My Classes at Learning Solutions 2011 Were a Smash!

I’ve just returned from sunny and warm Orlando, Florida.  I’m glad to be home and back in New York, but I sure did love that Orlando weather!  I was teaching at the eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions 2011 conference, and had a fantastic time.  I created and taught a full-day pre-conference certificate program on How to Create and Deliver e-Learning Voiceovers Like a Pro.  I had 13 wonderful students from across the U.S. and Canada.  I had designed an extremely hands-on program, which gave everyone lots of opportunity to practice new ideas and tricks as I taught them throughout the day.  We worked on writing and rewriting scripts to turn them into compelling voiceover copy, we worked on basic relaxation exercises and vocal techniques, and we worked on the essentials of recording and editing voiceover files.  Then I held an extended lab in the afternoon where participants worked on creating scripts and audio content while I walked around the room, working one-on-one with each student to answer questions and provide suggestions and guidance.  At the end of the day, each student did a mini-presentation, playing and discussing the difference between audio files they created first thing that day, and then again at the end of the day, using the same script.  The improvements in every case were audible and substantial.  I was proud of all the students for the progress they demonstrated in the space of just one day!  I was also both pleased and humbled when I read all of the anonymous student feedback the following day; it means a lot to me to have made such a positive impact with my teaching.  I salute each and every one of my students for working so hard, and for doing such a great job!  I’ll share some of the written feedback in a future post.

I also led a one-hour Presentation Skills 101 class each of the three days of the conference, helping e-Learning professionals overcome the classic roadblocks to delivering an engaging and inspiring presentation.  Again, the students were great participants, and gave me great reviews afterward.  I like to think that there are a lot more e-Learning professionals out there now who can get up in front of any audience with confidence and really make a difference.

I’m not usually the type to wear a “slogan” T-shirt, but when I arrived in Orlando, I found a Disney store that allowed you to create your own design, and so I created the one shown in the picture here, and proudly wore it for my full-day program: “E-Learning Without Human Voiceovers?  That’s Like a Grin Without a Cat!” 

My thanks to Heidi Fisk of the eLearning Guild for inviting me to teach these courses this year.  It was a fantastic experience, and I’d love to do it again.  If you know of anyone needing coaching, by all means please refer them to the Coaching page on my consulting site.