design + experience + emotion = Learning

Seth Godin reminds us of the following...

"Facts don’t change people’s behavior. Emotion changes people’s behavior."

...in his blog How to run a useless conference

He also challenges conferences to "do the atypical". Learning2005 embraced with passion the notion that the hallway discussions are more important than the sessions, so why not make the sessions more like a hallway discussion...brilliant. So easy, so brilliant, so never attempted by those persuing the status quo.

An interesting session...pardon me...DISCUSSION revolved around how to "talk to the big dogs" (I noticed that many attendees included this in their key learnings which is why I point it out.) The most noted "key learning" was to put your "bottom line as your first line". Do we only do this for the big dogs? Don't we state the bottom line in the objectives of our courses? Isn't stating objectives one of Gagne's 9 events of instruction? Shouldn't we already know this? Why is this saved JUST for presentations to the "big dogs". MY BOTTOM LINE...your bottom line is your first line ALL the time...presentations, learning, any audience.

The ground beneath the learning community is shaking and falling apart. Most in the business seem to blissfully continue the "click next" uselessness of 2 hour (and more) eLearning and worse yet some users endure it without complaint...but remember a HUGE % of them will be retiring between now and 2010. We continue to pave the cowpaths with multimillion dollar enterprise LMS systems that quite frankly have very little to do with actual LEARNING or performance improvement for the end-user. In short, these enterprise systems simply automate the reduntant processes required to administer, track, and monitor the old-school learning event. We are simply ignoring that fact that DESIGN matters more, and more, and MORE. Of course we don't like to talk about it because most corporate lifers don't understand it...it IT, or it DESIGN. Both of which IT and DESIGN are impacting learning more than ISD ever will.

It was also interesting, and encouraging, to see the Future learning professional session packed and overflowing. At least some people see the writing on the wall and are open to the discussion. One highlighted CLO at the general session even commented that being technically literate and savvy is mandatory in the future skillset of the CLO. If you don't understand what wikis, blogs, and web2.0 are, and understand WHY these collaborative technologies and gaming technologies will change the learning landscape then you are behind the curve, period.

Designing engaging EXPERIENCES, emotionally appealing graphics, and environments, is what the future has in store for successful learning professionals. Quality ISD is simply the cost of entry into the learning market place. Your ability to design experiences, environments, and stunning visuals will be your challenge.

learning2005