The tools of evolution.

We are tech-savvy storytellers at heart. We use the tools of the digital age to reach the audience in whatever means the circumstances call for. We've created high-production value live-action videos, mobile games for smart phones, email newsletters and customized powerpoint/keynote decks for our clients. We've never created a personalized puppet show for a client, but it the need arose, we could do that too.

The point is that communication is the goal and technology changes mean that there are more ways than ever before to reach your audience. The long-held trade off between the "richness" of the message and the "reach" of the technology is rapidly becoming a problem of the past. More and more, we can let the circumstances of the audience and the nature of the message drive the decision about what we do for our clients.

Learning theory is very clear on what you need to do to communicate effectively:

1. Always answer the "why" before you address the "what".
2. People learn from their co-workers as well or better than from "trainers".
3. The spread of networks underscores what the best teachers always knew - knowing how to get answers when you need them is more useful than trying to get people to memorize all sorts of "just-in-case" information, and finally,
4. Agility in and organization comes from embracing the embedding of workplace learning into the work itself.

Engage and align to create energy and success.

We believe that all organizations should achieve their full potential. Rapidly changing market dynamics, demographics and technology mean that the need for agility and adaptation has never been greater. Our goals are to bring joy to the workplace, delight to the customers and abundance to the organization. We believe that can happen when companies align their goals with what their customers want and with what their employees believe is important.

Our work always starts with the "why". We need to gain a grasp of the goals as well as the audience in order to craft a compelling program.

Often, the need to evolve requires change in focus, or direction, or in the way of work, or in all three. Important change initiatives succeed best when your workforce understands the "why" behind the mission. A well-communicated "why" brings people together, embeds motivation and can be the key to success.

Use the power of story and personal meaning to connect and communicate.

Stories are the oldest form of message packaging. The right kind of story can convey the essence of the goals, the obstacles and the mission needed to create the foundation for a new direction. We don't see our job as one where we are trying to transfer enormous amounts of specialized information to the workforce. Instead, we are usually asked to realign the vast knowledge and expertise that already exists within the knowledge workers in order to get better results for the customer and the company.

Knowing the concerns, worries, areas of pride and personal meaning of the workplace audience is important to the program. No initiative can succeed unless we can capture the attention of a busy workforce and answer the initial question "why should I care?" For true and long lasting benefits to accrue to the organization we need to discover and harmonize with the personal meaning individuals find in their jobs with the organization's initiative and mission. The very best companies do this very well.

The Cosmic Blend of business,
storytelling and creativity.

Bill Churchill, Paul Reynolds and Peter Reynolds build their first interactive workplace learning program together in 1996. It taught front line workers at Sheraton Hotels all the tools of Sheraton's new guest satisfaction program. We didn't get to name it, so it went by the unremarkable title of SGSS 2000, it was delivered via CD-ROM, it included live action full motion video, games, self testing and animated mini-stories. It was ground breaking and it went on to win awards, and it also was the start of a series of innovative workplace learning engagements for clients all over the country and in many different industries. Although the clients and the content ranged widely, the unifying theme has always been to engage the audience, respect their expertise, address the "why" and tell a compelling story.

FableVision Studios houses the engines of production for the full range of learners that our programs and projects encompass. Engaging the attention and enthusiasm of learners using whatever tools make sense calls on the same core skills whether it is for a museum client, a high school course, at home students, or workplace learners. Our philosophy drives us to spend time customizing the project to incorporate the message and engage the learner.