6 Instructional Design Skills Successful Freelancers Need

Skills. They pay the bills—literally! That’s why it’s absolutely crucial that you define and refine your instructional design skills as a successful freelancer. We’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times— no matter how awesome your instructional design skills are, there’s always room for improvement!

Today we’re going to chat about six skills we think are 100%, absolutely, totally, insanely, super-duper important for you to have in your bag of tricks. Don’t get us wrong, we firmly believe that anyone with motivation, drive, support, and some good old-fashioned TLC can be an instructional designer.

If you feel you’re lacking in any of these six skills, don’t despair! We absolutely insist that you do not get down on yourself. These are all skills that can be learned and strengthened over time with some practice.

Without further ado, let’s check out six instructional design skills every successful freelancer needs! You’ve got this, champ!

Project Management Skills

First up, project management skills. Out of all the skills on the list, this one is probably the most consequential when it comes to having what it takes to get the job done! Project management skills encompass everything from time management, organization, scheduling, planning, budgeting, forecasting, communication…phew. Let’s put it this way— it’s a lot of competencies that you need to juggle at once.

At a regular 9-5, you may find someone whose job is “project manager,” but as the freelancing unicorn you are, you’ll need to take on all these tasks yourself. Put simply, you need to plan just about every detail starting from the conception of a project to the moment you hand over your deliverables.

You’ll need to meet all of your concise goals within a number of pre-planned restraints that include time, budget, and client expectations. It’s a lot of moving parts, but like we said earlier, practice makes perfect!

If you feel that your project management skills are lacking, check out project management software or seek out a mentor in the industry to learn some hot tips from someone with a greater depth of experience than you. Or start small—you can even practice on a non-biz related project. Have a birthday party to plan for your niece? Think of the ways you can tackle it like you would a project. It sounds goofy, but you can really practice these skills anywhere!

Communication Skills

Next up—communication skills! We’re talking oral and written by the way, not telepathic. When it comes to your business life, effective communication is the key to streamlining projects, networking, building stronger connections, and avoiding problems before they arise. It can also make you come off as a smarter, friendlier, team player!

Unless you live under a rock (that’s cool, btw), you may have noticed that technology has totally changed the way we communicate. Calling, messaging, e-mailing, video chatting—there’s an expectation to be available at any time, on any platform! While that can be stressful, it also gives you ample opportunity to hone your communication skills and establish stronger relationships especially as someone working from home or remotely.

Giving and receiving information is at the crux of your work as an instructional designer. If you feel yours needs some work—strengthen that muscle. Think about the way you present yourself when you speak or write. Are your thoughts clear and concise? Do you keep a confident, consistent tone? Are you transparent and consistent? How often do you initiate the conversation?

If you feel your communication skills need some help, ask someone you trust for their constructive feedback. You may also consider attending a communications class, proof-reading before hitting send (plz), thinking before you speak (plz), or increasing the volume and transparency of your communications.

One more big tip—if you are ever unsure of anything—it’s definitely OK to ask. Don’t be afraid to ask your client questions or for their thoughts and opinions! Whatever you can do to create the best conditions for positive communication— the better!

Active Listening Skills

This one goes hand in hand with effective communication skills—active listening skills! When we say “active” listening skills, we mean the process of preparing yourself to listen, actively hearing the other person, asking questions for clarity, and really absorbing the key points they’ve made. You want to be able to leave the conversation with nothing unsaid, misheard, or misunderstood. We’re talking about a totally mutual exchange of information between speaker and listener—bliss!

As you’re engaging in active listening, try to give the speaker cues that you’re understanding what they’re saying, either non-verbally (hit ‘em with some nods) or by asking pointed or open-ended questions at their conclusion. If you’re able to master active listening, your job and all its details will be much easier! It promotes healthier communication, improved project management skills, increased learning, and more effective teaching.

Strengthen your active listening skills through intentional, conscious listening. Be present— if you notice your mind is wandering, snap back into focus and concentrate. Do your best to put aside distractions (we know it’s hard, life is a lot) and if need be, repeat back what the speaker is saying silently in your head. Emphasis on “silently in your head.”

Take mental notes! Physical notes! Ask questions! Summarize their own thoughts back to them! Practice with your friends and family and watch your relationships blossom!

Creativity

Be creative! B-E creative! No, you don’t have to break out the finger paints and embroidery hoops, but creativity and innovation are a big part of your job as an instructional designer. You should be constantly looking for new ways to innovate your eLearning content for both your sake and your learners’. The more creative your content is, the more creative your learners will be, which will lead to better absorption of the material.

In a field that’s ever-changing, it can be a challenge to compete in ways that are fresh and exciting. “Creativity” is one of those terms that’s hard to define, with most of us believing it’s some magical state of being that you’re suddenly “in” or just can’t seem to access. In truth, there are ways to nurture creativity in your own life and then incorporate it into the sometimes overly-formulaic instructional design models.

We all have the capacity to be creative! Find ways to break typical patterns of learning in your content, write more often and for pleasure, add in more moments of interactivity, or master a new visual design tool. Bake a dozen cookies and send them to IDLance! Also an option.

Problem-Solving Skills

No arsenal of ID skills is complete without problem-solving. You will use problem-solving in just about every facet of your career as an ID freelie. Problem-solving isn’t as easy as simply identifying the problem—that part’s easy! It also includes identifying the cause of the problem, developing solutions, and then implementing those solutions.

Problem-solving also calls upon other competencies like effective communication, research, analysis, teamwork, decision making, active listening, and creativity. Hey! We mentioned some of those skills earlier— see how that works!

Instructional design is all about solving problems when you really think about it. You’re analyzing the needs of a client, developing solutions, and then assessing the effectiveness of your deliverables. You’ll be researching, brainstorming, making decisions, and proving yourself to be a valuable asset. It’s all about results!

If your problem-solving skills need work, look for ways to gain practice in your everyday life. No matter how small or large the problem, any practice is good practice! Practice being more decisive in your day to day life. Or, if a lack of confidence in ID know-how is the problem, brush up on your skills and technical knowledge. Here’s a brain twister— you’ll be problem-solving just by trying to figure out where the problem lies! Have fun!

A Desire to Learn

Lastly, as a successful freelance instructional designer, you should possess a love of and desire to learn. Put simply—be curious. Ask questions. You should consider yourself both a student and teacher! If you want to keep up in an industry as fast-paced as ours, you’ll have to remain open to new methodologies and technologies, and also have the ability to absorb new information quickly! Blow your SME’s and clients away with your ability to learn!

If you feel like this is a weak spot for you, try putting yourself in your learners’ shoes or stepping out of your comfort zone to make the learning experience more enjoyable.

Conclusion

And that’s the list! Keep in mind, these are just some of the skills you’ll need to be successful in instructional design. If you’re ready to put in the time and hard work, we have no doubt that you’ll be an ID superstar in no time!

Oh, and one more skill we forgot to mention—self-care! It can be hard to learn new skills, so take care of yourself! Don’t beat yourself up—be patient, be kind, just be you! ‘Cuz no one’s more skilled at that than you!