RKCS Learning Solutions

They say that laughter is the best medicine. So why is it that you have to be so careful when it comes to humor in eLearning? I understand that there is a corporate look and yes, there are definitely times for a serious tone. But, I really feel that there are times where a little levity makes the subject matter a bit more palatable. So why are some corporations and departments so afraid of it? I was asked to develop a training for a specific corporation and my thought process developed a scenario that started of with slight humor. In fact, it was a parody of an old 60′s and 70′s show. However, once I presented this, I was told that they wanted it to be serious and there was no room for humor. Well, I did the module as asked but it still felt empty to me. Maybe part of that was because my heart was in the humor.

I came across a post that Geetha Krishnan did a couple of years ago. I found some of the responses interesting, especially one noting that humor is a “very personal” trait. I am not sure if I totally agree that it is very personal simply because, well, comedians exist for a reason. They exist because we find a lot of the same things funny. Now, of course, there is a line between appropriate and off-color. As a ID, I need to be aware of my target audience and be able to develop some sense of appropriate humor for them. Yes, there definitely are times to be serious and, ahem, corporate. But if you can appropriately lighten the mood, doesn’t that make things easier to accept? Doesn’t that make the pill easier to swallow? Doesn’t that open you up for more learning?

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So, they tell me that most of the jobs available are never posted on job boards etc.  That means that in order to find them, you have to know people, the right people.  Networking is the most important skill that you can gain in your career, I am told.  With the proliferation of social networking sites, such as Facebook, and “professional” networking sites like, LinkedIn, that has become easier.  It has also allowed the possibility for expanding your network beyond what you can handle face to face.  For me that has been a great thing so far.  Through posting on software forums and blogs, I have been able to connect with a company VP, a few small e-learning business owners and some potential owners.  This week, I had an “interview” of sorts with a CEO and Project Manager for an e-learning company in my area just through a post I made in a LinkedIn group.  I know that typical protocol says that you don’t present yourself as inexperienced.  However, I admittedly need help in making it into this field.  So, I don’t feel ashamed about reaching out and asking for a hand.  Anyway, I spoke with the principal of this company about future possibilities about helping out on a couple of projects so they could get a feel for me.  After I sent them my thoughts about one project, they emailed me regarding another one that they were working on and noted that they would begin thinking about compensation for it.  Woohoo, not what I went in looking for necessarily.  But money is always good, right?

In the meantime, I am still poring through alot of elearning company sites, using my RSS reader to sign for quite a few blogs, as many as I can logically handle. I’m trying to form relationships with some of the bloggers by asking questions about their posts. This is not easy work but I am enjoying the journey so far.

So, the question came to my mind about a year ago.  What can I do with my teaching skills, my education degrees, my leadership skills, my creative abilities, that would allow me to control my schedule, be around my young kids and make a decent living?  Yes, a long question, I know, but one that deserved an answer, at least in my mind.  After a bit of research, I came up on the area of courseware development or instructional design.  This was not something I had heard much about before, surprisingly.  As a matter of fact, when I tell people about what I am doing, they give me the “huh” look until I explain.  Then I get the “oohhhhhh” look.  I suppose I should get used to that.

 

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