The Ultimate eLearning Playlist: Soundtracking Your Training

Young asian casual businesswoman arm on desk rest pose with laptop computer and listening music via headphone and think about work ,work at home with relax feeling concept.

I don’t know about you, but music plays a big part in my life. If I’m not bobbing my head to tunes during my workday, I’m singing and dancing to blaring music as I clean the house—often using the handle of my mop or Swiffer as my microphone.

That’s why I decided to share this playlist to accompany our phased eLearning project approach.

Just as a re-introduction, for some of you, Learn2Engage’s mission is to motivate employees with compelling story-themed courses and innovative interactions, games, and activities to boost team productivity, elevate performance, and foster sustainable growth, leaving a positive impact on your company’s bottom line. Besides themes and gamification elements, we use characters, scenarios, and 360 environments to engage learners.

So, let’s start with Analysis from our phased approach displayed below!

Diagram is property of Learn2Engage ©All rights reserved.

Spying man with magnifying glass on isolated background

Analysis is all about the investigation. We are trying to learn everything there is to know about the client, their business, industry, goals, pain points, learners, and more. In addition, we are reviewing their content and identifying any gaps. I think Hall and Oates are perfect for this phase, with their 1981 song “Private Eyes”. This song was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for two weeks, from November 7 through November 20, 1981.

Feel like rocking out? You can view the official video HERE.

Next up is Design, where we will define learning outcomes and performance objectives, create an instructional strategy, and develop detailed outlines with activities. This is what I call the ‘shell’ or ‘foundation’ for the entire course. If your foundation is solid, the rest of the project is a piece of cake, which makes the song for this phase oh so relevant. “Solid” by husband-and-wife duo, Ashford & Simpson, released in 1984, was their biggest hit. In the song, they crooned about the ups and downs of their relationship, but through it all their love for one another remained “solid as a rock”.

As a published author of ten works of fiction, Storytelling is my favorite phase. This is where we set the scene, build out the characters, develop the elements of the story that make the crowd go wild, and narrate the whole thing. Since I am (or was once upon a time) a girl, and this is the phase where I have the most fun, I had to go with my girl, Cyndi Lauper. You can check out The Story Behind “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” HERE.

Okay, moving on! I hope you are singing and dancing along to my eLearning Playlist so far. The Prototype phase is where we use the client’s branding guidelines to put together a sample of what the end result will look like. With a cool, eye-catching design that will be used throughout the organization and consistent in all their courses, our graphic designers are leading the pack and topping the charts in this phase. They are truly “Bad”. Which leads me to our song for this phase by the infamous Michael Jackson.

Michael was 29 when he released this album, which sold over 35 million copies worldwide.

Relive the song here in this iconic video produced by Quincy Jones HERE.

The final destination for our playlist is in the Development phase, which also includes testing on the LMS, where needed. This is where the story comes to life with photos, videos, animation, and voice. And because of the work done in the analysis phase, the activities resonate with each and every learner.

We’ve hit every note in this journey and the playlist is complete! And because the learner has the knowledge they need to complete their job tasks and excel in their role, they are now in control. Which leads us to our final song by Michael’s little sister, Janet, in “Control”.

Did you know that “the album’s title stemmed from the fact that, before she hooked up with Jam and Lewis, Janet felt she had no control over what she was doing? She was like a producer’s puppet with little or no say in the direction of her music.” (May 20, 2024, Charles Waring)

You can read up on “How Self-Assertion Made Janet Jackson An Icon” HERE.

The dictionary defines self-assertion as:

• the confident and forceful expression or promotion of oneself, one’s views, or one’s desires.

Example: “her self-assertion was born from a confident determination to succeed”

African american black woman working with laptop computer.creative business people planning and using pen in modern work loft

Do your learners experience self-assertion when they complete one of your organization’s training modules?

Are they motivated and confident in their job role?

If not, give us a call (321-300-5596) or schedule a virtual coffee.

I hope you enjoyed our Ultimate eLearning Playlist, the soundtrack to your training!

Until next time…

About the Author

Cheryl Powell, CEO of Learn2Engage, is in her 28^th year as a Virtual Instructional Design and e-Learning Specialist, with clients all over the US and overseas. Additionally, she is a published author of various works of fiction and motivational speaker.

She holds a Bachelor in Business Management, a graduate certification in Project Management, a Master of Science degree in IT Project Management, and a ATD Gamification Level 1 Certificate. She has studied the Adult Learning principles of experts and theorists such as Gagne’s (nine events), Maslow’s (hierarchy of needs), and Dr. Ruth Clark, to ensure her courses, presentations, storyboards, and modules, engage the learner, utilize the proper balance of white space, text and graphics, and result in high Learner Retention rates.

Her clients return year after year for the affordable pricing, her rapid customer response rate, and the benefits they observe in the productivity of their employees after taking her courses.