Twelve years into writing blog posts and I’ve discovered I’ve not used the word lacklustre in any writing before. So, let’s make up for it by listing the uninspiring, tired and dull which I see populating the world of learning, technology, and all things in-between. Remember, this is a little tongue in cheek and if you’re offended, it might be that it rings true for you. This is also being written as I’m in the waiting room of a hospital waiting for (another) eye assessment and isn’t written in the nest of moods.

Novelty emails are dull – please stop sending the Hallowe’en one, the Christmas one, the Easter one. They pretty much always go to my ‘Unsubscribe’ folder anyway.

Dated and inflexible content. I’m still finding organisations with content which refers to Covid-19 restrictions and ways of working. Your employees are way past that. The same goes for the ‘refresh’ of old content – taking dull content and sticking it into brightly coloured cartoons – it doesn’t make it better, it just gets brighter and makes my eyes hurt.

An intro which sets context, a bit of information, an exercise which are repeated three times and then followed up with an assessment which has a pass mark of 80%. Yes we know that’s the way you were told to design it. That doesn’t make it right.

Webinars where all I can do is listen, can’t chat with any other guests, can only send questions in and not comment on what’s being said. No.

Podcasts which go on for too long, with more than 30 seconds of corporate intro music and the same guests we see on the ‘circuit’. If you’re hosting podcasts, ask new questions.

Your new way of learning is what we did 10 years ago. Digitising it doesn’t make it revolutionary, it’s evolutionary.

If everything is innovative, nothing is innovative.

Tell me in the comments – what do you find lacklustre in the world of learning and development?