Recording events is easier than ever. If you have a smartphone then you have a video recording device with you right now. Audio only recording works fine too.  The important thing is that you capture the content.  You may already have a copy of your SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) slides, but what you really want is a recording of him/her talking about those slides. That’s the real gold.

Catching up

Let’s reflect for a moment on how we got to this point.

• We have been given a request for training.
• We have identified a SME.
• We have organized an instructor led training event like a concert and treated our SME like a rockstar.

Notice we’ve done no instructional design at this point. And remember, that’s by design. We’re still getting to know our knowledge rockstar, gain their trust, and amplify their presence throughout the company.  We’re focused on getting all the event logistics done right and paying attention to the details. Its critical that everything runs smoothly and the attendees are happy.

Record Your Rockstar Concert

To have an instructional impact on this content, you must record this epic rockstar concert…or event. Why? Because your SME has no doubt included more than enough information in his presentation for you to use. For you ADDIE model fans, think of this as part of the analysis process. You do not want to rely on just your SME’s content.  By recording the event with attendees involved you also get their responses live during the event, and their feedback after the event.

After Recording, Start Designing

Recording the event is an important part of your design process. Now that the event is over and you have it recorded, you can use the recording to start designing.  You also have a solid understanding of which parts of the content resonated with the audience, which didn’t, and overall how important this content really is.  If you were really ambitious, you not only recorded the event but you watched the audience a lot during the event to see how they reacted to certain topics.  You will be amazed at just how much useful design information you get from just paying attention during an instructor led training session.

Before I end this blog post, I also want to touch on adding business value.  Remember, we initially kicked off this process with a “request for training”.  If the request mentioned a desire for ALL EMPLOYEES to be trained by a certain date, then you will potentially need to produce more than one event.  No problem. It’s just important to know so you can get multiple events on the calendar.

And yes, you should record them all if you can.

And yes, you should be working on design while these events are still going on.

I mentioned a few blog posts back that you are basically building a car while driving it.

Each event is a new opportunity to learn something new and potentially test out some small portions of your new design ideas. It all depends on the importance of the business need.

_{*Image courtesy of itimes.com}