TIPS FOR CONTRACT TRAINING CONSULTANTS

In this digital era, we want things to be quick and easy. Imagine how boring life would be if all we had was text – no photos, illustrations or videos.

The power of visuals is that they can help capture your audience in a way that simple black and white text cannot. They help reinforce key concepts and keep learners engaged throughout a course.

Using visuals in eLearning courses is an approach many learning professionals overlook. These tips will help you take a visual thinking approach in your eLearning – and take your courses to the next level.

Use a Variety of Visuals

Characters

Creating a character in your eLearning such as a teacher or mentor giving instructions, helps establish a familiar environment. Consider the demographics of your audience and select a character that they can easily relate to.

Use Sparingly to Enhance, not Overwhelm

Using excessive visuals in your course can distract the learner or even cause them to become confused. Remember, more visuals do not mean more learning.

Before including visuals in your course, ask yourself “Will using this image help to better explain the content?”. If the answer is no, it’s probably best to leave it out.

You’ve heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. If your visual doesn’t bring any value to your module, don’t include it. Visuals are not meant to decorate the course, they are there to support learning.

Charts and Graphs

Pie charts, timelines, and flow charts are all useful ways to present information, highlight trends or explain complex relationships.

Word-Picture Association

Words and pictures can be beneficial to learners when used hand in hand. Seeing text along with an image can help the learner create an association to key concepts, which in turn promotes faster learning and better retention.

Icons

Using icons in your eLearning is effective because they are widely recognizable. Icons can be used as bullet points, for categorizing information, or even gamifying your eLearning.

Other visuals such as pictures, illustrations, numbered lists, or downloadable handouts can be used as well.

Allow for White Space

Having white space in your courses is almost as important as the actual content itself. A sufficient amount of white space helps the learner focus on the information that is important, rather than getting confused by too much text or too many images.

White space on a screen can also provide a calming effect. Remember that your learners are only looking at each slide for a minute or two, so make them visually appealing and not too crowded so they don’t miss important information..

Use these powerful visual tips to transform your eLearning course into a more meaningful and interactive experience.