Your E-Learning Strategy
by Gihan Perera
www.GihanPerera.com

What is e-learning?
We in Australia have a long and
proud tradition of e-learning.
In the 1950s, we called it “The
School of the Air”, and it was
run using the Royal Flying
Doctor Service’s radio system.
Now, 60 years later, we call it “e-
learning”. remote learning
Whatever you call it, we’re
distance education
talking about the same thing:
Engaging, educating and
inspiring students who aren’t correspondence courses
in the same room as you.

What’s in it for us?
Audience Your audience gets a more
engaging experience than just
sitting still and listening to a
presenter.
Client Your clients reduce their costs –
after all, their greatest expensive is
not your fee, it’s the lost
productivity of their people.
You
And you get the convenience of
presenting on your own terms.

E-learning is simple, but not easy
Many presenters want to add e-learning to their
delivery mix – but they don’t know how to do it.
It’s simple … but not easy.
There are seven common mistakes most people
make.
Let’s look at them … and what you can do to
avoid them.

Mistake #1: Trying to sell to strangers
It’s tempting to think that the world is your
classroom, so you can reach them all. But it’s
difficult to sell to strangers: They don’t know,
like or trust you (yet).
The Fix: Start by selling to existing clients
Start with the people who do
know you, like you and trust
you!

Mistake #2: Casting your net too wide
It’s tempting to make your programs broad, so
they are more applicable to more people. But
the broader they are, the less valuable they are.
The Fix: Focus on a niche, not the masses
The narrower your niche, the
more valuable your e-learning
programs will be.

Mistake #3: Not doing enough
It’s no longer good enough to do just one thing
(a password-protected Web page, an e-mail
course, a training video) and call it an e-learning
“program”.
The Fix: Create a blended program
Combine live and recorded;
audio, video and text; self-
learning and group learning;
overview and detail; etc.

Mistake #4: Too much sizzle, not enough
steak
Audiences expect tangible results from your e-
learning program. You can't get by with just
pretty pictures, low-value content and your
personality.
The Fix: Engage and educate, don’t just entertain
Build in clear outcomes. Work to
a plan. Check in on progress.
Over-promise and over-deliver!

Mistake #5: Not taking it seriously
It's difficult to create an e-learning program on
weekends, tea breaks and while waiting for taxis –
especially if you’re doing it for the first time.
The Fix: Invest in making it world class
The technology and tools are
available and affordable, but you
still need to learn how to use
them well.

Mistake #6: Not having a clear strategy
The strategy that works for your face-to-face
presentations won’t necessarily work. You need
to plan and prepare differently to work with the
medium and the technology.
The Fix: Build it around a strategy
Principles of effective program
design are relevant in the on-
line world as well – but you need
to apply them differently.

Mistake #7: Not doing it!
E-learning is no longer an optional luxury that
gives you a competitive advantage. It’s fast
becoming an expectation –you’ll be at a
disadvantage if you don’t offer it.
The Fix: Just do it!
You’ll never know everything
you need to know. So don’t wait.
Start before you’re ready.

E-learning is not about the
future.
It’s about the present.
Now.
There’s never been a
better time to add it to
your delivery mix.

Want to know more?
Come to the Thought Leaders
conference in Sydney.
I’ll be doing my presentation from
Perth by webinar (appropriately
enough).
In it, I’ll show you the 20 key
components of an effective e-
learning program.
www.thoughtleaders.com.au www.GihanPerera.com