As someone who lives and breathes eLearning, you probably feel comfortable with terms like ‘Authoring Tool’ and ‘LMS.’
But when you go to a client or meet with executive leadership to explain what you’ll be doing when you design the eLearning course—you get some blank stares…and a lot of questions. The technical language means nothing to them, and you have to figure out how to simplify what you’re trying to explain—and fast.
In this post, we’ll look at some terms to avoid, how you can simplify the technical language in eLearning, and what you need to do to speak in the language leadership needs to hear.
Terms to Avoid
eLearning jargon and technical language should be left out of high-level discussions. As soon as someone hears a term they doesn’t understand, they start to feel like you’re speaking over their heads—and that’s not a good thing.
So often terms seem like second nature to those in the know, but aren’t always as common as they’ve led themselves to believe. While eLearning developers know these terms, they’re not necessarily common knowledge to everyone—so leave them out of initial conversations unless you know for certain that stakeholders in those meetings expect you to communicate at this level. A few examples are:
-Blended learning (learning with both online and in-class elements)
-Asynchronous learning (learning at different times, as in web-based training)
-Authoring Tool (the software used to program and publish eLearning courses)
-Storyboarding (outlining the course)
-Gamification (techniques that make your eLearning content interactive)
-SME (subject matter expert)
-SCORM or Tin Can (communication standards between an eLearning module and an LMS)
-508 compliant (meets section 508 of the rehabilitation act for accessibility)
-LMS (learning management system)
It’s a good rule of thumb to simply leave out acronyms unless you plan to take the time to explain what they are. In these meetings, though, you want to be as succinct as possible. Strive to use layman’s terms in lieu of jargon and assume your audience has no pre-existing knowledge of the eLearning industry.
Simplifying Technical Language in eLearning
Clients often have to report back to a leadership team—and they want numbers. They want to know how training will impact their financial numbers, what the return on investment will be, and to understand how eLearning can improve their business overall.
Rather than focusing on specific examples that show how trainees will learn from your course, present objectives from the angle of how the organization will benefit overall.
In these situations, it’s a good idea to try the three-step approach: Tell them, show them, and then let them try it for themselves. For example: Say you’re explaining how part of your eLearning course will be hands-on software training to reduce errors. Tell them what the module will be, show them how it works within the course with an example of the simulation, and then let them try completing it for themselves.
Using this strategy in conjunction with simple, results-oriented language will help you speak the language your client needs to hear.
How to Communicate the Value of Your eLearning Solution
The final lesson is to think about how you can clearly communicate the value of your eLearning course. Try the following steps:
-Speak in bullet points and prepare a clearly defined outline to guide the conversation.
-Use case studies (problem, solution, results) and testimonials to illustrate past successes.
-Include numbers to add defined parameters to “gray” subject matter.
-Have a Frequently Asked Question document you can offer as a takeaway.
And finally, be available for follow-up questions. Make it clear that you’re there to help clear up anything that might seem confusing.
If you can do these three things, you’ll never have to worry about the technical language in eLearning ruining a proposal you’ve worked hard to put together.