What Can the Avengers Teach You About Elearning?

There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, so when we needed them, they could fight the battles that we never could...

- Nick Fury

Most of you have probably purchased your tickets for the midnight showing of the Avengers. I know I have. Experts are already predicting that it will have the biggest opening of the year so far, which makes sense because it's one of the most hyped movies of the last few years.

So why are people so fascinated with the Avengers and what in the heck does it have to do with elearning? My assertion is that we love each members of the Avengers. They are brilliantly unique in their own ways, yet the form a cohesive, bad guy destroying, mega-group. And they all have many of the same traits as elearning developers.

Ironman -

Tony Stark is a reckless, billionaire playboy who plays by his own rules. He is also the only self-made hero in the Avengers. He was born with no special physical abilities, but he was born with a desire to learn and to create. Basically, he's alot like us. As elearning developers, none of us were born with any special abilities; we're just normal people trying to make a living. But we were all born with the desire to learn, create and to teach through our courses. We are all self-made elearning heroes. The best developers have been successful because they work hard and are always looking to the future for inspiration. So be proud of your courses. Ironman is the cockiest member of the Avengers and it works for him. Have a little swagger when you tell people' "I develop elearning!"

The Hulk -

The Hulk is a physical specimen and he is the Avenger's wild card. They never know what to expect from him next. When he does decide to "Hulk Smash," he puts his entire body and soul into it. Be like the Hulk with your elearning development. Stop being so predictable! Throw away all of your old templates and clip art. "Smash" all of your tired old multiple choice and true/false questions. Keep your learners guessing. Remember, the more angry the Hulk gets, the stronger the Hulk gets. Get mad at your old courses. It will give you the strength to create a new course that is truly epic.

Thor -

Thor is the son of the god, Odin, and he comes from the magical world of Asgard. His godly upbringing also makes him the most headstrong member of the Avengers and he uses his mighty hammer to destroy anyone who stands in his way. Have you ever been the "Thor" of your company? Have you ever been so headstrong about making changes to your courses that you emotionally destroy anyone who opposes your ideas? Have you ever failed to heed all warnings and instead ran into battle against the throngs of merciless beta testers with only your hammer by your side? Most of us are probably guilty of a little hubris from time to time. We all get touchy about the courses we spend weeks or months creating. But we all need to set our egos aside, once and awhile, and listen to what other people have to say. Most feedback is helpful and it can help us create courses that our end users will love.

Captain America -

Captain America is the original Avenger. He is also the most level headed and humble of the heroes. He often butts head with Tony Stark because Ironman craves constant attention for his actions, while Captain America would rather do what is right without receiving any recognition. As elearning developers, we are a lot like Captain America. We work behind the scenes; we are not the faces or our organizations but we are vital members. We don't do our jobs for attention but we are noble as heck! Face it, trainers get all the attention and love every minute of it. I'm just kidding (I love my trainer buddies). Although he may not get any of the recognition, the Avengers would be nothing without the Captain. And your organization would be in a world of hurt without you.

For more elearning tips, check out my book " 45 Elearning Tips and Tricks " now available in the Kindle bookstore. Or if you are new to elearning and want some advice, try my other book " Become an Elearning Developer Today!" It's a blueprint for getting into the field of elearning development.