Instructional Design

While each module provided learners with the opportunity to practice or refine communication skills in a safe environment, the  Troubleshooting Part 1: Effective Inquiries module proved to be far more popular than expected. Soon after we implemented this module, other teams in our building began requesting that their team be included in the training schedule. It wasn't long before training teams in other locations requested the materials to incorporate into their training curriculum. 

One of the big reasons this particular module was so popular was the fact that the entire training session was wrapped in the theme of a murder mystery. After a short presentation discussing different types of questions and when to use each type effectively, participants would then be presented with a mystery that they would need to work together to solve. The mystery scenarios had been hand-crafted and featured people in the office. A clue card would be presented to a "witness" who could answer questions, but didn't know the solution. The facilitator(s) would then help the learners understand what information they should try to collect and what type of questions should be asked to best get to the required information. After the solution had been identified, the facilitator would help apply the newfound skills to more real-world scenarios: how to troubleshoot a broken computer or a form with errors.

These courses have been modified many times since then with additional modules being added or modified as needed. Planned additions include email etiquette and conflict management.While each module provided learners with the opportunity to practice or refine communication skills in a safe environment, the  Troubleshooting Part 1: Effective Inquiries module proved to be far more popular than expected. Soon after we implemented this module, other teams in our building began requesting that their team be included in the training schedule. It wasn't long before training teams in other locations requested the materials to incorporate into their training curriculum. 

One of the big reasons this particular module was so popular was the fact that the entire training session was wrapped in the theme of a murder mystery. After a short presentation discussing different types of questions and when to use each type effectively, participants would then be presented with a mystery that they would need to work together to solve. The mystery scenarios had been hand-crafted and featured people in the office. A clue card would be presented to a "witness" who could answer questions, but didn't know the solution. The facilitator(s) would then help the learners understand what information they should try to collect and what type of questions should be asked to best get to the required information. After the solution had been identified, the facilitator would help apply the newfound skills to more real-world scenarios: how to troubleshoot a broken computer or a form with errors.

These courses have been modified many times since then with additional modules being added or modified as needed. Planned additions include email etiquette and conflict management.