But what is an “essential”? Essentials are one of the most popular learning solutions on the SkillsTown platform, and our clients love them because you can learn something super useful, really fast, at any time. It’s also very easy to make your own essential in less than five minutes, making it a great tool for things like induction videos or a welcome from your CEO.
Here are some practical tips to get you started with your own essential.
Tip 1: Use as many elements as possible
Essentials consist of different parts including text, videos, external links, downloads and even profiles of a key expert from your company. Try to make your essentials module as comprehensive as possible by using as many of these elements as you can. Think about the topic you want to communicate and what content is best for it. Do your employees need to be tested at the end of it? Then possibly add a link to a mini exam and certificate at the end of your module.
Tip 2: Get creative when populating your essential
Don’t have your own video? Check online if there is any supporting content you can use without infringing on copyright. Do you have specific information that cannot be found elsewhere? You can even use PowerPoint and fill the slides with images, graphs and tables so that it is fun to watch. Add a voiceover or audio clip, and don’t forget to look around at your colleagues and the many talents they have which might help you to create your most authentic essential.
Tip 3: Pair up with an expert
With SkillsTown you have the unique ability to add an expert to your essentials module. These professionals are great for any questions that may arise during or after the course. Just make sure to include the correct contact information of this partner if you are allowing staff to engage directly with this person. If you find that the same questions keep coming up, remember to build up your FAQ content bank.
Tip 4: Make your essential personal and familiar
Doing an onboarding course? Use your phone camera or hire a professional and take your staff on a virtual tour through your office, showing them what they can expect on their first day. Don’t forget to use a landscape setting as this fits better with the essentials format.
Tip 5: It does not have to be perfect
The most important thing to remember with essentials is that you are sharing your knowledge. It does not have to be perfectly edited or put together and do not worry about the odd typo or slip of the tongue. The essentials platform is meant to be a tool that helps you create learning content quickly and easily, and we have seen first-hand how much employees enjoy learning from each other in this way.
- Want to get started on creating micro-learning content?
We would love to show you just how easy it is to create your essentials for dynamic learning with SkillsTown. Contact us today for a free demo.
