Matthew Richter posts daily comments in LinkedIn—well, almost daily. You can follow him and join the conversation by going to http://linkedin.com/in/matthew-richter-0738b84.
For the benefit of our readers, we decide to compile and reprint some of his provocative pieces from the past. Let us know what you think.
Content is Everywhere
This is another one of Thiagi’s principles. This isn’t to say one will never have to prepare content, or develop content ever again, but that most content exists in some form or another. Through the use of a good activity, we can leverage that content in its current format. For example, content may exist as a manual, or a policy sheet, or in a book, or in the brain of an SME. Rather than focusing on content, we would focus on designing good activities that immerse participants and get them practicing, trying, or doing. The key to good instructional design, then, is the activity. Don’t recreate the wheel.
Thinking About Paradoxes
On one hand, I strongly believe we must design training concurrently while delivering it, while conducting simultaneous evaluation. This has been a major tenet of the our approach, that we call ABCD— Activity Based Curriculum Design. On the other hand, I strongly believe in first understanding the business problems and how and why training is a solution to these problems. The trick is to do both. They are not in conflict with each other. I can learn what stakeholders think a problem is, and as I engage participants later during a program, modify my understanding based on their input. Assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation are constantly occurring— not as separate steps, but woven parts of a greater whole. Sure, I start with gathering information and data about the problems, but that step never ends. Sure, I design training, but once designed, I continue to iterate and modify. Sure, I develop activities and materials, but that continues even in the classroom as participants add to the dynamic. And, evaluation should occur at all points and stages. The key is to always be concurrent!
Build the Airplane While Flying It
Thiagi often teases me (I hope it is teasing) that I have taken this approach too far, but here is the idea: Good training should not be built in the vacuum of a back room by a solitary figure called an instructional designer. It should be designed and delivered concurrently, using the dynamic of the participants to adjust, adapt, and synthesize. While the objectives for the course should not change, the journey cannot exist without the immediate input from the participants. Who can predict their reactions and how they will engage in an activity? The participants’ reactions will differ each and every time. Therefore, it is essential to add new activities, take others away, modify, and reflect spontaneously as learner engagement occurs. That means, the trainer cannot just show up and deliver a pre-planned program. She must build it as she delivers it. The designer can provide a basic structure, make content and activity suggestions, but, in the end, it is the trainer who must do the bulk of the work. The best courses are the ones where the participants say afterwards that they felt it was especially designed for them: A truly customized airplane!