript of Monday’s podcast, I challenged readers to find four Easter Eggs that I had embedded into the post. If you were wondering what those four Easter Eggs were, I’ll reveal them at the bottom of this post (so keep reading!).

Before I get to those Easter Eggs, however, I wanted to share several examples of Easter Eggs that blog readers shared, which were creative ways to hide information (or just reveal a few fun things for those lucky enough to stumble upon them).

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What should a Train The Trainer session look like nowadays?

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On Monday, we shared a podcast recording with Ajay Pangarkar who has created a number of LinkedIn Learning courses on the topic of train the trainer and presentation skills.

This conversation got me thinking about Train the Trainer sessions in two ways:

  1. It got me curious about how people feel about facilitating Train the Trainer sessions within their own organizations, and
  2. It also got me thinking about what Train the Trainer sessions look like in an Age of the Pandemic, where so much of our training is done virtually.
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An L&D-style Easter Egg Hunt (with Karl Kapp)

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Growing up, I always loved Easter morning. The excitement of waking up, running downstairs, and trying to find some treat-filled plastic Easter Eggs hidden around the house before my older sibling found them all.

It turns out, game designers have been hiding Easter Eggs for people too, and it’s a concept that instructional designers can adopt to enhance learning programs as well.

In this week’s special Easter-themed episode of Train Like You Listen, gamification expert Karl Kapp shares a little more about the history of Easter Eggs in games and how they can be used effectively in a learning program.

As a treat for blog readers, you may also find four different Easter Eggs hidden around this post. The first person to send me an email (brian@endurancelearning.com) that identifies all four Easter Eggs will find themselves on the receiving end of a $50 Amazon gift card. You’ll need to earn this gift card because these Easter Eggs may not be so easy to find. Look closely at the images, the transcript of the conversation (see if there are any acronyms that can be found!) and the links (is there anything weird about any of these links?). Happy Egg Hunting!

UPDATE: Congratulations to blog subscriber Laura Brown, who correctly identified all four Easter Eggs! We’ve received a lot of submissions, many of whom were able to find three of the four Easter Eggs. Although our prize has been awarded, if you’re dying to know whether or not you can find all four, you are welcome to continue sending your guesses to me!

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