Writing content for eLearning is about delivering messages that are engaging, succinct, memorable, and effective. In the realm of digital learning, your words need to be clear and concise, ensuring that learners can quickly grasp and retain the information presented. Striking the right balance between informativeness and brevity is key to developing impactful eLearning content.
Four characteristics that are key to eLearning copy
Effective: Writing for eLearning is often about changing mindsets or behaviour. The written word is the primary communication tool of eLearning and well-written content can transform performance.
Memorable: The content should deliver only what you need in a form that remains with you and can be recalled and used when needed.
Engaging: The content keeps your interest and leaves you wanting to find out more.
Succinct: Keeping it short is key in eLearning, with no extraneous or distracting diversions.
A good rule of thumb is, if there is too much text – look at what you can remove and use in the audio. If there is too much for the audio, re-assess what is the ‘need to know’ information, and turn the ‘nice to know’ information into a reference document.
Five tips for writing eLearning courses
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Use an active voice
Use a direct, active voice, not passive constructions. Reduce the processing burden on the brain by keeping it simple. Here are some examples of passive versus active sentences:
Passive: We were invited by our neighbours to attend their party.
Active: Our neighbours invited us to attend their party.
Passive: A smartphone is what kids like to use.
Active: Kids like to use a smartphone.
How do you write for active voice?
Make sure you give the focal point of the sentence its due e.g. construct the sentence as follows –
(noun) (verb) (noun) / (neighbours) (invited) (party)
Not
(verb) (noun) (noun) / (invited) (neighbours) (party)
For more information about active voice visit Mary Dash’s Writing Tips: Active Vs Passive Voice and 7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them).
Other helpful resources include the Hemingway Editor. Where you can copy and paste your text and it will highlight where your prose is difficult to read, and where you have used passive instead of active voice. And Grammarly which helps with spelling, punctuation, and clarity.
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Headings
Headings should summarise or indicate what’s in the paragraph to come.
They can be used to quickly scan information so make sure they are meaningful and make sense on their own. Subheadings are also very useful as they can share more specific information. For example, the heading could ignite curiosity while the subheading could be more informative. A formula that may be useful for main page headings is:
- Headline (grab attention) e.g. Mental health matters
- Subheading (provide more detail) e.g. We’re launching new initiatives to ensure the mental health of our staff
- Call-to-Action (tell them what to do) e.g. Start learning now
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Questions
Use questions to disrupt the flow of reading, to create a pause and to consolidate learning. In a face-to-face workshop you ask questions at the start of a session to get learners focused on what your session will be about, so why not do the same with eLearning? Questions don’t have to just be part of a formal quiz. Some example questions include:
- Have you ever considered X as an option?
- Is your premise as safe as this one?
- What would you have said instead? Based on your experience, what should they have said/done?
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Tone of voice
Use a tone of voice that fits the target audience. What type of tone would work best in your organisation? Formal or informal? Light-hearted or serious? It’s sometimes useful to think of tone of voice as a scale or continuum that can be dialed up or down. For example, your organisation may always sit within the more formal category but in some cases, the audience may require a light-hearted version while still adhering to your organisation’s formality. Some organisations will have already established their tone of voice for all internal and external communication which will often be included in style guide documents or managed by the Communications Team.
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Keep it short
Favour short sentences and avoid long and clumsy constructions. Keep paragraphs to no more than three sentences and stick strictly to word count guidance. As it’s tiring and slow reading on screens, extraneous words sap your audience of their goodwill! For more information about how we read online visit Lazy Eyes: How we read online and Why Web Users Scan Instead of Reading.
Bonus tip: Write your narration script first
Some eLearning developers prefer to write their narration script first. This allows them to begin visualising each screen early in the project. This can be a good route to take when you have been given existing PowerPoint slides that have been used in a face-to-face setting. Take all the text off the slide, rewrite it in a narration script and then try and visualise what the learner will see on the screen. It may not work for every slide or screen, but it can be a good starting point.
Remember, by focusing on clear and concise messages and adhering to these key principles, you can create impactful eLearning experiences that captivate and educate learners.