JPL
Learning Solutions
When I first started as a Management Development Trainer, a colleague and I had an ongoing debate about the need to be a performer when facilitating. We agreed that proper facilitation requires charisma and the best facilitators we knew had a personality that lent to their presentation. However, we disagreed about who was the star of the show. He held that to some extent the session was about the facilitator, while I argued that the session was about the content and the learner’s connection with it. He wanted the presentation to be memorable. I wanted to ensure learning for everyone in the room.
Ten years later as an Instructional Designer, I strive to create memorable characters that will balance these two opinions. I’ve learned to use characters as facilitators in eLearning modules, simulations and videos. My biggest challenge is quickly developing a character the audience will relate to and remember, without detracting from the content. The goal is that each learning event that I create grabs the learner’s attention while communicating the content and ultimately transferring the knowledge to the learner.
Using characters to convey your learning message can be very powerful. Characters can help the learner relate to the content by using humor, realistic examples, and demonstrating the behaviors. Incorporating characters into learning events is also a great way to brand your learning.
There are a few different practices you can use to develop characters before writing begins. After thoroughly reviewing the content, think about the target audience. What type of person or thing will reach this target audience? Who do they relate to? How do they interact with the content? Consider the role the character will play in the course. Look for inspiration in a variety of places like conversations with subject matter experts, things you see or read (commercials, TV shows, popular characters in books and movies). Then brainstorm and write a character profile that includes a description of the character, their background, and even some things this character might be seen doing or heard saying.
Once you know who the character is, think of the journey they will take or how they will accompany the learner. This storyline should connect to your outline. You can start writing, but PROCEED with CAUTION. If you’re not careful your characters can take over your course. If you’re writing dialog or incorporating humor, ask yourself, “Will this lend to or take away from the content”?
Remember, a good character is one that engages the learner, so that the learner trusts the character and builds a relationship with him or her and successfully transfers the knowledge to the learner. As Tony O’Driscoll said, “Content is king, but context is the kingdom.”
One Comment
I loved your blog about characters! You give great advice. I’m currently attending Bloomsburg University to receive my Master’s in Instructional Technology (Great Program) and will definitely put your information to work. Below are some thoughts I had about learning and the role of the students and the facilitator.
Everyone is born with and/or has developed their own capabilities and talents. Everybody brings something to the table. The student’s role in Active Learning is to understand this and to be open to new ideas and to be willing to learn and try new things. It’s important to understand that learning is an active endeavor and that different people learn in different ways. As long as both the instructor and the student remain open to each other and other students, learning can take place in a manner that all will understand.
Student behaviors consist of being a willing participant to a learning opportunity, to participate, to be engaged, and bringing their own experiences and skill-set to the table, etc.
It is the instructor’s role to know and understand that everyone is different. It is the instructor’s job to know the students’ different skill-sets, employment background, and educational background, etc. The instructor is responsible for knowing how to motivate the learning process in a safe, friendly, nurturing learning environment.
Instructor behaviors consist of having clear goals and/or objectives, a set agenda or time-frame, motivating interaction, engaging the students using multiple channels such as; reading, writing, videos, presentations, discussion, role playing, and feedback.
Active learning consists of creating a learning environment that motivates both the student(s) and instructor(s) to participate in the process of learning by being engaged or being part of the process. Active learning requires more involvement than just sitting and listening to a lecture.
Active learning creates an environment where the student(s) and instructor(s) are both part of the learning process. For active learning to be successful, both student(s) and instructor(s) need to be fully involved. Instructors need to plan lessons, create activities, and motivate interest. Essentially instructors have to answer the students’ questions of, “Why do I want to learn this? What is in it for me? In order for active learning to take place students must be involved. Active learning only takes place when students are willing to be active with other students and/or instructors.