An effective trainer begins the process of instructional design like a journalist or an author trying to tell a story. Think of your content as your story. You want to deliver that message effectively and clearly. You want it to be impactful and actionable so that your audience can act upon and use what they’ve learned. You want it to be relevant and timely and you want to keep your audience fully engaged. Trainers spend their entire careers honing their ability to design effective instruction but what are the essentials? What do you really need to know to get started? Let’s begin as a journalist would, by asking ourselves these essential questions: 

                       Who, What, Where, When and Why?