how to navigate emotional waters as a leader 

Overview:

How to Navigate Emotional Waters as a Leader was designed for restaurant managers. As managers, it is their duty to handle tricky situations with a level-head. There is so much happening at once in the restaurant, and our managers have a lot of obligations/duties. As a result, it can be difficult to regulate emotions when situations get stressful or heated. However, it is important that managers handle all circumstances appropriately to maintain good relationships with both guests and their team. Our organization felt that a course about self-regulation could help our managers be more successful leaders and better handle tough situations. 

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*This project was completed as a part of my Master's program and was selected as a standout project on the Boise website. 

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Design & Process:

The course is structured in three parts: an instructional introduction, a scenario, and a conclusion. The instructional content is meant to be applicable and relevant. This is why the learner is shown practical strategies that they can apply in real life situations, such as the 4-7-8 breathing method. The second part of the course includes a branching scenario. The learner is presented with an unhappy guest. The learner (the manager of the restaurant) has to make decisions to reach a positive conclusion (a happy guest). If they make wrong decisions along the way, they will see the consequences of their actions. If learners take the incorrect path, they can try again. This gives learners a safe way to fail and to practice their skills. Once the learner takes the correct path of the branching scenario, they reach the final part of the course: the conclusion. This wraps up the learning and gives the learners the choice to either restart the course or exit. 

 

The primary design goal for this course was to make the situation feel real. This is why Vyond was chosen as the primary program used to design the content. The avatars play out the conversation based on the learners’ response. This makes the situation very real to the learner. The use of audio also helps bring the scenario to life; I was able to have my coworkers help with the different character voices. Additionally, sound effects such as the footsteps and the deep breath helped add another layer of realism to the videos. 

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Another main design choice ties to the title of the course: How to Navigate Emotional Waters as a Leader. I incorporated the theme of the wave on the title screen and the sound of the ocean. I also used the sound effect of a wave crashing when the learner gets the answer wrong. Additionally, the restaurant in the scenario is set on a beach with the ocean in the background. This adds a consistent theme to the course that enhances the title.

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Tools Used:

Articulate Storyline

Vyond 

Pixabay 

Audacity 

Adobe Enhance

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