Use Visual Demonstration
Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
“10 Keys” Online Learning Design Series
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
Table of Contents
KEY #6 – USE VISUAL DEMONSTRATION .................................3
1. IMMEDIATE MENTAL INVOLVEMENT ...................................5
2. PERSISTENT PHYSICAL INVOLVEMENT ................................6
3. FAST-PACED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT .............................7
4. CREATE REAL-WORLD SCENARIOS........................................8
5. SEEING IS BELIEVING...................................................................9
Use Visual Demonstration
Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
Written by: Rich DiBenedetto
The author has taken care in preparation of this White Paper, but makes no expressed or implied
warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
1st printing June 2014
Copyright © 2014 Rich DiBenedetto
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any
means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Internet, or
information storage and retrieval systems—without the written permission of Rich DiBenedetto.
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
KEY #6 – USE VISUAL DEMONSTRATION
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
— 1984, George Orwell 1
Quickly capturing someone’s attention in an engaging and interesting way is
essential to providing a memorable experience. Who could resist being intrigued by
Orwell’s distortion of time? The same concept holds true when creating a training
experience. A connection needs to be made on a psychological and emotional level that
draws the learner into the story and provides an opportunity to become fully immersed.
Adding a relevant visual component takes the training a step further by coupling
an aspect of realism with entertainment that puts the learner at ease. In essence, you’ve
strategically relieved the perceived burden of having to “work” to learn.
The use of dynamic video scenarios is a highly effective way to visually demonstrate
a desired skill, attitude, or behavior that you want the learner to emulate in the
performance of a task. In this format, you can present scenarios that contain visual aspects
of an action or activity that simply cannot be conveyed accurately in text, audio, or still
images.
I’ve used video scenarios to create reenactments of activities in a work environment
where the skill, attitude, or behavior was expected to be performed. As a result, I’ve found
that this contextual presentation further ingrained the message and significantly elevated
comprehension.
1
University of Houston (2014). American Book Review. As retrieved from http://americanbookreview.org /100bestlines.asp
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
Although a legitimate argument can be made that hands-on training is the only
way to convey the actual sensory experience, the real challenge is to maintain consistency
across a distributed workforce. Just because an instructor in Dallas teaches “by the book”
does not mean that an instructor in Kansas City even opens the book. Using video
scenarios provides an opportunity for the learner to repeatedly view the lesson until it
sticks – without the fear of public failure or embarrassment. Naturally, hands-on training is
an essential aspect of a complete learning life-cycle, but depending on your needs,
scenario-based training can be an effective supplement or even a viable stand-alone
alternative.
If you can guarantee consistency in the training message,
you can be confident that policies, procedures, and
regulations are being presented in a way that will increase
comprehension.
Although there are many methods for engaging a learner in a training event, there
are four sure-fire strategies that can capture the learner’s attention quickly and spur
engagement in the learning process.
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
1. IMMEDIATE MENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Have you ever submitted a book to a publisher? Do you know anyone who has? If
so, then I am sure you are familiar with the process they use to judge a book. If not, I’ll
share a secret with you; they read the first few paragraphs and if they are intrigued, they
read on. If they are not intrigued…ever heard of the “round file”? Learners are very much
like publishers. Although they might not be able to remove themselves from the event,
they can certainly disengage. A way to prevent this is to make a great first impression by
setting the tone of the learning experience immediately.
How do we effectively engage the brain? Tell an interesting story. A simple way is
to open a training event by providing a short, engaging video montage highlighting the
upcoming content in order to trigger a degree of anticipation. I’ve also had success by
kicking off courses with a branched learning exercise that progressed based on the
learner’s choice to decision point questions. If you can create immediate interest, the
learner will be more inclined to become fully engaged.
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
2. PERSISTENT PHYSICAL INVOLVEMENT
The difference between an effective training event presented in a seminar, in a
video, or in a self-paced online course is the extent to which the learner is compelled to
participate in the event. There is often no requirement for a learner to become actively
engaged in a seminar situation. The learner might pay attention and take excellent notes,
but there is no immediate guarantee, or proof, that comprehension is taking place.
Watching a video can be educational and entertaining, but it can also be an opportunity
for the learner’s mind to drift toward unrelated and sometimes more interesting subjects.
Unless you are going to require leaners to take a post test, you should use seminar and
video training for the “nice to have” information.
One way to guarantee participation in the training process is to require the learner
to perform an action that directly impacts the progress of the training. For example, a selfpaced course can present small chunks of information in the form of engaging video
scenarios. When the video ends, a “Next” button appears that requires the learner to click
in order to advance the lesson. This simple and reliable design feature guarantees active
physical participation in the learning process in the form of learner interaction. Keep in
mind that interaction does not always equal engagement.
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
3. FAST-PACED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Marketing agencies tells us that to gain someone’s attention you need to create a
dynamic sensory experience and that it only takes seconds for viewers to decide to stay
tuned or move on. A marketer’s ultimate goal is to connect their presentation to a
memory in order to stir an emotion and cause us to do whatever it is they are trying to get
us to do.
Although we don’t really want training to become marketing, there are definite
lessons to be learned from this approach. One lesson is to make the training event
relevant in order to trigger a memory which can stir an emotion and lead to increased
comprehension. Another lesson is to hit the ground running by getting the learner
involved in the process quickly. If you can design an environment that requires a reaction
to challenging questions or decision points, the learner then becomes the catalyst for
meaningful action and progression.
