Brilliance by Design: Creating Learning Experiences That Connect, Inspire, and Engage

“Learning,” Vicki Halsey writes, “is the gateway to optimal life experiences. Learning transforms people’s lives, and teaching, in any forum, is the art and science of bringing out the brilliance that drives those transformations.” Or it should be. But what often happens is that people who teach—in classrooms, meetings, workshops, coaching sessions, or any other setting where learning happens—don’t know how to transfer their great content to others effectively. They spend 70 percent of their time on what they are teaching and only 30 percent on how to teach it, when it should be the other way around. Halsey is here to reverse that equation, laying out a comprehensive instructional design model that deeply engages and energizes learners because it focuses not on how smart they are but on how they are smart. She shows how to create content that is clear, relevant, easily absorbed, and readily retained because it is tailored to each participant’s specific needs, abilities, and inclinations. Halsey’s six-step ENGAGE Model replaces the old “sit ’n’ get” model with “woo ’n’ do”—learners are actively drawn in and perform activities that reinforce the learning. She presents hundreds of proven ideas, strategies, and practices that will enable you to Energize learners at the beginning of any learning session; help them Navigate the new content and Generate personal meaning and relevance from it; Apply their learning to the real world; Gauge and celebrate their progress; and Extend their learning to action. Brilliance by Design offers a systematic way to reach joyfully into the soul of learners and facilitate their brilliance so they can make a positive difference in the world.