4 Tips to Communicate Online Learning Benefits to Others

We spent last week in Thailand training some organizations on effective principles found in our book, The Learning Explosion. As we presented to these different groups we had to recognize when someone wasn't understanding what we were saying because everyone's English skills were on different levels.

When we felt like someone wasn't understanding something we would slow down and speak very clearly in the simplest of terms. And even then, sometimes we would need a translator to jump in and clarify what we were saying.

For some people, online learning can be a new language. Especially for executives and others who have not really experienced it. When you're trying to sell the concept of online learning to a group that has had limited exposure to it in the past remember these four tips:

TIP 1 Slow down! Literally slow down the speed of your speech so that people can process difficult concepts.

TIP 2 Speak very clearly! Use simple terms that people understand and don't use a lot of acronyms. You may think that everyone knows what the terms LMS or asynchronous mean. It's surprising how many people don't. Oftentimes you'll hear an American increase their volume when trying to talk to a non-English speaker. Keep your volume level steady. Shouting won't  increase their understanding. Speaking clearly will.

TIP 3 Be patient! Your listeners may have a lot of questions so be patient and take time to answer them all. You may feel like you're repeating yourself, but that's OK because repetition is the father of all learning.

TIP 4 Use a translator! If you're going to be talking with your executive team, or your finance team, or some other group that may have their own lingo, find someone that understands their language and can help act as a translator for you for hard concepts that you are going to present.

When you communicate clearly, at the knowledge level of the learner, you'll find that you are able to get your meaning across and leave with the comfort that your message has been heard loud and clear...without shouting.