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Barry Galvin

Instructional Designer | Copy Editor | Teacher | Trainer

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During Interview

First Interview Presentation and Skills

MY APPROACH - All About The Learner

  • I am all about the whole learner and their learning journey – what is it they need to know or to do?
  • I encourage them to ‘want’ to learn, to learn, to check they have learned, and then to apply/to action what they have learned.
How to get a learner to 'want' to learn:
  • relevant to their job,
  • help them make the sales to keep them in a job,
  • how they too can show empathy towards their clients in order to build a new, stronger relationship with them,
  • how they can get the learning they need in a short space of time, perhaps because of reduced hours by their employer, more strict targets, dealing with customers more virtually, etc.
How I work:
  • Take a project from blank page to delivery or just come in at any specific stage in the design and development process
  • Specialise in rapid (agile) eLearning development - all about speed, simplicity, interaction, modularity, cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and fun.
  • Include; knowledge checks, quizzes, interactions, videos, voiceover, real-world scenarios, simulations, and games.
  • Must mirror workplace activities, and be interactive; not just a series of ‘click-through’ slides, with a quiz at the end.
  • I am all about strategy, planning, process, collaboration, flexibility, coaching, and building high-performing and happy teams.

THE LEARNER - How Adults Learn

  • Adults need to know why they are learning something
  • Adults learn through problem solving
  • Adults learn through doing
  • Adults learn when the knowledge is of immediate use
Adult learners are:
  • Self-directed – like to have control over their own learning
  • Motivated – they receive their motivation to learn from internal factors
  • Experienced – they draw upon past experiences to help their learning
  • Ready to learn – they have an assumption of new roles
  • Oriented – they want to apply new knowledge immediately

THE LEARNER - Building Delightful Learning Experiences

  • Using emotional stories – not to entertain, but to educate, using real situations
  • Getting the learner's attention – shocking them, using humour (wisely!), showing statistics …
  • Using object lessons – props, visuals, physical items that we can use alongside virtual training
  • Using repetition – essential to new learning, 7x repeating/recalling in order to embed
  • Speaking with authority – having confidence and belief in what we are teaching
  • Providing teachable moments – small nuggets of learning from questions/feedback – short quizzes
  • Using motivational sayings and word pictures – 'painting' an image using words
  • Sharing our own experiences – sharing first-hand personal examples; adding ‘warmth’
  • Using experiential learning – giving instructions to them to ‘do’
  • Asking questions, questions, questions – moving them from ‘knowing’ to ‘comprehending’
  • Getting them connecting with others – social interaction and support whenever they need it

MY PROCESS - Design Process

  1. Clarify requirements and other factors which affect design
  2. Convert requirements into aims and learning outcomes
  3. Determine and sequence learning content
  4. Select methods for delivery of learning content
  5. Select and include review and assessment methods
  6. Determine evaluation methods
  7. Select (or develop) training/learning resources
  8. Present the design as a comprehensive session or programme plan
  9. Agree the final plan with stakeholders

MY PROCESS - Scenario Design Structure

  1. Problem
  2. Result / Affect Of Problem
  3. Can't Sort Problem
  4. Can't 'Work' Problem Away
  5. There Is A Solution
  6. You Have To Use It
  7. You Will See Rewards

MY WORKFLOW - New Requirements / Needs Analysis

NA with SME if selling product. NA with learners - comms q's, focus groups, surveys, select interviews

MY SKILLSET - Multi-Talented, Highly Experienced

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
  • Idea and Vision Generation
  • Building Learning Strategies and Design Processes
  • Storyboarding
  • Learning Journeys
  • Scriptwriting (in Plain English for easy/quicker translation)
  • Assessments
ELEARNING DEVELOPMENT
  • eLearning Development
  • Graphic Design
  • Voiceover Recording/Editing
  • Video Production (including interactive video for scenarios)
  • Copyediting
  • WordPress Development
  • LMS Administration
PROJECT/TEAM MANAGER
  • Managing L&D Projects
  • Managing Small Teams (of developers, designers, and LMS administrators)
TRAINER
  • Delivering F2F Classroom Training
  • Delivering Virtual Classroom Training
  • Delivering Webinars
  • Facilitating
  • Training Trainers

TOOLS - Main Ones Used

  • Articulate Storyline 360
  • Articulate Rise
  • TechSmith Camtasia 2021
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • WordPress and HTML
  • Adobe Captivate 2019
  • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign)
  • Audacity
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Cisco Webex (Meetings, Training)
  • Zoom
  • StreamYard Live
  • Adobe Connect

