Dealing with Anxiety by Creating a Better Course

Lately, life has been a little stressful.  The alarm clock goes off and it starts.  “Am I late? What time is it?”.  The kids won’t get ready quick enough.  The dog takes forever to poop.  You miss a meeting.  You’re late to pick up something on your lunch break.  Dinner gets over cooked. Your computer crashes.  The inbox won’t stop filling up. A deadline moves closer then anticipated.  You didn’t get to finish that one last chore before going to bed....

By the end of the day it just all piles up and accumulates in your brain.  From there you think, analyze and decipher every last detail.  For some this transforms into an anxiety disorder or destructive behavior.

But stress is avoidable.


So, why do all courses talking about stress contain the same crappy graphics and advice? It’s time to take back personal employee development and make better stress and anxiety courses!  Here are the things I do and don’t want in a “Dealing with Stress” course.

Don’t throw horrible stock photos of people pulling their hair out or over exaggerating a sigh at me!

Including unrealistic images that try to add comedy, lightheartedness, or perceived phoniness to an otherwise serious subject irks me to no end. The push to remove and replace stock graphic photos has slowly been coming for years (which I’m thankful for!) and this is a perfect example of where not to use them.  If you feel the need to add graphics then show the physical affects of stress with a fact filled infographic or "artsy" photo that shows what its like to deal with stress.  If you have to include a person then pick a realistic looking portrayal.

Don’t tell me to breath and I don’t want to count to 10.

Unless your audience is filled with yoga enthusiast or meditation experts, learning the art of meditation and breathing in 10 minutes isn’t going to happen. That's why there are people dedicated to these crafts. It takes practice and discipline. In most courses I’ve seen it’s the first piece of advice and honestly the root of the advice is to remove yourself from the situation and give yourself a minute to compose and departmentalize your thoughts.  Why can’t you just tell me that?

Do show me how to identify the problem

Knowing exactly what’s eating you will make the next step (analysis) a heck of a lot easier.  So take a couple extra minutes to stop, go to a quite room and collect your thoughts.  Many psychologists recommend writing out your problems, making a list or writing without thinking and just letting your emotions take over.  The typical steps include problem identification, taking part in a deep analysis, and taking corrective action.

Do tell me to get some sleep, eat right and exercise

All three have been proven to keep anxiety at bay and decrease stress levels. A healthy body means a healthy mind (sorry for being so cliché!). One of the great by-products of solitary exercise like running or working out (sans a partner) is that you’re left alone with your thoughts.  Sleeping gives you time to determine if the root of your anxiety is worth it or going to return. Providing your body with nutritious foods means that your body is ready and available for mental astuteness.

Do tell me to get distracted

Interacting with others will help keep your mind off stress and more on the conversation or activity. Resist the temptation to continue on your stress path by talking about the problem. It’ll just become a vicious cycle.

Another great distraction is humor. Whether it’s with a friend, watching a funny movie, or catching a few jokes from your favorite stand up comedian. Laughing stimulates your organs, increases your heart rate and blood pressure, and releases extra endorphins which are proven to combat stress and depression!

Laugher makes us feel good. Go outside! With the solitude of nature of you can appreciate the little things and be left alone with your thoughts.

Do use free resources

With the age of the internet has come articles, videos and presentations from leading experts on dealing with stress readily available to the public.  Include multimedia in a course by linking to a Youtube Video and having the learner read an excerpt from a notable source. Think local by checking with your community health department to see if they have resources and statistics specific to your area.  Maybe an individual will even be able to come in to provide suggestions or consult with employees free of charge for a short time.

Do explain the signs of serious anxiety disorders

Knowing when regular daily stress has turned into something more is really important. Being informed and knowing the danger signs can help start the path of successfully dealing with stress before it piles up into something require. At the very least recommend the individual speak with a professional to determine the severity and proper course of action.

P.S. Sorry if this article came off a little ranty. My journey with stress started in high school.  Every time I tried to deal with school, work, family, friends, sports and theater I felt like the world was sitting on top of me.  I developed Trichotillomania (which is a form of OCD where you pull out your hair) as a way to cope. As an adult it turned into worrying about money, driving and the probability of freak accidents.  I’d freak out if I didn’t have enough of certain things like diapers, food and toilet paper in the house at all times.  One day it took a serious turn and I started to have panic attacks.  I didn’t know what was going on.  All I knew was that it was stressing me out!  VICOUS circle. I now understand my triggers and what I need to do to deal with it but it’s still a daily battle.  When the stress levels hit an all time high last week (which is why I didn't post) I found myself in search of something on the internet.  I find comfort in knowledge and it's actually one way I deal with stress.  When I came across cheesy graphics after cheesy graphic and cliche advice I had enough.

