Writing content for training

What should you write? What should you put in and what should you keep out?

The importance of elaboration

When you look at a piece of content you may feel that it isn’t clear enough, but you can’t seem to put your finger on what is missing. A common cause is that the content has not been elaborated enough. To a Subject Matter Expert (SME) it makes perfect sense, but you find yourself struggling with it. In all likelihood, your learners will struggle with it too.

The first thing that you must do is to find out what pre-requisite knowledge the learners must have in order to take the course. For example, if you’re making a course to explain the systems of a particular aircraft model to maintenance engineers, then you do not need to explain the basics of aircraft systems. These things may be alien to you, but they make perfect sense to your learners. What you do need to explain in detail is where these systems are located in this particular aircraft, additional features that this aircraft has and any special considerations that the engineers must keep in mind while servicing the aircraft.   

Once you have defined the prerequisites, you will know what not to dwell on. You must then ensure that the content is elaborated adequately so the learners understand and internalize your key messages.

The various types of content that you can include

Here is a quick list of the types of things you can include to flesh a piece of writing out:

• Definitions – Define terms that your learners are unfamiliar with at the beginning of the piece.
• Descriptions – Describe concepts, products, tools, etc because sometimes a formal definition just isn't enough.
• Examples – Give some examples to help learners understand what you are talking about.
• Comparisons or analogies – This is a great way to aid understanding. Think of an analogy that you can draw or compare the concept to something learners are already familiar with.
• Types or categories – Do these concepts or items belong to a category or can they be divided into various types? Describe each category or type.
• Causes or triggers – Are there causes or triggers for these events or processes?
• Applications or uses – Describe what these tools, procedures, or products used for. This is particularly important when you create training material for adults because they are relevancy-oriented.  
• Advantages or benefits – What are the advantages of these products, tools or procedures? This is important if want your learners to buy into a new product or process.
• Disadvantages or limitations – Talk about the disadvantages or limitations. Remember, it is better to be honest and upfront rather than gloss things over.
• Goals or results – Define long-term goals and expected results to help learners see the point of learning and doing new things. 
• Steps of processes or procedures – Clearly list the steps of processes or procedures.
• Problems and solutions – Are there problems that these new tools or processes solve and what exactly are the solutions?
• Background and history – Would some background information help learners understand or appreciate better?

Remember, that it's not enough to just present the facts, you have to establish the context. Most learning fails because it only seeks to impart information. When dealing with adults, you have to constantly show them the value that they (not just as organisations, but) as individuals will derive from this learning.