As someone who has moaned and wailed (sometimes literally) about the evils of bullet points (particularly in PowerPoint presentations), it is an odd dichotomy that I have always liked lists. From rankings of sports teams to the top 5 Instructional Design Theories (https://elearningindustry.com/top-instructional-design-theories-modern-online-training) give me a list and if I care at all about the subject matter (a very important “if”) I am instantly engaged.
Part of that is because I love a good discussion and will sputter (or write) about, “What do you mean Princess Bride isn’t in the top 5 comedies ever made, it should be #1.”
When it comes to instructional design I will use step lists to make it easier for people to retain information, knowing that a 3 or 4 step list is retainable and a 37 and a half step list is not. I also use rankings so trainees can put things in their order of importance, so they become more involved in their own learning.
So let me ask you this, in current learning design are lists over used or under used?
What is the best way you ever used a list in a training?