Active engagement allows learners to:
 Absorb the information in a meaningful way
 Make use of the concepts in relevant “real world” scenarios
 Make a lasting connection between the activities being presented in
the chunk of instruction (learning context) and the activities required
for successful job performance (performance context)
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
4. CREATE REAL-WORLD SCENARIOS
Credibility. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary provides one definition as “the
quality or power of inspiring belief.” 2 This is the main ingredient in a creating a video
scenario. By incorporating realism, you can create conditions necessary for learning and
changed behavior to occur.
As you know, learners tend to judge a training event by its relevance. Therefore, it
is critical that you create instructional material for specific objectives while being
flexible enough to accommodate important variances in target populations. I know,
this sounds like a lot of work (and it is). But it’s well worth the time and effort because
these re-creations of desired behavioral performance become the building blocks for
transferring knowledge, imparting skills, or changing attitudes. You’ll gain the most
success by deliberately focusing attention on teaching work methods, processes,
procedures, and compliance requirements. An effective way to gain insight into creating
believable scenarios is to get firsthand accounts by connecting with the people who are
actually performing the tasks that you need to teach.
Gaining attention by providing a relevant learning
environment will elevate confidence and performance,
while providing a highly satisfying learning experience.
2
Merriam-Webster (2014). Credibility. As retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/
dictionary/credibility
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
5. SEEING IS BELIEVING
Imagine that you are reading instructions on how to tile a bathroom floor. After
finding the correct language, you quickly scan the document to see how many steps are
involved. The list of materials is helpful, but you’re not sure what a “grout float” is, or how
a “notched trowel” is used. The instructions have some drawings, but they rely on your
ability to figure out the finer details. Your confidence level is not rising as you tentatively
open the first box of tile. 3
3
Wikihow (2014). Images and text retrieved from www.wikihow.com/Tile-a-Bathroom-Floor
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
Now imagine that you have the same bathroom tiling project but this time you
have access to a video demonstration conducted by a home improvement expert. You are
visually presented with the tools you’ll need and the expert explains the use of each one.
The expert then details the process that you’ll follow to achieve the desired results. Finally,
you are led down a path that provides step-by-step visual activities that result in a
masterfully tiled bathroom. 4
4
Anderson, J. (2014). How To Lay A Stone Tile Floor. This Old House. As retrieved from www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/howto/step/0,,20670738_21276257,00.html
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
What was the real difference? There are plenty of examples of people successfully
accomplishing a task using written instructions with artistic renderings. Just think about
all the times that you’ve put together a grill, or a child’s toy, without the use of a video.
However, if you were to try and perform that same task again sometime down the road,
you will likely have a difficult time recalling the steps in the instructional material.
The real difference is in the way the brain effectively absorbs and efficiently stores
the information contained in the visual demonstration. Motivation to learn is increased
when people realize that the presentation format can actually help them reach their goal
(relevance!).
In order to facilitate a mental connection and ultimately place the targeted content
in long term memory, be sure to present the training in a relevant learning context. This
connection becomes a source of guidance for accurate recall when the learner is
presented with a similar situation (performance context) in the future.
Once the learner is fully engaged and tuned into an activity, a fascinating mental
process takes place.
Scientifically speaking (just for a moment), the brain’s ability to process visual
information makes for a more effective learning experience when the content is impactful,
important, and relevant to the performance context. Research conducted by C. M. Janell,
J. D. Champenoy, S. A. Coombes, and M. B. Mousseau, as reported in the Journal of Sports
Sciences, demonstrated that the:
“…effectiveness of video models has been corroborated by studies suggesting that
information provided by a model is equally effective for the observer, regardless of whether
modeling is conveyed through live demonstration or by video. From a methodological
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
standpoint, video models are advantageous as they provide an invariant demonstration of
the task, eliminating would-be confounds incurred with the use of inherently inconsistent live
demonstrations” (Janell, et al., 2003, p. 826). 5
In other words, scenario based training can be as effective as live
demonstration while providing a more consistent message. Pretty cool.
The bottom line is that a visual demonstration of a skill,
attitude, or behavior may be stored in long-term memory as
an experience that may later be accurately recalled when
performing in an actual situation.
5
Janell, Christopher M., Champenoy, Jamy D., Coombes, Stephen A., and Mousseau, Melanie B. (2003). Mechanisms of
attentional cueing during observational learning to facilitate motor skill acquisition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2003, 21, 825838. Gainsville, FL.
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance
About Learn it Solutions
Our team consists of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our
expertise is in learning design, multimedia production, and learning technologies. We
incorporate these strengths into a process and product that is designed to produce an
exceptional learning experience that elevate confidence, performance, and profits.
We published this white paper to help anyone responsible for creating online
training and education courses to better understand some of the critical factors necessary
to end the epidemic of boring online courses.
To find out more about creating engaging and dynamic online training and
education courses, feel free to contact us at 877.343.7863 or [email protected].
Learn it Solutions
545 Washington Blvd., 22nd Floor
Jersey City, New Jersey 07310
www.learnitsolutions.com
Learn it Solutions is a business unit within the Verisk Claims & Crime Analytics family of
companies.
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Use Visual Demonstration: Key #6 for Elevating Confidence & Performance