Do It Right: Running inclusive meetings
A scenario-based learning experience aimed to support managers in building and promoting inclusive meeting environments.
Overview
The Paragon company (a fictitious name) noticed that their lead managers were not following Diversity and Inclusion strategies at their meetings. This led to costly consequences, including employee resignation, lack of psychological safety reported by marginalized groups, and low performance.
After analyzing the problem, I confirmed that while managers possessed the knowledge of common diversity and inclusion practices, they lacked the knowledge and skills around establishing an inclusive meeting environment. I proposed a scenario-based eLearning experience where the managers could practice establishing inclusive meeting environments and making sure every voice is heard.
The proposed eLearning provided learners with a risk-free environment to make choices and see the consequences. The goal was to connect their choices with realistic outcomes. I also proposed incorporating custom-made character that provides immediate feedback to the learners. Finally, I suggested presenting a meeting report based on the learners’ choices and a downloadable job aid to ensure reinforcement of the practices.
Audience: Lead Project Managers
Responsibilities: Instructional Design, eLearning Development, Graphic Design, Storyboarding.
Tools used: Articulate Storyline 360, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Miro.
Process
I designed and developed a project with the following steps:
Create the Action Map
Write a Text-based Storyboard
Design Visual Mockups
Design a Visual Storyboard
Develop an Interactive Prototype
Finalize and Publish the Project
Action Map
After the client reviewed and accepted my initial proposals, we proceeded to the kickoff meeting where I talked with an experienced lead manager and the company’s D&I specialist as my subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop the action map and come up with the overall goal for the project. We decided to measure learning outcomes by monitoring meeting satisfaction survey data run by the company. Then we analyzed the actions necessary to help establish an inclusive meeting environment.
Text-Based Storyboard
Once the action map was created and approved, I started working on a text-based storyboard. In my storyboard, I incorporated key actions from the action map into a cohesive narrative.
As the lead managers have already taken diversity and inclusion training, I designed the scenario where a learner helps an invited D&I coach to understand the company’s diversity and inclusion strategies. It allowed to reinforce knowledge gained from previous training and asked learners to evaluate whether their current behaviors correspond with the practices they’ve learned before. I consulted with the SMEs to ensure each element was grounded in reality.
I chose to frame the scenario around a brainstorming meeting as this type of meeting involves active engagement and participation. This way I demonstrate how an inclusive meeting environment can benefit the managers as it results in higher employee engagement and desire to contribute to the agenda. I also incorporated a mentor to provide assistance and feedback.
Each slide with a question and answer choices had a tip screen that a learner could access at any time. One of the key features is a feedback report provided at the end of the experience that let learners know how well they did with the scenarios.
Visual Mockups
After the text-based storyboard was revised and approved, I began creating visual mockups for the scenario in Adobe XD and working on illustrations in Adobe Illustrator. Using Adobe XD allowed me to iterate on and experiment with visual design elements to create an experience that felt immersive and well-designed.
I maintained a consistent visual style for each element and created a custom color palette. To ensure a logical narrative, I edited three different office settings to have a realistic common office area, meeting room, and feedback screen. Lastly, I designed the prompt boxes, font, buttons, and drag-and-drop interaction.
After the visual mockups were ready, I sent them for SMEs to review.
Visual Storyboard
The visual storyboad helped me to combine visual mockups with the text-based storyboard to have all assets and elements organized in one place.
I’ve also included the programming notes for each slide and after that starting developing the interactive prototype.
Interactive Prototype
I used Articulate Storyline 360 to create an interactive prototype with help of the visual mockups and a storyboard to demonstrate the project’s programming. The prototype consisted of the title screen, introduction, mentor introduction, hint screen, drag-and-drop interaction, meeting screen, the first question, and feedback form. I incorporated smooth fading and wiping animations for each prompt and slide element to maintain the immersion experience.
To demonstrate the feedback form provided at the end of the experience, I programmed triggers and variables that allowed me to record correct and incorrect choices made by learners.
In addition, I used Adobe XD to create a downloadable job aid.
Full Development
The full development of the project in Articulate Storyline 360 was straightforward and productive now that all elements had been designed and reviewed by SMEs.
Results and Takeaways
I shared the fully developed project with my network online and was overwhelmed by the positive feedback received. Viewers noted an engaging and appealing design and an interesting scenario. For now, as the project has been released recently, it is difficult to comment on the outcomes of the learning experience but so far learners gave this course high review grades. I will post more takeaways and results as I receive more data to share.
Ultimately, I learned a great deal through the design and development of this learning experience. I improved my skills in working with layers, triggers, and variables that allowed me to record users’ choices that were used for a feedback slide.