Blog posts

The first question is obvious: What is the problem? However, answers will almost always be symptoms and not causes.

Continue the conversation by asking, “Which metrics are you trying to positively affect?”

You can accelerate right past symptoms by asking, “What are employees doing that they shouldn’t be doing?” or “What are employees not doing that they should be doing?”

Gain valuable insight regarding the timing of the problem by asking, “When did it first begin?” and “When does it occur?”

Get a clear picture of the location by asking, “Where does the problem occur?”

A simple way to initially assess the scope is by asking, “How big is the problem in measurable terms?” The measurable terms should be linked to the metrics that matter question.

“What questions should I have asked that I haven’t?” This question triggers the client to share any last minute details that are relevant to finding a solution.

Nothing screams, “I’m lazy,” more than an uncustomized request.

The goal of a Captivate <b>theme</b>&nbsp;is to keep a consistent design throughout your project. It can be 'applied' to any project, even <b><u>after</u></b> creation.

A&nbsp;<b>template</b> in Captivate has to be chosen&nbsp;<b><u>before</u></b><u></u> you create a project.

The term is often wrongly used: most Captivate 'templates' that you can find on the web, are just cptx-projects, not templates in the Captivate language.&nbsp;

When would I use a template in Captivate 9? For courses that have several modules, where you want to have some slides in common, maybe have custom navigation/control buttons that cannot be put on the master slide, but need to be timed for the rest of the project. I would rarely use it to have placeholder slides, unless some team members need to have that assistance.

Many users are beginning to discover, however, that a larger number of social network connections may be <em>less</em>&nbsp;valuable&nbsp;than a smaller, more intimate circle. With an enormous collection of friends or followers on a network, you lose the benefits of intimacy,&nbsp;discoverability,&nbsp;and trust, all of which can work better when you have fewer connections.

When you connect to everybody and their dog, your second-degree search results will include people who don’t actually know anyone you know, so you won’t be any further ahead in reaching them than you would be by simply cold calling.

<p>Participants also indicated the types of assignment they feel are inappropriate for them. Most of the assignments refused could be characterized as “conventional.” Several participants specifically mentioned that they distance themselves from training about products and software to focus on more strategic projects.</p> <p>One participant avoids “order-taker projects.” </p>

Focus on better writing, not the bells and whistles

To “get” from a PLN you need to “give.”

I think that we are getting the idea of more interactivity, of more engaging real stuff, not just making it spin and zoom and move. And I think the authoring tools that have made that easier have certainly helped people understand that learners need to actually get their hands on the content in some way.

<p>You do not blame the hammer because the house fell down. It’s the person using the tool. It’s really about effective design. You can do fabulous stuff with PowerPoint. You can do dreadful stuff with PowerPoint. You can do dreadful stuff no matter the tool.</p> <p>In PowerPoint you can actually build nice little branching scenarios and reveals. You can make choices. You can do interactivity. There’s a lot of stuff that I think people just don’t take the time to learn.</p>

You may find something that surprises or unsettles you. Or you may find something that confirms what you believe with data and not just some anecdotes or gut feelings. Some time spent here will help you move past “I think” or “it feels right” to “evidence shows.”