Do you have too much content and too little space or time to deliver it all? Welcome to the club! It is a more common problem then you might think.  To begin with, let me point out that more often than not you have more content to deliver then your learner or reader will be able to digest, even if you don’t realize it.  The average learner can grasp three new concepts every 90 minutes.  The average training tries to teach three new concepts to the learner in two paragraphs or one presentation slide. It’s like trying to drink from a fire hose! So from the get go, the balance between what your learner can absorb and what you want to teach is almost always off kilter. Even if you have to feed them an elephant, remember to do it one bite at a time!

Once you realize you have too much content how do you figure out what to include in your training document and what to leave out?  Use these few simple rules of thumb to organize and prioritize your training content.

1.    You can get three concepts, at most, in an average training. 

Pick thethree concepts you are going to teach and put the others aside for another training opportunity. Take the desert island challenge and ask yourself, “What three things can they not live without?”

   Pick three key concepts.

2.    Use repetition wisely.

 Use repetition wisely.  Use repetition wisely. Remember the rule of threes.  We discussed keeping your content to three key concepts.  Now for each of these concepts plan to repeat them in slightly different manners three times within your training.  The human brain can grasp and remember most simple concepts that are repeated three times in close succession.  Don’t try and mimic those horrible car salesman commercials and repeat the main point over and over in one sentence. And don’t be the guy who uses the same pick up line on every girl, keep your goal in mind and find different ways to accomplish the same end! Weave the repetition of the content throughout the entire training document.

   Repeat each key concept three times within your document.

3.    Lose the words and add the graphics. 

When possible replace text with graphical images, color copies of these images are best. A picture is worth a thousand words, and nobody reads Playboy for the articles! Images trigger memory sensors in the brain that increase the likelihood people will remember what they are learning.  If you can say the same thing with a picture or graph that you can with words, use the picture.

  Replace text with graphics.

4.    Dump the adjectives. 

Adjectives and adverbs create linguistic interest when you are reading.  They create additional confusion and frustration when you are trying to learn something. You’re not dictator trying to inspire your nation to greatness, you’re just trying to teach three new concepts. Use the most succinct manner possible to get your point across.  You are better off using more sentences to repeat a concept in a different way, than you are loading a sentence with multiple adjectives and other modifiers.  If you are designing a software training manual and can say “click here” and include an arrow to the image, showing were to click, you are better off than trying to write a lengthy  description of where and how to click in the appropriate location. Less is more!

   Write simple sentences, without adjectives and other modifiers.

Four Quick Steps:

1.    Pick three key concepts.

2.    Repeat each key concept three times within your document.

3.    Replace text with graphics.

4.    Write simple sentences, without adjectives and other modifiers