How to choose the right format when designing learning
We'll explore the factors to keep in mind when choosing a format for your learning, so you can make sure you're always making the most impact.
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How do you know which format is best when designing learning?
With every piece of learning content we produce, the ultimate aim is to engage; to get people through the door, reading, listening, participating or facilitating.
When deciding the best format for learning content, sometimes the answer is immediately obvious. But what about the times that are harder to gauge, that leave us questioning which direction to take?
Read on to find out how we break the cycle here at Thrive.
Goals
As with any piece of writing, it’s important to first think about our goals when designing learning.
- What information do we need to get across?
- Does it require the learner to reflect?
- Does it require the learner to prove they understand?
- Is it factual or feeling?
Each of our goals then brings us closer to the format that works best.
Let’s say we’re presenting factual information around inclusive leadership. Once learners have read this information, we’ll need them to prove they understand it. So, here we’d need a longer format to present information and test learners on it.
This could be an online module with questions and scenarios, or a workbook with questions and space to reflect on their unique scenarios. Our goals here have helped determine the format.
Behaviours
Behaviours are often overlooked when planning resources, but it can be really useful to think beyond our goals and consider what behaviours we want learners to actually exhibit after taking in the information.
Let’s take our goal for leadership teams to understand what inclusive leadership means. That’s great! But simply understanding something doesn’t translate into actions.
A desired behaviour would be that they identify areas where they can be more inclusive, and actively create inclusive opportunities for their team members. This affects your presentation of the information. What is going to have the most impact?
In this scenario, we could lean into the emotional impact of inclusive leadership and create a memorable experience for learners using video, case studies or a podcast with an important call to action. These are formats that allow us to have honest conversations, using real scenarios to break topics down into actionable steps.
Gut instinct
Don’t forget to trust your gut! As we have seen from our examples, things can change. It’s okay to start something off in one format and change to another as a project takes shape.
As you continue to map out your goals and behaviours for each learning resource you create, more formats will come to you with ease. And remember, collaboration is key!
Brainstorm with your team, trust their gut instinct and work out what works best together.
