How to Write Well – Writing Online Courses for Your Employees

Writing is an art. There’s a reason why Ernest Hemingway once said, “easy writing makes hard reading.” The ability to write well is one that takes time and practice to develop and it’s not something that comes naturally to many of us. Therefore, course authoring can be a big challenge and if you have been given the assignment of writing a course, the prospect can feel overwhelming, to say the least. Fortunately, there are multiple tools and platforms available that will help you to reach success when it comes to writing courses for training purposes. Today we’ll consider some of the tips and things you need to bear in mind. While undertaking the authorship of a course such as online writing course, so that you can create a learning experience that is beneficial to all involved.

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The bottom line is that good writing is essential to good learning. Particularly when it comes to e-learning, you need to be able to create resources that are easy to interpret and therefore the information is quickly and correctly retained. So, what can you do to ensure an enjoyable while also informative e-learning experience?

Tips for Good Course Authoring and How to Write Well

1-Keep your audience in mind.

Before you even start writing, know whom you are writing for. Consider why the learners need to know the information that you are going to share with them and bring out key points and aspects of the topic that are going to be especially helpful to them. When you have your audience in mind, you will have a clear goal and therefore become less likely to get weighed down or distracted by information that is irrelevant to your learners. You don’t want to go over the information that they are familiar with while similarly, you don’t want to skin over topics that you assume they know already. Know your audience and know what they know.

2-Prioritise the information.

Even the most engaging course will lose the interest of its participants over time. The attention span of online learners can sometimes be less than in-person learners. Show your understanding of this by putting the important, key information at the start of the course. The less important, more minor aspects can be covered later in the lesson. Furthermore, maintain a logical development throughout the course and make sure that any main points are obvious. When you focus on the objective of the course and the essential information your learners need to know, you’ll be able to create a logical and relevant course that gives your audience the best chance of remaining engaged and remembering what they learn.

3-Keep it simple.

If you can’t teach it simply, you don’t understand well enough yet yourself in an online writing course. Break more complex ideas down into simpler sentences, using vocabulary that’s understandable to everyone. Make sure to convey key points in concise phrases and sentences. If the learner is overwhelmed by unnecessary details and over-complicated speech, they’re not going to understand or remember the material. If unfamiliar terms are required, provide a simple explanation. When you follow these suggestions, your learners are going to be able to understand and grasp the real message of the course.

4-Make the information easy to find.

Make the connection between the online writing course and the students Learning Management System (LMS). That way they will be able to find the relevant part of the course using keywords in your content. They will be able to manage their own learning experience and work at a pace that is best for them and their learning style. Think about the kind of questions your learners may have and frame the content of the course around that. Learners are much more likely to turn to your course for help if it’s easy to navigate.

5-Write in the active voice to write well.

While the passive voice focuses on the action, the active voice makes the subject the most important part of the sentence. When the active voice is used, it pushes the subject into the foreground. And it is giving your writing a higher sense of authority and air of confidence. When this confidence is conveyed to the learners, they are more likely to rely on that information and succeed in their learning experience.

6-Make use of visual aids.

Pictures paint a thousand words, and a video can do even more than that! Ideas can be conveyed in a quick and engaging way through interesting pictures, and videos can provide a multisensory experience by involving the eyes and the ears. Be wary of going overboard, however, as too many pictures and videos can be overwhelming and overstimulating. Use visual aids to highlight the important points and make sure the learners remember the point of instruction behind the visual stimulus, not just a pretty picture or humorous video clip.

7-Get a second opinion before you publish it.

It really helps to get another pair of eyes, to get a fresh perspective on your work. They will be able to offer constructive criticism and identify areas that need clarification, or errors that you may have missed. These unique perspectives will allow you to also test the water with your course and see how engaging it is to different kinds of people.

E-Learning is the Future

The time is ripe for business coaches to jump into the world of e-learning too to stay on trend. The education industry has changed dramatically. Since the covid 19 pandemic e-learning has become even more commonplace and even more valuable similar to writing well. According to one study, nearly half of all business coaches surveyed had made changes to the services that they offer in response to the pandemic. With the right tools, you can create an information course while also monitoring the progress of the students. Exporting and tracking is made easy. And you have access to all the media and resources you need to up your course authoring game. You don’t need to be an expert with specialised training. But with these tips and the right tools, you can create an engaging learning experience that’s advantageous for all.