Picasso wasn’t an instructional designer– a 200 word essay

While Picasso was a master and should be held in the highest regards as an artist, he certainly could not have been an instructional designer.  When 20 people look at Guernica, they each will see different images and take something different away.  As an instructional designer, it is your mission to have those 20 people take the same new skill or information away.

In most business settings, training is the transfer of knowledge or skill.  If you want to have 1000 salespeople throughout the country sell a new product, then they all need to pitch it the same way and talk about the same key features.  There has to be consistency. 

Of course, if we wanted robots, we would automate everything, and personalization is critical to getting participation and adoption, but certain elements are critical and, thus, need to be standardized.  As a training department or instructional designer, you have to blend the appeal and visual interests of an artist, along with the clear goal, agenda and execution of that transfer of knowledge.

Those that can blend the two, will have their “action be the foundational key to all their success.”