ACCESSIBILITY

When developing any online and/or printed learning interventions, I always have in mind people who may have learning difficulties, such as; dyslexia, autism, visual impairment, motion sickness, etc., so I aim to produce content and develop modules that can be comfortably enjoyed by everyone.
  • Always keep in mind those who may have learning difficulties such as; dyslexia, autism, vertigo, etc.
  • Avoid using animations and/or transitions on slides
  • Larger Sans-serif fonts make things easier to read
  • Draw a border on the slides
  • Use coloured (or off-white) slide backgrounds; not black on white
  • Avoid red and green together
  • Do different activities to appeal to different learning preferences (Pre/Post-Work is great for this!)
  • Increase your presentation slide count with simple imagery with the aim of giving your learner something new to look at every 1-2 minutes
  • Verbally describe what is on screen as you talk; do not rely on using the mouse pointer as it can be very small for people to see
  • ScreenReader testing - problem with BOLD text for example
  • Evaluation by People - tested modules with various types of people

LEARNING JOURNEY - Examples

ASSESSMENTS

RAPID28

Articulate Storyline 3 Training - Proposed Syllabus

Second Interview Behavioural

(business) BUILT EMOTION FOR AN OBJECT

  • S - Deliberately chose to work in a place where I had zero interest in the industry/subject matter.
  • T - Had to build an emotional connection with a forklift truck.
  • A - Researched how forklifts affect every aspect of our lives e.g. food on our table, medical supplies, etc. Desert camo forklift truck photo did it for me. Bought a couple of old forklift children's books to read. Talked with Operators at garden centres to understand what they did and why they liked it
  • R - Using story-based scenarios, I managed to bring a keen interest in forklift trucks themselves, and not just a need to know in order to stay in a sales job.

(personal) FIXED HOLE IN WALL

  • S - Huge hold in plasterboard wall from wardrobe stairs incident.
  • T - Had to fix the hole.
  • A - Helped a carpenter convert part of a garage into a small room. Put plasterboard up. When finished, I filled the hole with my new knowledge.
  • R - Hole was fixed and looked like new. Saved a lot of money.

(business) ACCEPTANCE AND ADOPTION OF NEW TRAINING APPROACH

  • S - Old school 80s manufacturing company using old approaches to training. Resistant and hesitant to change - used to FABs, Demo Guides, Cue Cards.
  • T - Transform the way the company viewed training, and bring their materials up to the digital age.
  • A - Showed strategy and vision for saving them time and money. Delivered quick wins to show a reduced workload/effort needed to produce superb material. Ran design SME workshops to get them thinking about only the essential core content needed for training. Rapid prototyping to show their content (asap) in a new light. Got them involved as much as possible!
  • R - More engaged and motivated SMEs/staff/dealers. Helped retain Gold Investors in People. More sales as training was now looked upon as a Power Position (a USP within the industry). The Lift Portal. LearnLift. SellLift.

(personal) CONQUERED FEAR OF FLYING

  • S - Caught tail end of hurricane from USA. Had become afraid of flying.
  • T - Had to unafraid myself in order to travel for work.
  • A - Attended a Fear of Flying course, but did not help. So learned how to fly a helicopter (wanted the most complicated learning).
  • R - Travelled to USA for work the following year and was fine. Helped save my job.

(both) IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH

  • S - Lots of people at work during 2020 were experiencing anxiety, loneliness, panic, etc. due to lockdowns, etc.
  • T - I wanted to find a way to help their mental health and to encourage them.
  • A - Developed a 4-Part 'Lift My Mental Health' series explaining - the Stress Response System, the Immune System, having a Vision, and a discussion/sharing workshop.
  • R - Great feedback from staff (and dealers), who also took advantage of our ongoing support email service.

(personal) TAUGHT COMPUTING CLASS WITH NO COMPUTERS

  • S - School needed Computer/IT class taught to young children and teenagers.
  • T - Teach the children without using computers.
  • A - Activities pretending to be computers, watching videos and acting.
  • R - School met the requirements from Ofsted for Computing class. Children were happy and learned via assessments.

(personal) BED WITH DIZZINESS

  • S - Car incident damaged my neck muscles. - FAILED, STRESSFULL, OVERCOMING FEAR
  • T - Get out of bed to continue working - wife told me to.
  • A - Set a big goal - Menfluential for Feb 2020 Chicago ($150 ticket) - had multiple chiro sessions.
  • R - Went to France instead in Nov 2019 - helped YT channel get 30,000 more subs, and got new clothes.

(business) PENCIL PRESENTATION

  • S - Sales conf of C-Suite execs - fill in for Director.
  • T - 10-min talk on the direction of Commercial Training and Sales Enablement.
  • A - Led by example and went in there with no notes - except a pencil - and used a story.
  • R - Pencil talk is famous in the business and the most memorable moment in sales conferences (as mentioned publicly by the Sales Director). Story-based learning was embedded into everyone's minds.

(business) INTERIM DIRECTOR ROLE

  • S - Training Director left company for health reasons. - LEADERSHIP
  • T - Keep the team on-track, motivated, moving forward, until a replacement was hired. Wasn't asked; just took on the role naturally.
  • A -
  • R - Learned much more about managing people during change.