Don't forget to comment below with your stress tips and tricks.  As always you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's follow each other!  I love learning from others :)

Is Clip Art Dead?

I made a resolution after falling in love with Articulate's eLearning Hero challenges that I was going to try and complete as many as possible. After scrolling through the current list and checking off the ones I have already done (See my examples here). I decided to take a stab at #8. I think the reason why it struck my interest the most is my current interest in vector images (I'm really liking the flat trend) and the fact that previous employers had a strict No Clip Art rule.  But is that really fair?

Clip art began in the early 80s with the introduction of personal computers.  It quickly became a wide spread trend for programs to include some type of "quick image" option. The most notable in my mind would have to be Microsoft's which was introduced in the mid 90s. Mostly because around that time my family got our first personal computer (Who remembers Clippy!!). They were quick, easy to use and could represent almost any topic. Around this time Adobe introduced and reinvented some of its products making it easier for the common joe (with money to burn) to create personalized material. As modern day graphic design began to gain momentum the use of clip art slowly declined as it was seen as a outdated method.

Is there anything wrong with clip art? No! As a matter of fact some of the offerings are quite modern and useable (check out 1280 and 1568).  It's also a fun task to manipulate the images to work in your restraints as well. So that's exactly what I did.

The Challenge:
Show and share your clip art-inspired template using one or more clip art objects:

• Objective: Create one or more e-learning template slides using free clip art objects.
• Tools: You can use Articulate Storyline, Articulate Studio, Word, or PowerPoint to create your template.
• Notes: Please include the clip art file you used for inspiration.  

People:

I began by looking at the suggested styles. Up until the moment of reading the challenge post I didn't even know styles existed.  It only makes sense but not knowing has kept me from utilizing this search tactic for the last 10 years! One thing I had discovered is the free download from Microsoft called Silverlight.  When used with clip art it gives you the option to pull together images that are similar in style and subject matter.  I find it easy to use and worth the free download (find it here). I ended up finding a group of people with similar faces who ironically didn't have a style and what prompted me to add Silverlight to my current work computer.

Source

Elements and Background:

I started fishing through the images and couldn't find a solid topic I liked. I thought about family therapy training but my limited knowledge on the subject matter immediately had me running for the hills.  It wasn't until I noticed I had a couple images of the people cooking that I decided to create a prototype of a training about basic cooking skills.  I started looking around for what I would need to represent a kitchen and food and found style 599 to be of my liking. I wanted something that would stand out to my background which I planned on being flat so the curvey unfinished lines were a great addition (this wasn't going to turn into a Where's Waldo!). I knew that I didn't want to use them as is so I went through the easy but annoying task of removing the background color, making sure it was PNG and filling in a color I wanted the way I wanted it. I also looked around for a background kitchen image to base my recreation and found inspiration in one off Shutterstock. I figured sticking with the food theme I would come up with a somewhat dark color scheme after seeing an image of tomato soup (inspiration comes from every where!).

Food:

Original

Mid Edit

Completed

Kitchen:

Color Scheme:

Concept:

I decided that the training would be a basic course on three relatively simple tasks; scrambled eggs, salad and a fruit smoothy.  I quickly started creating my background image and cooking elements.  I then realized I had an excellent opportunity for a gate screen where the user can pick what to cook and it checked off challenge #3 requirements! I decided that the end goal was for the user to gather items on a supplies list and then complete the necessary tasks to make the food.

During and After:

I got so lost in creating things that by the time I realized it I had WAY more hours into this project then I ever expected.  I had to cut myself off from developing it further (Work *sigh*) so right now it's just a representation of gathering the supplies for one cooking task. Ideally I would have added other items into the kitchen as distractors and considered making it a timed task. If I was working out of an actual course development software program instead of PowerPoint I would of liked to create the actually cooking element as well. Even with my time restraints I feel like I still ended up with a really great example of how to incorporate clip art into a training project.

