Best practices and tips on how to write and time your mindmarkers.
Writing Mindmarkers
- Keep it short. Remember that many users are on mobile devices and blocks of text are hard to read on a smartphone. For reference, a typical screen on a mobile device can handle 750 characters (or about 125 words) without scrolling. If you need to share larger pieces of content, use a PDF, a link in the mindmarker, or add files to the Resources section.
- The Resources section is an excellent place to host any type of additional file. You can refer to these resources within a mindmarker.
- Write your text on a personal level, avoid using catchall terms like ‘the clients’ or ‘the salespersons’; instead, use phrases such as ‘your clients’ and ‘in your role as’.
- Avoid difficult sentence structure by using short sentences.
- Don't hesitate to use humor. People like to laugh!
- At times it’s a good idea to use assumptions because it makes the participant think. For example ‘Of course, you know the three steps of our sales process.' By not mentioning the three steps, the participant will use their brain to retrieve the information that's important for longer-term retention.
Whatever you write, always think about the participants’ point of view. Is it engaging for the learner?
Timing (applicable for scheduled programs)
What you send is critical to program success, but when you send your mindmarkers is also very important. Here are a few tips:
- Don't send mindmarkers during busy working or personal hours.
- Most smartphone notifications during office hours are opened between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. If you send mindmarkers after office hours, the best time to do so is between 5:00 and 6:00 pm.
- Make sure to give participants enough time in between mindmarkers to complete an assignment or evaluation—don’t overload.
Tips for Writing Questions
To create a question, you need to write three elements:
- The introduction
- The question
- An explanation
Use the introduction to create focus on or make connections with other mindmarkers. For example, you can refer to an assignment the learner did earlier. Another great way to get value out of the introduction is to write a short summary on the subject to create an additional learning moment.
Make sure to only ask one question, and avoid questions like 'How did it go and what can you improve?' A good question is to-the-point and requires a specific answer. Be careful not to confuse your participants.
The explanation part of the question is designed to detail why some answers were correct (or not). You can refer to additional information in the Resources section of the app or insert hyperlinks to your intranet. Try to create an extra learning moment. This way the participant will see the question not as an assessment, but as an important moment of insight and learning.
In the feedback of an Open Question thank the participant for their effort and explain what'll be done with the answers.