(business) MANAGING PEOPLE

  • S - New full-time in 25 years. - LEADERSHIP
  • T - Had to manage an established team - used to managing myself (and teams of contractors).
  • A - Defined exact team roles and responsibilities. Mentored and set simple tasks. Met 1:1 each week initially.
  • R -

(personal) HOMESCHOOLING

  • S - Our daughter (9-14) had to be taken out of public school (for 4.5 years) for health reasons.
  • T - Teach our daughter whilst working on projects.
  • A - Developed a flexible curriculum based on Unit Studies and the ACE (accelerated learning) approaches.
  • R - Learned what she needed to; didn't fall behind on anything, and was ready to return back to public school in her final teen years.

(personal) SWIMMING

  • S - Afraid of water since a very young age after an incident. - OVERCOMING FEAR
  • T - Get used to the water so that I can enjoy myself in it.
  • A - Just jumped in one day, then took lessons.
  • R - Can now enjoy time in the pool with family, and swim a bit.

(personal) CYBERSECURITY

  • S - Implementing alternative portal to save business time and money.
  • T - Make sure it was secure as their more expensive platform. - CONT LEARNING
  • A - Enrolled and studied Cybersecurity.
  • R - Secured portal at all (expected) levels.

(personal) INTERCHANGEABLE WARDROBE

  • S -
  • T - Cut costs.
  • A - Built interchangeable wardrobe.
  • R - Saved money, time, and stress.

(personal) TOUR GUIDE

  • S - Needed to get fitter; away from the computer. Loved my local town, so wanted to show it off. - OVERCOMING HEALTH PROBLEMS, CONT LEARNING
  • T - Wanted to share the town with others.
  • A - Developed a walking tour looking at the things that tour guides don't look at. That only someone who grew up in the town would know about. Ran a number of tours, using both real world and digital.
  • R - Great feedback!

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

STRENGTH #1 ATTENTION TO DETAIL
  • Excellent communication (teaching, presenting, training)
  • Attention to detail (editor)
  • Risk taker
  • Quick learner
WEAKNESS #1 TAKE ON TOO MUCH
  • 2 years ago
  • Unique skillset
  • Easier and quicker for me to do something sometimes
  • Can take on too much
Action to improve myself:
  • 2 years ago
  • sat down and ticked off all skills I can allocate (for each project)
  • started allocating more to others, and mentoring them.
WEAKNESS #2 ANIXETY FROM INJURY
  • 4 years ago neck injury
  • causing anxiety
Action to improve myself:
  • learned relaxation techniques and stretches
  • learned all about the Stress Response System
  • then embedded the learning by teaching others

MANAGEMENT ROLES - Roles

WHAT IS A PROJECT?
  • For me, a project is an opportunity for different people with different backgrounds, skills and ideas to come together for a moment in time in order to build or do something amazing.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD PM/LEADER?
  • Someone who cares about people.
  • Putting people first encourages them to bring their very best to the project; they will want to succeed not only for the business and themselves, but also for the manager.
  • Does not micro-manage - is there to support rather than control.
HOW WOULD I MANAGE/LEAD?
  • Fortnightly 1 to 1s with each member - just for a chat.
  • Monday morning team catch-up to see how everyone is doing, what tasks we are all working on this week for awareness, and whether everyone has everything they need/or any concerns.
  • No micro-management! I there when they need me for something
  • Life is about people!
  • Encourage, motivate, mentor
  • Fortnightly project review meetings (working through a team project sheet/plan)
  • Quick professional/personal summary of the week every Friday afternoon ((optional)

MISC

  • Help lift dad's spirits knowing how music helps him
  • Make people believe they CAN do things - businesses, projects, new jobs, etc.
  • Collapsed late at night - changed my approach to work - got out more and exercised, and changed some of my organisational techniques.
  • Health awareness - always helping people for free with their nutritional life.
  • Closed technical support hotline when I was 19 - first major decision as a manager.

(situation) BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

  • Buy-in from HYG Sales Management and Teams (pencil demo, SME design workshops with rapid prototyping) - as particularly didn't know anything about material handling industry
  • Buy-in from older direct reports - I was a younger manager - shared the vision, and used their experience

(situation) SKILLS APPLIED TO A PROJECT

Lift Portal - saved loads of money building own one - used LD, wordpress dev, video editing, voiceover, microlearning dev, comms writing to learners, assessment building, etc.

(situation) PROBLEMS SOLVED

HY-IMPACT sales methodology/approach classroom rollout had to be virtual - C19 Sales Resources Website (9 days), and VT sessions.

(situation) LEARNED FROM FAILURE SETBACKS

Manager leaving when joined HYG - setback was had to take over her duties.. Also, wanted to understand resistance to change within HYG.

RECENT MODULE

https://barrygalvin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/BGcom_ConflictTrailer.mp4

RECENT VOICEOVER

https://barrygalvin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/BGCom_TAGCommunication_Trailer.mp4

RECENT TRAINING

https://barrygalvin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/BGcom_VirtualTraining_LinkedIn.mp4

4-PART VIDEO SERIES

  • Episode #1: It’s all about the learner
  • Episode #2: I need an eLearning module
  • Episode #3: ID processes
  • Episode #4: Tools
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