It is widely understood that stories are a great vehicle to communicate essential lessons and enhance learning - especially when used to influence, motivate, and lead others. For most people however, the understanding stops there and key questions remain unanswered. What stories are most important? How do you standout in a sea of sameness? How do you write, tell and publish a good story?

Many trainers and designers are reluctantly giving in to the administrative (cover my back) tasks of ensuring that learners click all pages to show compliance and certification from elearning courses. A true case from a client attests to this: "We don't care if learners learn as long as they show proof they read 9,000 words worth through page clicking."

Technology is constantly evolving and learning materials are not keeping pace. The irreversible path towards Cloud-based applications is deeply impacting businesses of all sizes and from every sector. But most companies have yet to realize that their workers need now more than ever to adapt their digital skills to these rapid changes. The skills gap, accompanied by the fact that learners are changing their own behavior, is urging their L&D teams to embrace a new era of online training: open to everyone, Cloud-based, fully localized, and always up-to-date.

The future is coming up fast. Already, technology is changing so quickly that we can easily imagine future work lives that barely resemble the ones we lead today. Yet we must create and sustain leadership roles in an increasingly complex world.

Although we don't have a sell-by date stamped on our foreheads, according to a 27-country survey, obsolescence is the number one concern employees share around the world. Will my skills and abilities remain fresh in order to sell my wares in the marketplace of jobs? Or will I pass my sell-by-date and become obsolete, facing underemployment or unemployment? There is reason to worry.

How often do you hear trainers, designers and elearning developers complain about their SMEs?  

In the video, Ray discusses how extreme events make their mark in the learners' minds and triggers quicker recall rather than regular day to day events. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. Contact Vignettes Learning for more information. Click here.

In the video, this type of content is discussed and how this can be made accessible to the learners at a later time as they need it on the job. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. Contact Vignettes Learning for more information. Click here.

Here we are shown how to identify the key ideas that learners need to be trained on, to immediately apply on the job. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. Contact Vignettes Learning for more information. Click here.

Here, it is explained how our minds work, how it stores information and how it associates facts with events. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. Contact Vignettes Learning for more information. Click here.

The lesson is designed to provide you with tools to successfully delegate and  helps you reflect and discover best practices. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. 2014

This video seeks to differentiate interactive stories from usual narratives and how that distinction impacts learning. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. Contact Vignettes Learning for more information. Click here.

Do you feel like the order-taker in the training drive-thru lane? If so, join thousands of other training professionals who can relate to this feeling. In the sold out part 1 of this program (recorded in June 2014), Jim and Wendy explored tactics for creating more meaningful communication with training requesters to maximize the performance and results that the training is intended to support.

How do real-life events and actual workplace cases ingrain the learning in the learners' minds? Find out how you can use it effectively. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. Contact Vignettes Learning for more information. Click here.

Joe Ganci will be presenting his very popular and always updated session, The Coolest Adobe Captivate Tips on the Planet, at Training 2015. There he will talk about more than 25 great tips to enhance your instructional design using Adobe Captivate. Now, not only a sneak peek to Joe's session at the conference but a chance to see Joe go in depth on four of his most popular tips, directly in Captivate. This is not a PowerPoint presentation, it's a demonstration using the tool. You don't need to know Captivate to attend this session but if you do, all the better! Joe will also set aside some time to answer your questions. Don't miss this!

Effective, positive communication is the single biggest driver of success for business teams. New research in the fields of neuroscience and positive psychology is showing the incredible ripple effect positive communication can have on employee engagement, productivity, and happiness at work.

Complex ideas can be learned quickly using the Story-Based Approach.  How do you avoid glorified memorization methods following this model? By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D.

Drawing learners into the story, letting them participate and experience the story and having them engage in experience sharing boost their learning ability. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D.

The design concept is based on an understanding of learners' concerns first and foremost -  - by bits and pieces or by small bites along the way. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D.

The lesson depicts how a person’s comment may or may not be viewed as a form of sexual harassment by a co-employee. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. 2014

Instantaneous learning is achieved by focusing on a singular idea in a lesson re-enforced through a real-life circumstances showing possible consequences or outcomes. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D.

Only 44% of employees believe their employer does a good job bringing new employees into the organization. Onboarding is the process of transforming a new hire into a fully functioning, integrated member of the team. Proper onboarding provides not only the ‘rules of the road,’ but also clear expectations in terms of behavior and interaction with management, customers, and other employees.

Emotions evoked by stories as they unfold, draws learners’ attention and keep them focused.  This is why interactive stories deeply impact learning. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D.

The lesson shows the impact of decisions made based on perceptions and possible experiences when facing a given situation. By Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. 2014