Clarity Learning & Development Blog
Perspectives on the continuous evolution of workplace training, learning and leadership development.
Teaching for All Learning Types
Individual learning styles gained popularity in the 1970s, as we learned that different people learn best in different modes of learning. It is now widely accepted in the academic community that three main learning styles exist: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. While no individual absolutely subscribes to a single type, most people instinctively favor one to the point where they retain certain types of information better than others.
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July 19, 2016
Beyond PowerPoint: A Guide to other Visual Teaching Tools
It is no secret that visual teaching tools are important to both audience participation and memory retention. Having visuals makes it all the more likely that the audience will stay engaged and remember the material that you’re teaching them. However, it can be irritating for an audience member to be faced with another white Powerpoint with black text that calls itself a “visual.” Many instructors default to Powerpoint as an easy option for visual communication, but there are a multitude of other options that are more creative and just as simple to use.
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July 13, 2016
The Case for Business-Centric Learning
Even though it’s been on nearly every “top trends” list for Learning and Development in the past two years, business-centric learning isn’t a trend, and we should stop thinking of it that way. Rather, it’s an entirely new framework for thinking about organizational learning – a somewhat radical shift in how we prioritize L&D initiatives in companies.
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June 30, 2016
The Role of Emotion in eLearning
Many think learning is a dispassionate exercise for thinking only—anything that engages feelings will only hinder rational thought. But emotions are a central part of the learner experience because they are a central part of the human experience.
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June 28, 2016
Principles for Designing in Multimedia Environments
The Handbook for Multimedia Learning is a must-have for instructional designers who work on courses that combine graphic, textual, and video elements – which is almost every course now, online and in-person.
The basic principle behind multimedia learning is that humans learn best from a combination of words and images, rather than words alone. So if your training consists solely of a text-based manual or online course, it’s not as effective as it could be.
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June 24, 2016
Get Better Ideas by Tweaking Your Brainstorm Sessions
Brainstorming sessions are the heart of pursuing new ideas. But a major mistake companies make is running idea-generating sessions right out of the box, without structuring them to fit their goals as well as their team’s needs and personalities. Brainstorming sessions are most fruitful when they are adapted to fit your needs.
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June 16, 2016
Mindfulness in the Workplace: Can It Help, or Is It Hype?
It’s hard to find an article or blog on leadership practices these days that doesn’t mention – and recommend – trying mindfulness. But what is this practice, and how can it help achieve your organizational goals?
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June 15, 2016
Best Practices for Hiring Top eLearning Professionals
The sudden interest in organizational learning and development in recent years has led to the creation of a flood of eLearning jobs in today’s market. In many ways, the market belongs to the L&D professionals, who can be selective about picking jobs that best suit their interests. On the other hand, this is also the perfect time to attract experienced and eager candidates to fulfill your company’s eLearning needs.
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June 9, 2016
Ready for the Big Change? Preparing for Organizational Change.
Being flexible and adaptive in today’s increasingly complex world is a necessity. In order to stay competitive, organizations have to be like trees: firmly rooted, but able to move enough with the wind so the branches don’t snap.
But it’s not such a simple task. The most optimistic forecasts indicate that only 25% of major change initiatives are successful over the long term. Other research grimly suggests that 80-90% of those initiatives fail or even make the organization worse off than it was to begin with. And it’s not for lack of trying—the road to failed change initiatives is almost always paved with good intentions.
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June 7, 2016
7 Ways Videos Increase Learner Engagement
Which of the following reasons describes why you use videos in your online courses?
A) Because they’re fun
B) Because everyone else is doing it
C) Because you know how to use them to impact learner success
If you picked C, then you’re already ahead of the game. An empirical study published in 2014 outlined the ways that video production decisions in eLearning directly impact learner engagement—a factor that is tied closely to optimal learning outcomes.
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May 25, 2016
Can You Repeat That? Designing Courses for Peak Memory Retention
Studies show that up to 70% of the material covered in your corporate training will be long forgotten—just 24 hours after the end of the course. This statistic is enough to increase the blood pressure of any instructor, whose entire task is to ensure that new information is retained by learners.
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May 5, 2016
5 Blogs for L&D Gurus
We totally understand. Your plate is overflowing with projects from on high for new training development and you’re bogged down in everyday tasks like administering your LMS and managing your team. Who has the extra time to find the hottest blogs trending in learning and development? No worries. We did it for you!
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May 1, 2016
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