Sign up here to get Friday Finds in your inbox every Friday
“I believe that if you’ll just stand up and go, life will open up for you.”
― Tina Turner
Ah, the sweet sound of reason trumping nonsense! Ohio voters have sent a clear message about Issue 1: “Your anti-democratic shenanigans won’t fly here!” It’s like swatting away a pesky mosquito buzzing with corruption. With Issue 1 soundly rejected, let’s hope these politicians searching for new levels of sneakiness will soon find themselves lost in a maze of their own making. May the winds of sanity and reason continue to blow.
Thanks for reading!
🎶 What I’m Listening To
Recently hung out at a place with live music featuring all the best music from the 70s and it’s been a nice vibe here all week.
👆 Last Week’s Most Clicked
📰 News & Notes
Rethinking the final slide: Why neuroscience warns against the ‘Thank You’ ending
Neuroscientist Carmen Simon shares why the “thank you” slide commonly used in business presentations is not an effective way to enhance memory and engagement. Instead, creating a distinct slide with essential content, repeating it throughout the presentation, and using it at the end can improve recall. Additionally, prompting self-generated questions aids in long-term memory and decision-making. Moreover, ending a presentation with a compelling vision for the future taps into the brain’s cognitive ability to anticipate and imagine, leaving the audience inspired and motivated. The key takeaway is that
🎯 Take away: A well-designed, informative, and future-oriented slide is more impactful than a traditional “thank you” slide at the end of a presentation.
The Spacing Effect & 7taps Learning Paths
I made this short video introducing the spacing effect and showing how 7taps makes it easy to apply it to your learning projects. The spacing effect demonstrates that learning is more effective when repeated in spaced-out sessions. By repeating and spacing out information individuals learn, they can better recall that information in the future. The spacing effect occurs when information is repeatedly learned over a spaced-out long period, resulting in an individual being about to recall better and remember the information being learned. 7taps has a new feature called Learning Paths that solves the massive headache of managing who gets what and when.
🎯 Take away: With the introduction of the new 7taps learning paths feature, improving your learning outcomes using the spacing effect has never been easier!
Learning and Development in organizations: Reflecting on 20 years of research
Dive into two decades of rich insights with the “Annual L&D Benchmark Report 2023,” a treasure trove from Mind Tools. Charting the transformative journey of learning and development, this report captures the pulse of 11,000 organizations across 83 countries. From the meteoric rise of online learning, a whopping shift from 7% to 66% in mobile device usage for education, to the undeniable influence of social media on collaborative learning, it’s a testament to how we’ve evolved. And as we stand at the crossroads of digital transformation, remember: it’s not just about training anymore; it’s about performance.
🎯 Take away: The landscape of learning and development has dramatically evolved over two decades, with a clear shift from traditional training to performance-driven online learning.
Nine use cases for social learning
I’m a huge fan of social learning and John Stepper’s Work Out Loud approach. In this post he shares 9 use cases and reminds us that the best learning experiences are social. And the best way to offer social learning experiences to employees is integrate them into programs they already participate in, to address challenges they already recognize.
🎯 Take away: The best learning experiences are social and integrating social learning into existing programs can effectively address specific challenges.
Don’t Design for Your Users
While with the Adobe Photoshop team, Bradee Evans emphasized designing for future product goals rather than just current users. He introduced the concept of “challenge people” – real individuals representing the product’s future direction. These are categorized into: Umbrella (addressing broad needs), Lynchpin (influential adopters), Specific (users with unique roles), and Future-leaning (envisioning the product’s future). The article stresses inclusivity and ethics in design, advocating for a broader community-focused approach.
🎯 Take away: Designing products should prioritize “challenge people” who represent future goals and diverse needs, ensuring alignment with long-term visions while emphasizing inclusivity and ethical considerations.
Visit and subscribe to the Neovation Learning Hub for free eLearning resources – L&D superpowers that you can use to improve your eLearning initiatives and help you be more creative, productive, and valuable to your L&D team!
Become a better designer in 5 minute lessons
Join 50,000+ people learning design in short, practical lessons. Original, illustrated design tutorials to help you design better websites & apps.
Check it out for free!
Prompt Engineering Daily
Get the most simplified and tactical AI prompts, insights and tools to stay ahead of the curve. Read by over 85,000+ readers from Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta and more!
Check it out for free!
The Knowledge Newsletter
The Knowledge 🧭, is a newsletter helping creators and professionals to think deeper and work smarter.
