Content Strategy for CDC Concussion Training
CLIENTCDC
BRIEFBanyan Communications was enlisted to create an interactive online training for youth sports coaches as part of CDC’s suite of materials on concussion safety and management. The goal of the training is to help youth sports coaches recognize and help manage concussion signs and symptoms, and work with adjacent team members to prioritize concussion safety. This training is part of the CDC Heads Up! campaign, and is the latest in a series designed for sports officials, athletic trainers, and others to support concussion safety and prevention.
WORKMy team and I created a training that balanced staying on-brand to the Heads Up! campaign with refreshed strategies to enhance educational efficacy and learner engagement.
Process
In working toward our client’s desired outcome of designing a concise and engaging training, the instructional designer and I had to consider how to balance an already successful brand with an updated eLearning approach. All activities were designed with an overall strategy of enabling learners to see for themselves how concussion safety applied to their unique context instead of simply telling them need-to-know information. A highly collaborative approach across content, instructional design, art direction, and motion graphics production was essential to developing and refining the training to make it useful, actionable, and resonant for target audiences.
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To build the content for the site, I first collaborated with the lead instructional designer and client team to design the learning objectives for the course. I also did a survey of existing content and peer-reviewed research that would inform the training. Using the health belief model, I reviewed Banyan’s existing work and peer-reviewed research on coaches’ needs, motivations, and perceived benefits and barriers to behavior change that would inform the direction and structure of content.
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After defining content strategy phase, I created a high-level outline for the training and structured the content to build on foundational concussion information that would be introduced in the first lesson. I ensured content for all lessons would adhere to defined learning objectives of the training. I then wrote a rough draft of the script, and used that for intensive collaboration with the instructional designer.
We defined and wrote key instructional treatment modalities across all lessons such as knowledge checks, warm-up questions, and interactive case studies built on real-life coaching examples to build the instructional storyboard. Content was also connected to coaches’ key motivations and needs, and prior knowledge of safety protocols.
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While finalizing the storyboard, we included guidance for the art director to create visual design treatment emphasizing and reinforcing key content elements. This included ideas on how to render scenario characters to illustrate learning goals, and graphic elements that would illustrate how teams work together to prioritize concussion safety. Once content and design were finalized, the course was developed in Lectora, an authoring tool for interactive eLearning.
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The training was reviewed by the client team and subject matter experts, and I edited content according to their feedback, ensuring adhere to the latest evidence-based updates on concussion management and safety in sports contexts. I also modified content and instructional design treatment for an optimal user experience according to focus group feedback. We created 4 prototypes total for each phase of the content review process. The final training was released in July 2023.
ProcessClick the images below to explore the work
Results
OutcomesThe training has been well-received by the client and target audience, with specific praise on major learning enhancements relative to previous trainings and actionable concussion safety information that can be immediately applied in service of protecting athletes’ safety and well-being.
75,467 youth sports coaches trained since July 2023
96.5% of coaches gave the training a 4 or 5 star rating
Focus group participants described the training as informative, engaging, clear, and relevant to their work.
User feedback-
"As a newcomer to coaching, this course changed my philosophy in regards to my responsibility towards our athletes health and well being. I learned how to influence my teams culture in order to prioritize health, safety, and well being (first and foremost) over the old culture of winning no matter what the cost. Speak up right away when you or your teammates show signs of possible concussion or injury. In the long run we all win!"
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"I have been coaching for almost thirty years. I think it is always good to re-emphasize the importance of concussion awareness and treatment. I thought the scenarios were realistic and thought provoking. The course tells you everything you need to know to prevent and recognize concussions and create a safe sporting environment, while remaining interactive and engaging. Good stuff."
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“This is a much better version of this training than previous versions. It was more impactful, quicker, and memorable than the previous versions. It was also a good mix of reading, narrative, and questions."
Let’s work together
If you’re ready to work with me on a custom communications campaign for your project, idea, or business, I’d be honored to help craft your story. Drop me a line sometime — I’m here to help.