How do you keep your training materials consistent?

  • 31 March 2020
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Userlevel 4
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What do you do to keep consistency in the training materials you are preparing?

We have multiple authors so each has a slightly different style. We have created some standards to keep things consistent so I am curious if others do the same. What kind of standards do you have?


3 replies

Userlevel 4
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It looks like there is a nice session during the Virtual  Conference about making a standard template.  Should be interesting.

Userlevel 6
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What do you do to keep consistency in the training materials you are preparing?

We have multiple authors so each has a slightly different style. We have created some standards to keep things consistent so I am curious if others do the same. What kind of standards do you have?

 

Hi Kylie,

 

As this is in the peer exchange section, I assume you are interested in hearing about how other customer are achieving this. But just in case, here is what we suggest:

 

The clicklearn templating system is in place to ensure consistency between authors, so that no matter who is producing a content piece, it will follow the same structure and formatting guidelines set by the template selected.

 

The template can be items, such as visual design, fonts, colors, logo, intro, outro, virtual assistance mascot, layout of webpage, the video, powerpoint, and word/pdf templates.

 

Templates can furthermore define how specific functions or features are phrased. So if you have a button in your ERP system that you wish is referred to in a certain way in your documentation, it will be so, no matter who is recording the process, and also every time someone uses that feature in a recording.

 

You can have as many templates as you want. Either targeting specific customers, or specific internal departments with completely different branding.

 

For the templates order process, there is a post here:  https://community.clicklearn.com/getting-started-with-clicklearn-68/brand-your-content-with-customized-templates-49

 

Beyond templates you can also specify a set structure in each template with a pre-defined set of chapters and notes.

 

This will ensure that all recordings, for example, has an Introduction, Objective and Steps chapters, as well as a Summary in the end – or whatever you please, and in as many languages as you like.

 

You can see the latter in the first part of this video: https://community.clicklearn.com/morten-s-corner-74/predefined-chapters-with-notes-use-of-metadata-53

 

 

While nearly all customers have their own template, or set of templates – only a few are using the “predefined recording structure”.

 

I would also mention the session we are doing on the conference, titled "Saving time with recording templates", found here: https://www.clicklearn.com/conferences/2020/get-smarter-2020/author-track-events/saving-time-with-recording-templates/

 

This session covers how to setup default structure in your recording, using templates, and is also another way to achieve even more uniform and standard consistency in your content.

 

Userlevel 4
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Thanks Morten. I had missed this response earlier.

We do use the template but additionally we have some documentation for additional things to keep consistent such as when to select the field entry vs the whole field, when to use notes, etc.

I will have to investigate the predefined recording structure to see if that would make sense. We do have several recordings that are similar (for example creating accounts but done on two different forms) and we have done these by using Reply so they are identical (or close to identical) except for the screenshots.

Thanks!

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