Download my files here

Get your Gaming On

Credits

Have you ever sat on your couch just trying to beat that one last level..... All you need to do is this one last thing and something keeps you from putting down your phone/tablet/computer/controller. The next thing you know it's late at night and the "congratulations" music sounds. A huge wave of accomplishment washes over your body and you can finally continue on with your day or go to sleep!

A properly built game is addicting.  It has intrigue, interest, mystery or relate-able characters that wants us to keep coming back or download the next edition.  Trust me I can relate. I love my Xbox and can easily get sucked into playing video games way later than I anticipated. So naturally a recent trend in the eLearning community grabbed my attention; Gamification, the practice of using game elements and processes to enhance a learning experience with high levels of engagement.

I recently sat down with my old trusty PowerPoint slides and a piece of paper to finally get an idea for a game out of my head. My currently employer is a health software company and our primary focus is on product training. I had these ideas of grandeur for creating a game that would provide entertainment all while reviewing the product. A super hero comes swishing on the screen asking for you to help save people across the U.S. All you have to do is accurately complete a simulation of the software. It combined a lot of things I like to do (games, super hero's, graphic design) with something I deal with daily (my job lol).

 Let me tell you! There is some serious analysis and development (both graphically and software wise) that goes into a game.

So, to make it easier on everyone else I complied a list of things you need to know and understand before you get started and during the development phases. Since this topic is extraneous and I could go into a whole bunch of different tangents (neuroscience, engagement training, etc) I'm going to focus on the elements that you need to get started.

1. Identify a Goal

This goal will help drive you learner and should be the main focus of your training.  Like a course this could include elements of a learner objective but will definitely need to be more robust in order to account for the different angels a game can take.

2. Develop a Situation/Story

Now that a goal has been established you can either tie the situation in with the game (HR policy game with bad employee) or create a situation completely separate to create the illusion of fantasy. The situation should be created like a simulation that asks the who, what, when, where and why. Your situation/story should have a beginning, middle and end as well as a climax to help drive the learner. Conflicts really help to pull in the learner and establish a driving goal to complete the task.

3a. Develop a Character

Your character should have characteristics, thoughts, feelings and certain attributes.  How will they handle defeating the bad guy? Do they speak in a certain way? Does it matter if it's male or female? What does the character look like?  Why does he/she dress that way? Adding all these elements creates a multidimensional character that is both realistic and relate able. Certain character choices can also help carry themes through a person with ratty clothes and dirty skin to show poverty. You should always have at least one character in a game but can include as many as you feel fit into the goal you've established.  Creating a villain offers the opportunity to put good against evil and create opportunities of struggle and triumphs.

3b. Develop the World

Similar to the character a world should take into account the specific characteristics, thoughts, feelings and certain attributes you wish to convey. Where is this world? What is it's history? Where are we going? Why do people act a certain way?

3c. Develop the Interface

This is where I have been struggling lately. A beautifully designed interface means different things to different people so establishing the specifics can be a bit tricky.  I've been researching this topic and honestly can't find a common ground.  Sure some have timers while others have progress bars.  You might have your characters collecting coins or lives.The only solid advice I was able to take away from my fact finding mission is to take into consideration the story, goal and final output.  If you have any comments or article suggestions please feel free to post them below or tweet me @jvalley0714.

4. Establish rules

Rules help to establish a certain level of understanding while playing the game.  Showing how and why you'll recieve points, lose a life or advance to the next level. You rules should help drive the goal, simulation and character while working in your particular world and interface.

Do you like playing games?  What system or game? Do have a great example of eLearning game? Share below or tweet me @jvalley0714 :)

eLearning Challenge #6

The problem:

For elearning Challenge 6; using the source files provided, create a clean, flat, medical design theme. Try to work within the provided color requirements (included in the forum thread and the source files) and comp out 2-3 slides for this design.

The solution:

A flat designed course using the required color palette.  I started reading over the content trying to get a better idea and felt the need to rearrange, group and otherwise mess with the content.  It actually got to the point where I had to tell myself to stop because I was getting far too in depth lol I don't claim to know anything about GPO's or IDN's so there's a good possibility that the content is not correct.

