In the short time that I have been with Yarno, one word has stuck out above all others…authenticity.
I had heard a lot about Yarno’s culture in my application and subsequent interviewing process, but didn’t think about it too much beyond the appeal of being a content writer for an attractive e-learning company. While Yarno looked from the outside to be an organisation on an upward trajectory with a lot of attractive qualities, it was the content I had consumed on their website and LinkedIn that held my attention, and I was intrigued to learn their philosophy on content creation.
I won’t bore you with any technical details. In a nutshell, the philosophy I found was Practice What You Preach.
I didn't realise at the time, but the content I had read had been so engaging because it was reflective of a wider structural philosophy. Later, the content I read that had been designed for specific customers was equally engaging because, once again, it was reflective of wider company values.
This all a bit vague so far? I’ll get into some specifics. Here are three ways it works:
1. Focused objectives = focused content
We’ve touched before on the importance of communicating clear goals for the learner. We find that our content is most effective when there is a clear focus and steps are taken to deliver the information in a concise way. There doesn’t have to be a thousand words, but it does have to have a point. And it has to get there.
This approach really works for content creation, but it also helps us in our day-to-day roles. At Yarno, we all like to start our days with clearly defined objectives, and this focus allows us to be as productive with our time as possible. By setting good habits, and being disciplined enough to keep them, the wider benefits seep through to the content that we create.
2. Genuine interest = engaging content
It’s not just about focus though, we like our content to be engaging as well. The experience of learning should be as useful as the information itself. After all, how can a learner truly process information on a screen if it isn’t at least somewhat engaging?
Confucius once said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” (it's not every day you get to quote Confucius!). At Yarno, we throw ourselves into everything we do because we have a genuine passion for our work. It wouldn’t work without that passion because it wouldn’t be authentic. So, we make a conscious effort to nurture and maintain this, and actively try to cultivate an environment conducive to creativity.
3. Demonstrate empathy = empathetic content (relevant to customer needs)
At Yarno, we are very conscious of the intended reader. It is not enough for us to just throw out content and hope that it lands. It has to be carefully considered, and with an understanding of the reader’s context. Only with that crucial context can it be truly useful content. Focus can help it be effective, but empathy keeps it pointing in the right direction.
That empathy starts at home. We take the time to cultivate relationships and see things from each other’s perspective. We help each other and strive to bring value wherever we can. Maintaining these relationships is what keeps us grounded and keeps our content on track.
