How to write short for online learning

Cathy Gillespie
Articles, Content and instructional design
August 6, 2020

It’s an old quote that’s still true – it’s not easy to get your message across in a few words.

But, that’s exactly what we need to do in online learning – make complex ideas bite sized to engage learners and fit the parameters of development tools.

More recently, American writing guru William Zinsser claimed any topic can be covered in 300 words. He might be right, but finding the best 300 words takes time and skill.

A short piece of writing doesn’t necessarily mean a short writing engagement, but there are techniques you can use to keep the waffle factor at bay. The key is practice – the more you do it, the easier (and faster) it gets.

Try these tips that help us make long stories short.

Use templates

Decide word lengths before you start. It’s much easier than cutting content during build.

Write long first

Then review and cull to fit the template. The more you do this, the faster you’ll get, and you’ll find your first drafts get shorter too.

For complete objectivity, have someone else do the review.

Say it out loud

If you can’t speak the idea easily, it will be hard to read. With practice, you’ll be able to do this in your head which works better in an open-plan office!

Step away

Sleep on it and look again. Fresh eyes are your best critics.

Tricky issue?

Explain it verbally to someone who knows nothing about it. Check they understand then write down what you said. Nothing more.

It takes time to perfect the skill of short writing for online learning. We’ve been doing it for years so get in touch if you’d like to find out more about making short messages count.

[And that’s 287 words for those of you who are checking!]

The Hare, The Tortoise and The Power of Storytelling

Stories have been wielded as tools for teaching throughout most of human history. Whether it be the exploits of gods used to explain natural phenomena or the adventures of mischievous cats and daring princesses showing children right from wrong, tales of teaching have existed since stories were first told. Even now, centuries after the birth of myth and fairytale, stories are used every day even more versatile ways.

Are you making the most of Articulate 360 Rise ready-made content?

Articulate 360 Rise is a popular tool for creating eLearning courses. It is easy to use and can help you create high-quality courses quickly. But did you know that one of the best features of Rise is its ready-made content. This content includes templates, modules, and assets that you can use to create your own courses.

Are you making use of the Totara online resources?

Helping yourself is quicker and more cost-effective and we all want answers quickly. If you are a Totara LMS organisation do you know about the many ways that Totara support their clients to do just that.

Three reasons to put microlearning on your menu

Learning should not be daunting, and thanks to microlearning, it doesn’t have to be. Microlearning is a way to learn through bite-sized pieces of information, creating easily digestible lessons.

Configuring and using the Totara LMS Recycle Bin

Deleting courses or parts of courses can be nerve-wracking and sometimes we delete the wrong thing by mistake. However, if you understand and configure your Totara LMS Recycle Bin, it gives you a safety net to avoid permanently losing your deleted items.

Three reasons storyboarding matters

Ten percent of the population is dyslexic, which is a significant proportion. And yet dyslexia is still often poorly understood and is not taken into account in the presentation of our online content.