Download it here

Life Lesson: Sharing

Me on my wedding day three years ago

I didn’t forget about you! Monday was my wedding anniversary and I thought about taking the week off from posting but then I realized I’m on vacation this weekend. So fear not, here is a list of things that you might find interesting that I’ve shared on social media this week (what you're not following me? Don't forget to follow, like, share, comment and tweet me by clicking on the headings):

Pinterest

• Weird Al Word Crimes
•  Why Our Brains Love Visual Contnet
•  Onboard (not Overboard) 

Google +

• 6 Types of Learners
•  Ban Click Here From Your Vocabulary
•  Breathe New Life into Your eLearning Courses: 5 HelpfulMantras to Live By
•  7 Tips To Choose Images And Graphics For Your eLearning Course
•  Studies Confirm the Power of Visuals in eLearning 

Twitter

• How To Extract Knowledge From Experts Before It’s Lost 
•  Your Brand Personality
•  Why Nobody Cares about LMS Courses
•  What Every LMS is Missing 

Facebook 

Anyone else hating on Facebook this week?

Reusing Content

Reusing content is a cheap(er) and easy(er) alternative to creating new content. You can utilize the time and effort someone has taken to create content that provides benefits to learners (hopefully). When content becomes out dated, you can then reshape the content to meet the current standards. To successfully reuse content you will need to:

1. Analyze + 2. Plan + 3. Create + 4. Test

Step 1. Analyze content




As always, you should work with SMEs to determine the current subject matter, workflow, process or other descriptor that ties along with your content. Instead of focusing on things from start to finish, ask your SME….

Can anything be reused?  What is new?  Is it all still relevant? Does it still provide value? 

A few key areas that you should be able to reuse include information about the process in general (unless there was a complete overhaul), learning objectives and your target audience information. When looking at what is new ask yourself, can this information be better served in a document to accompany the course?  Remember recreating elearning isn’t always the answer. Gather as much information about the current process to review the subtle and not so subtle changes that have happened recently. Ask questions about complaints or gaps that have been noticed by management and make a plan of action to address the concerns. An important question to ask is what do you want the course to achieve now? Should they have a knowledge, comprehension or the ability of application when complete?

Step 2. Plan




Now is the time to storyboard or prototype the changes into a conclusive course. You should always keep in mind that updating content into a more deliverable manner would only increase the learner’s retention. Would the learner benefit if I added a visual or video? When planning a reused course you may run into issues with dated content and design. Be sure to update the course into the newest template and when possible provide better multimedia.

Step 3. Create




Using your analysis and storyboard begin creating a course that will advance the initial design.  Try new ideas to see if another format or presentation style would better benefit the learner. Use multimedia when possible to add to the engagement.  Edit previous wording to be concise and clear. While working on the course keep in mind that content might be better suited into chunks.

Step 4. Test


Take your newly created course to the masses. Starting with the SME and moving to a larger test group see if the content gets applause or upheaval. Try adding it into training programs that will provide candid feedback like a new hire orientation process.

That’s it! Now you have a reused course that includes new content, better design and addresses current issues. Be sure to schedule another check point with your SME to see if content has changed.

How do you reuse content?  Leave a comment below of tweet me @jvalley0714

Why your eLearning course should be more like Justin Timberlake

So you are probably thinking, “What the heck do Justin Timberlake and your eLearning content have in common”?  The answer: more than you might think. Being a triple threat is not only good for business, it also guarantees you are creating engaging content.  For Justin, he can sing, dance and (arguably) act. So how can you transform your eLearning into a triple threat?

Singing is a form of communication. Think of your content as lyric building. Your content should accompany your objectives like the verses of a song. Your verses should build up to your chorus (or catch line) delivered with so much emotion (or cleverly crafted wordsmith) that your learners will want to belt it out. An easy way to include singing into your course is to add audio. Adding audio will serve as a method to communicate additional information while visually keeping just the main points on screen.

Tweet it Out!

Create a course chorus that your learners will want to belt out. @jvalley0714

Dancing is a combination of movements. Maintain a chasse (do not forget to match the tempo of your song with the style of your dance). Incorporating them properly can create a steady learning transfer. Incorporating them improperly can also result in a free spin. Remember; do not leave your learner to do a solo performance. eLearning should be a partnered experience. By adding animations and video into your course, you can create tantalizing movements.

Tweet it Out!

Do not leave your learner to do a solo performance. @jvalley0714

Acting is a way to convey a story to an audience. Be sure to pick the right cast and add props and costumes to help with the learning experience. Try creating a character with emotional relevance and a sense of familiarity to ensure he/she gets a callback in another lesson. Scenarios are brilliant ways to include characters and tell a story.

Tweet it Out!

Pick the right cast and add props and costumes to help with the learning experience. @jvalley0714