Start using TED-Ed in your Sales Training

VViewed a TED Talk lately? Great TED Talks are a perfect combination of inspiration, education, and entertainment. As a sales trainer in the pharmaceutical or medical device space, why aren’t you “eModule-izing” them for your learners with TED-Ed? TED-Ed is a free TED Talks companion site that lets you “…build a lesson around any TED-Ed Original, TED Talk, or YouTube video.” How awesome is that? With so many expert talks on selling, storytelling, and leadership, why not throw a few TED Talk-focused lessons into your training mix? Ready to create a lesson? Here’s how to get started:

1. Register at ed.ted.com

2. Find a Talk or YouTube Video

Enter in a talk name or a keyword to display related talks (Here are five great ones). In this example, I searched for Amy Cuddy. The search brings up her talk on body language in the results section. Once the talk you want appears, click on it to progress towards the Lesson Editor option.

Once you have selected your talk and launched the lesson editor, you will see a number of options (refer to the image below). Use these options to shape the lesson by incorporating multiple choice questions, free form text descriptions, or even discussion groups. You will also need to make sure to click the flip this lesson button so it can be shared with your reps.

Here is a tutorial video that quickly hits on all the features. Watch carefully! It goes by very quickly.

Before you publish the lesson, be sure to set it to unlisted! You’ll find the option at the top of the Lesson Creator screen. Keep in mind that leaving it Listed makes it viewable to the entire TED-Ed community.

Before you publish the lesson, be sure to set it to unlisted! You’ll find the option at the top of the Lesson Creator screen. Keep in mind that leaving it Listed makes it viewable to the entire TED-Ed community.

Once you have controlled the viewing options, move to preview and publish. When you are happy with the lesson and content, hit the publish option.

If everything looks good, you should see a pop-up that looks like the image below. Notice that it clearly lets you know if your lesson is listed or unlisted. Now copy and paste the link provided into an email to your sales reps or use the Share Via Email option.

When the Share Via Email option is used, the sales reps will receive an email that lets them know they have been invited to view a lesson. All the work is done for you!

4. Sales Rep Activity & Notification Frequency

To see if your reps are interacting with the lesson, you can log in to your account to see lesson stats, number of participating reps/students, or discussions started. You can also manage email notifications by clicking the settings button on your lesson home page. Here, you can set your email alert frequencies so you do not have to log in until there is activity.

That’s all there is to it. Give it a try. Next time you find a TED Talk that relates to a skill or business need that your sales reps could benefit from, eModule-ize it with TED-Ed!

If you try TED-Ed with your sales reps, please comment below and let us know how it goes!