Work life… with Loretta Rutene
Problem solver Loretta Rutene, who leads a team of instructional designers, is all about right-sizing solutions and bringing them to life
As Instructional designers, my team dives deep to the root cause of a client’s problem and we address it alongside our team of consultants in areas such as people capability, leadership, management and wellbeing.
We’re all about making it easier for learners to understand what they need to know, and what they need to do to be able to be safe and productive in the workplace on whatever the topic area may be. The needs and values of the organisation, as well as the needs of learners, are always top of mind. We identify the desired behaviours of a particular target audience, and the necessary steps to achieve that behaviour. We then create content in a relatable and meaningful way to measure the audience’s learning. Material may include videos, audio, animations, images, diagrams.
The frameworks sometimes change, but the same principles apply whether we’re working with government, not-for-profit or trade sectors, we align learning with qualifications. We also work with organisations who want to establish or fine-tune induction programmes; health and safety, compliance, technical training, and some with nurturing literacy and numeracy training.
Online learning is increasingly crucial for organisational success, most recently because of the pandemic. We’re currently supporting businesses across the country transcend face-to-face training into online, and virtual workshops as opposed to written.
In my role, I enjoy understanding the problem the client has – their needs and expectations – and rallying the team to bring ideas and solutions to life. From client engagement to the solutions we build, every day is different and there is much synergy.
Business advice that resonates with me is “People have two ears and one mouth – and there’s a reason for it.” Listen, listen, listen. Wise advice from one of my very first managers.
Huddles are an important part of my team’s weekly rhythm. My team of 10 (plus many contractors) is spread throughout Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington and as much as it keeps us on track and identifies roadblocks to overcome, it’s an opportunity for us to check in with each other as people. Our team is genuinely very caring towards each other and we enjoy a bit of banter and a good laugh.
To do a job right, we right-size the solution, taking into account the priorities of our client. We ask ‘What are your needs? What are your expectations? What are your priorities? What are your key messages?’ And that’s what we focus on and invest in.