Skip to main content

The last few weeks

A few weeks ago, me and my colleague got an opportunity to put together something for a particular group. I will be hazy on the details, for very obvious reasons, but as you will see that is not necessarily important for this post.

When we started off, we really had no clue what we were going after. We read up a bit, met people and put out a few drafts of what the program would look like. We, were obviously, not very satisfied at how that turned out, but we persisted. For a week or so, the presentation went back and forth, but with very little forward movement.

As we made progress, we reached a point of self doubt and started looking for back up options. It reflected our own lack of self confidence than anything else. But the back up options that we saw seemed to be no better.

Then, a breakthrough happened. While tossing ideas back and forth, something happened that made us re-imagine the entire way we had conceived the program. And at that point, we did not want to take the new approach, since we had thought too much about the existing one. But we did, as we uniformly agreed that this was indeed the way forward.

And then we started working on it. For days on end, crossing the t's and dotting the i's and getting the design elements right. Each day, each hour, we pushed it forward and ultimately came up with some really professional looking design elements for the program. In the meantime, we were offered gratuitous comments on how the program could be changed, modified and all that - we mostly ignored them - though we did incorporate the really good ones.

And finally the program was a success.

This is the typical learning process for anything. We start off without knowing anything about it. Then, we work on it, relentlessly, getting it right and throw everything we have at it. And finally, it all falls together. There is no miracle here. This is just the way we learn, as human beings (apropos, both the previous videos - of dreaming big and learning by doing) by dreaming big and trying.

Two big learnings, apart from this: One is that, design and content are kings - it is very important to get the look and feel and the actual innards of the content right. If done right, the curiosity and wow factor takes care of  any ensuing ennui in the program.

And second, listening to the stakeholders - many of them have a solid view into what we were up against and many of the tips and suggestions were useful in the end in getting the rough edges right.

Today, we when look back at the first draft of the program, we cringed - thinking how could have thought of something so amateurish. But, that is how it feels like, when we get something right...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The power of jotting down ideas

 Long long ago, I always used to carry a small letterpad with me. To jot down ideas that might occur. Over the years, it has changed from a notepad to evernote to google keep, but the power of jotting down ideas is immense.  Small ideas go into keep.  Anything to be quickly typed goes into whatsapp as a self message.  Bigger or better formed ideas go into Google docs A few are still written, but I manage to copy them into a digital format sooner rather than later.  But the power of jotting down is immense. My google keep is an encyclopedia of ideas - most of which may never get implemented. 

Why does elearning exist?

 Elearning is one of those niches that does not deserve to exist. Yes, it was a novelty 20 years ago, but not now. It cannot exist. But somehow it does. Disclaimer: I used to head a content team once upon a time. And I used to ask those whom I hired - tell me the last thing you learnt from an e-learning. The answer is - pretty much nothing (and this is a good decade ago).  Why?  If you want to learn a recipe, you go to Youtube, or Reels or something like that. If you are terribly old fashioned - as in, you read - then you go to a website and read the recipe and make it.  Most other things you learn by doing or learning on the job or asking an expert.  If you have to learn something in depth, then there are other ways.  So, where does e-learning fit in all this? E-learning is one of those products that the customer hates, but has no choice, because someone has decided it is the best way. For instance, you have to learn a new CRM or some other product - you w...

And the unconference happened

 Most conferences have an agenda. No, not the stated agenda, but an agenda of marketing, airtime to sponsors, ensuring the past and future customers are invited, of ensuring that the "stars" of the industry are invited and attention showered of them. All in all it is a your scratch my back, I scratch your back syndrome. Some of these become cliques and claques and therefore the real point behind a conference is lost. And then there is the unconference - organised and run by the alumni of the ISABS ODCP program. And as the name suggests, this is truly an un-conference organised by the alumni, for the alumni. No funders - except the alumni themselves. No sponsors. Just the team.  I havent seen a more tastefully organised conference (yes, its an unconference).  To begin with - the location - not a typical star hotel, but an outdoorsy place. The food - simple. The welcome - personal. It was like a homecoming. The setting was warm and welcoming. It was a smaller conference. Ju...