2-Way Communication Between Trainer and Participant in Storyline

Hi Neal, and welcome to the Heroes community.

So...first question - what, exactly, is their motivation for wanting to contact you?

Second question - before you even start to build your courses, what is your defined, measurable measure of success, in terms of behavioural change for students?

Looking forward to a fruitful exchange of ideas, and once again - a warm welcome to the forums.

Bruce

Hi there Bruce...thanks for replying.

And in response to your two questions:

Participant Motivation to Contact Me (They're all non-native speakers of English)

1. Satisfaction of having successfully interacted in English with an American on a on professional topic, which contributes to their chances for success in the company:  promotion, postings abroad, and salary increases
2. Satisfaction of winning a game, or earning recognition in some sort activity in which many of their peers will also participate
3. Satisfaction of solving a problem that others have had difficulty solving.
4. Satisfaction of being highlighted in company as being highly particpatory in the English training conducted by yours truly.... a genuinely nice guy, whom senior management often consults regarding comany policies, documents, and staffing (as these relate to English language, of course)

Designed Measures of Success in Behavioral Terms

1. Positive post-interview and post-written test recommendations from my department regarding English skill capabilities, particularly as they relate to likelihood of success in interpersonal relationships, spoken and written,with international clients
2. Higher scores when they have take internationally recognized and standardized tests of English proficiency

Quite a mouthful, I know.

Bruce, there has been no issue or problem with the content of my courses, or, I should say, my mini scenarios.  My question concerns more ... say ... I am simply tired of creating content ... sending it out .. having it just disappear ... assuming that participants are satisfied .... (which they normally are) .... I get a huge amount of informal, casual, spoken feedback ... when I occasional see my learners / participants ... but ... I don't have any real interactivity with them.  This is my question.  I was just wondering whether anyone has used some techniques in Storyline that would require them to complete challenging content, have fun and be engaged while doing so, ... but then also be required, also in some engaging way, to get back in touch with me ..... to carry on..

Thanks for listening.

Neal

Cheers,

Neal

You could look at using social media to enable this such as twitter to enable users to contact you, you could even add web objedct that shows the tweets about your course, so you replies would show within the course

You could embed a google docs form as a web object to allow feedback.

Thanks, Phil.

Perhaps I'll go up against my company IT nemesis for another go-round, and pitch the social media ball again.

 Last year I had a thriving  website shut down by them because it was "on the web" and they couldn't control it. Security was their concern.  I had the site running for more than 6 months.   Sad - almost 600 employees were actively using English when the Company forced me to deep six it.

I am still looking for some kind activity ... or simply an idea ... within Storyline itself ... that will create natural and friendly circumstances wherein the learners will want to contact me.  This can even be by email.  I don't mind.  Perhaps a survey, or poll. Or something else of this type.  I am open to suggestion and creative thought.

Appreciatively,

Neal 

Hi again Neal.

I completely understand where you are coming from, however, I may sound like a "broken record" here, (I wonder what the digital equivalent is...?).

You seem to be looking at 2 issues here, one of satisfaction feedback, and the other with interactivity in the course.

Before you look at Storyline functionality, (because you can do almost anything one way or another...), you need to look at the relationship that you have with your learners, and the structures that are in place in the company.

Your second set of points (the designed measures of success) are (I think), the key.

You want to get some of this "interaction with you" going IN the courses, rather than just after them. Why not design the courses so that, for example, some sort of phonecall is made from them to you while going through the course (true, moderated blended learning). Whatever communication happens has to be of value to the learners as part of the course. WIIFM ("What's in it for me?") is key here - have you asked a USER what would make them contact you?

As you know what the benefits are for them, why not offer them some "Bonus Practice" if they pass a test, or find something hidden in the course, where they need to send you an email, or call you. I have a free offer on my website, IF people can find it - and prospective clients have been known to contact me just because they cannot find it! It's worth something to them.

I would get proactive - speak to some of your learners/prospective learners, find out what would make them contact you, and work from there.

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

I am grateful for your mulling over my circumstances, and I think your tidbit about interjecting me -- 'reality TV' style -- directly into my mini-scenarios is superb. I hadn't thought of that. It's easily enough done and it will lend itself beautifully into my concern with tailoring all graphics with real images ... and people ... (if I can exclude the glory hounds and include the shy superstars) ... from my company. And I certainly don't mind pasting in my own mugshot all over the place!

Interestingly, the WIFM factor is rampant here. I found it hilarious that you used in your reply.

And, finally, I will contact a few learners ... query them and try to find out what would make contacting me irresistable ... after getting a Storyline project contact. 

I welcome further discussion from others regarding creative uses of Storyline ... and I promise to add to this thread ... should anything of import and worth sharing  develop.  Thanks again, Bruce.

Neal

"Glory hounds" - LOL, they get everywhere

Think of it as promoting YOURSELF as the expert and getting the glory

WIIFM is rampant everywhere - Instructional Designers often forget that it is not about them. One can create the most beautiful course in the World, but if no-one cares, REALLY cares, you may as well pack up and go home.

The more contact you have with your learners the easier this task will become.

Bruce