don't be tone deaf! creating tone of voice in elearning
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Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
Don’t be tone deaf!
How to get Kineo* fresh in your e-Learning
*to stir things up
Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
Why does tone count?
Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
“As café staff, it’s compulsory that you
maintain quality of produce and serve it as
specified by the Quality Food Manual. By
the end of this training you will understand
how to serve every food type according to
the standards.”
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BORING!
Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
“Our specials today are cold baked beans, burnt toasties and delayed jacket potatoes.
Oh, and we have no soup. (We forgot to put it on.)
Anything take your fancy?
Customers expect great hot food at our café - they know it’s made from our own high quality M&S produce. To be a hot food hero, you need to present it, cook it, and serve it perfectly.”
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So, what is tone? What does that mean to you?
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Our 5 rule framework
Tone matters – no matter what the content. We’ve put together a 5 rule
framework to help you write engaging, exciting and yawn proof content. This is
the Kineo tone.
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Our 5 rule framework
1. Keep it light
2. Give it spirit
3. Have a conversation
4. Call for action
5. Be adult
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1. Keep it light
Short, snappy, to the point
And don’t be afraid to have fun
Less of…“This e-learning module is designed to explain the principles and practical requirements of the 11 step process …”
More of…“Need to get your head around our process? You’re in the right place.” Or…
“Process – boring, right? Wrong. This one will help you, all 11 steps of it. See it to believe it.”
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Any challenges that you can see with trying to keep it light in your organization?
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2. Give it spirit!
Energetic, driven, engaging
Less of…“Now that you have covered the basics of customer service, in the next section you will learn how to deal with customer issues.”
More of…“You’re one step away from maximising your skills, but there’s a problem – a customer one in fact. Click next to put your service skills to the test.”
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3. Have a conversation
Direct, clear, dialogue, questioning
Less of…“Negotiating effectively is an important skill that we all use on a daily basis”
You talking to me? More of…
“When was the last time you negotiated something?
Maybe it was more recently than you think….”
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4. Call for action
Give direction, focus on actions and tasks – it’s
what happens next that counts
Less of…“You’ve now completed this section on PBX sales. Go back to the menu to make another selection.”
More of…“Now review your own client list. Who could benefit from the PBX product? Plan the time to call them now.”
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5. Be adult
Less of…
“By now you have learned…”“You must do…”“This will take 90 minutes”
Learners are busy professionals – treat them that
way. Adult to adult - don’t patronise.
More of…“Take 5 minutes to find out how to run effective meetings.”
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What does it look like?
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Light and spirited
• People expect to be bored by e-learning – let’s show them it doesn’t have to be like that
• Just the right side of sassy • We like Virgin • Sort of like Innocent • This is the kind of thing we do when it’s totally up
to us:
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Light touch – colloquial
A little pun – links to later content
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Spirited, aspirational
the call to action is clear
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It could have been so much more formal..
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Call in the spirit doctors
“In keeping with the overall control environment and to ensure compliance with internal control guidelines issued by its regulators, JPMorgan has a Global Investment Bank Vacation Policy. In EMEA, the requirements of this policy (which are set out below) also apply to the Private Bank, JPMorgan Partners and the Chief Investment Office. TSS staff are required to comply with their own LOB policy. In summary, the policy requires certain employees in sensitive positions (“Designated Employees”) to be out of the office for a specified period of time each calendar year.”
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What we did with it
Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
Getting to the point quickly
Set up in 3 sentences. Professional, to the point,
not a word wasted.
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Having a conversation
• Can I ask you an interesting question?• Can I tell you a story?• Can I take you on a journey?*
I don’t know – can you?
*metaphorically. Not in a weird way.
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Having a conversation – what’s on your mind?
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Not ‘Does O2 offer technical support?, but…
The question is conversational - dialogue
with the learner
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Easy tigerThe question has narrative and pace
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It’s all about you
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A more relaxed tone than you expect in
compliance.
Light touch but gets the point across
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You want actions? I’ll give you actions…
Each one about action
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It doesn’t have to be clever – just clear
Crisp and professional Things that real people care about - not stiff learning objectives.
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Let’s review the 5 rule framework
1. Keep it light
2. Give it spirit
3. Have a conversation
4. Call for action
5. Be adult
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What else helps with tone?
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What else helps with tone?
Keep it short
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What else helps with tone?
Active, not passive sentences
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What else helps with tone?
Use headings to layer information
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Magazine style title as question – conversation
with the learner
Keeping the instruction simple and informal
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Are there any exceptions where you couldn’t put this into action?
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Some of the barriers we’ve run into...
• “That’s not our style.”• “It’s not professional enough.”• “But I want ALL of my content in there – where’d
it go?”• “This is going to senior members of staff...”• “This is serious learning!”
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Other examples to look at and critique...
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Rapid E-Learning and Consultancy
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Poll:
I learned something new today that I think I’ll try out on my next project!
-Yes!-No. I knew all of this already.-Maybe. But I need to know more.
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Join us in Philly or NYC!
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November 18: Using audio in eLearning
Dec 2: Pick a tool, any tool – a closer look at authoring tools
Register at: http://www.kineo.com/mykineo/
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www.kineo.com/mykineo