Using training to up your ante

Who am I – part 1, the basics

Name: Julian Weiss Employer: Zerto Ltd. (a great little-ish startup) Years as TW: Too many (around 25 years) Years as Trainer: Quite a few (over 15 years) Previous work:Analyst/Programmer (many, many years ago) Blog: Semi-comatose

(www.wisedocumentation.wordpress.com)

Basic characteristics: A picture paints a 1000 words

Or (depending on my mood)

What I want to talk about

Why consider adding training to resumeWho needs to be hereSkillset: documentation vs. training materialsContent: from manual to training materials

Why you should care

Our jobs are threatened by downsizing and/or outsourcing. A simple way to add another string to your bow is by adding training capabilities to your

resume. You know how to produce great documentation, but how can you convert it into

training materials to make you that little bit more wanted/sellable.

Is this session for me?

Yes Looking to add training capabilities No or little previous training experience

No Already doing it Want to move 80-100% into training Looking for tips about training for different

cultures/languages

Not sure Some previous training experience

Who am I – part 2, why I’m standing here

Work for companies without real training budget Companies want/need to provide training I want/need to be part of it

Previous positions Started by converting documentation into training

material Ended by presenting material Ended by hosting webinars

Presently Pushing to create training program

Tasked with creating eLearning training material/tutorials

Documentation

Ability to digest technical information

Ability to filter information Ability to effectively transfer

required information to paper/help formats Framemaker/Word/Author-

It/…

Training

Ability to digest technical information

Ability to filter information Ability to effectively transfer

required information to training template PowerPoint/Captivate/…

The required skillset

Videos of procedures/features

Similarities

Content Audience Structure Video

Differences

Official content vs. unofficial content

Use of graphics Xref vs. Serial approach Non-interactive vs. interactive Structure

The similarities and differences

Step 1: Considerations

Audience Technical ability Amount of time/budget for training Age

Delivery Classroom

Going the way of the dodo Webinar (online)

Time consideration – attention span of audience eLearning (offline)

Step 2a: Tools: Slides (PowerPoint/…)

Powerpoint Simple to use Everyone has it

PDF requires additional work setting up slide like template Provides advantage of PDF – consistent across platforms

Prezi is good for non-serial presentations Good for other things, like collaborative projects Can be annoying and epilepsy inducing

Prezi example

My preference:PowerPoint unless non-serial, constantly returning to fixed

point, then Prezi

Step 2b: Tools: Videos (Camtasia/Snap!/…)

Make presentation more dynamic Voice – can be done with PowerPoint Interactive – classroom training interactive by definition

Camtasia Video only – needs to be included in something else – or for youtube type

training I don’t like newer versions editing abilities

BrainShark/Snap! Convert static slide show into something dynamic (flash) Nisht eher nisht ahin

Captivate Mix of slide and video Lousy slide creation

My preference:Captivate

Step 3: Output media

YoutubeWiki/website

Can be passively interactiveClassroom

Major advantage of active interaction/immediate feedback

Major disadvantages of time and cost

Step 4: What content

Mix of theory and practice More practice means better subject reinforcement For technical audiences, practice is more important

Slide style Graphics vs. text

Text is graphic More graphics if localization required (but even this is not

absolute) My preference: text and demos instead of graphics

Static vs. effects My preference: very few effects – they distract (OK for

marketing)

Amount of content (rules of thumb)

Slide 1-3 minutes content

Less than 1 minute and slide becomes more important than content

More than 3 minutes audience attention span lostVideos

1-6/6 minutes Less than 1 minute and not enough content for video More than 6/7 minutes and audience attention span lost

eLearning requires approximately half the time required by classroom training

Creating content

Agenda Look at documentation set Look at parts and chapters

Content Look at topic headings For slides

Take key points (often headings) For videos

Look at procedures

Converting documentation to a presentation

Theory Short bullets

Crutch to help presenter – not whole storyProcedures

Live or canned demos No screenshots

The complete training package

Agenda Order what you think correct Add timing

Average training day is 6 hours Maximum webinar is maximum 2 hours Average session for eLearning is 15-45 minutes

Presenter manual Slides with notes Labs with solutions

Student manual PowerPoint: print 3 slides per page Webinar: provide recording eLearning: part of package

Workbook

Budgeting for training

Ball in your court Produce something in your own (copious) spare time Push it

Know who to push it to Cf outsourcing

$15K per hour

From experience Don’t expect training to become profit center and

also keep control of it

My personal preferences

Short statements (remove a, the, etc.) Slides are crutch to help not to take over Prevents just reading what’s written

Very little, if any, animationLive/canned demos instead of screenshotsLots of labs – at least 50%Word-based, not graphics-based

Slide itself is picture Use indentation to strengthen picture

Variety is spice of life Agenda headings not same as slide headings

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