“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” – George Orwell

George Orwell wrote that in 1946. And it’s true today. It’s one of those timeless sentiments that can be applied to almost any situation.

Here, it’s used for an innocent purpose; to point out that putting together corporate training courses can seem difficult, but if you simply look around, you’ll find the content you need is, well, in front of your nose.

The Current Thought On Training

Elliott Masie’s Learning 2012 Conference was held this October in Orlando, Florida. This is the foremost conference for current thought on learning and corporate training. The event typically keynoted by people of note like Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Malcolm Gladwell, and Susan Cain.

The topics range from using mobile technology for online learning courses to using video for training in the workplace. The people leading sessions include thought leaders from learning institutions, global companies, software and service providers, and others who specialize in training and leadership.

KnowledgeVision’s Michael Kolowich led an inspiring session on how to create training courses using materials most companies already have. The dilemma that trainers face is that building a course seems to require new content, new video, and a new script. But it’s not true.

Where To Find Training Content

“e-Learning content is everywhere around us, if we just pay attention.” says Kolowich. There are several cases where the content has already been created, and it’s just a matter of capturing it. For example:

• Executive keynotes at a conference or company event are often recorded on video, and can be used to create a training course about the industry or the company’s mission and goals.
• A lecture given by expert can also be recorded and used to train staff on product concepts or design ideas, for the benefit of employees and customers.
• An analyst or technical briefing on just about anything, such as competitive pressures on the company or technological advancements, can also be used to create learning material.
• If you host a guest for a meeting, maybe a visiting customer or a consultant, you can record and capture their ideas on video to be used for training employees.

Kolowich goes on to deliver examples of captured content from a subject matter expert at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, an interview with the DemandGen Report, and a lecture at Harvard Business School.

Bringing Captured Content Home

One of the reasons companies are feeling pressure to create training material is that demand for video is growing faster than training budgets. Online video makes it faster to deliver courses and track who is using them.

That’s why Michael’s presentation at Learning 2012 was so well-received. But what if you missed the conference?

Well, in a perfect case of capturing content for future use, we’ve recorded the session in a studio and published the material in a KnowledgeVision online presentation. It’s called “E-Learning Content is Everywhere!” and you can view it right now.

Right in front of your nose!

Originally posted at The KnowledgeVision Fresh Ideas Blog.