Subscribe for free
🎧 Podcasts
These are the conversations that caught my ear this week. Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.
Introduction to Neurotransmitters
This episode is a review of neurotransmitters starting with some basics of neuron function and brain anatomy, but the meat of the episode is a discussion of neurotransmitters and how they work.
How To Curate Content That Works For You
Did you know that 90% of the world’s data was created in the last two years? Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) shares his tips on how to cut through the noise and find content that interests you and helps your business.
Understanding the Science of Sleep
Sleep is the foundation we give ourselves to pursue our goals vigorously. Dr. Matthew Walker discusses why sleep is the foundational pillar for our overall health, why most people are terrible at prioritizing sleep and how to change that, the effects of poor sleep over time, how anxiety and stress affect our sleep, the importance of dreams and how we can influence them, and so much more.
Use these four practical, adaptable Learning Principles to build a clear and outcomes-oriented strategy for your next learning program. Access this on-demand webinar to learn how the principles apply to real-life learning problems and how they empower you to drive meaningful behavior change.
Watch now »
🧰 Tech Tools & Tips
If tools are your jam, check out my new Work Smarter newsletter.
Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.
Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.
Super designer | Create beautiful designs with a few clicks
Create beautiful designs with a few clicks. Simple design tools to generate unique patterns, backgrounds, 3D shapes, colors & images for social media, websites and more
Wonder Tools — Organize your newsletters 💌
Easy ways to streamline your subscriptions
wondertools.substack.com/p/organizeyournewsletters
How to integrate ChatGPT with Microsoft Outlook | Zapier
Learn how to connect Microsoft Outlook to ChatGPT to automatically respond to emails, retrieve tasks, and make sure company announcements don’t get lost.
zapier.com/blog/integrate-microsoft-outlook-with-chatgpt
sponsored
How to Implement Online Training in The Healthcare Industry
A Step-By-Step Walkthrough With Real-Life Examples
Get everything you need to implement online training in your healthcare company, from a step-by-step guide to practical insights and tools that will help you maximize learning effectiveness.
🧳 Where’s Mike?
- NASJE 2023, August 28 , Columbus, Ohio
- Central Ohio ATD Annual Conference, Sept 12, Columbus, Ohio
- CUNA Learning Live , October 16 San Antonio
If you or your event needs a speaker or workshop that is highly interactive and super practical we should talk.
Like this post? Share it with someone you love. Don’t like it? Share it with someone you don’t!
Friday Finds is an independent publication that I produce in my free time. You can support my work by sharing it with the world, booking an advertising spot, or by buying me a coffee. NN
Sign up here to get Friday Finds in your inbox every Friday
“Everything worthwhile is done with others.”
― Mariame Kaba
It’s been surprisingly peaceful around the house this week. Both kids have been at band camp from 1:00 to 9:99 every day. One of the delightful perks? I get full control of the dinner menu! Feel like fish? Absolutely! Craving for some fresh, delicious veggies? Even better. The absence of any culinary critiques or grumbling is the cherry on top. And if you’ve had the joy of raising a few of your own, I bet you can relate to these moments of tranquility. Don’t get the wrong idea, though. I’m still happy to see them when they come home!
As always, thanks for reading.
What I’m Listening To: The Wallows is another discovery that I’ve made courtesy of my “official music consultant” (my daughter)
Last Week’s Most Clicked:
Using Images in Visual Design
📰 News & Notes
Cognitive Bias Cheatsheet
Our brains use cognitive biases as a way to save energy and cognitive resources. The human brain constantly processes an overwhelming amount of information, and using cognitive biases helps us navigate this complexity more efficiently. Instead of analyzing every piece of information from scratch, our brains rely on these mental shortcuts to quickly assess situations, categorize information, and make decisions.
🎯 Take away: This article provides a comprehensive and organized list of cognitive biases, highlighting four key problems our brains have evolved to deal with which can help us improve our understanding of ourselves and our decision-making processes.
Emotional intelligence in the workplace: Why it matters and how to build it
In the age of automation, emotional intelligence (EQ) is increasingly critical, affecting key performance indicators like sales, customer satisfaction, and employee turnover. EQ skills differentiate top performers and contribute to personal and professional growth, as evidenced by productivity improvements and cost savings in companies like Motorola and the U.S. Air Force following EQ training. Organizations can nurture EQ through compassionate leadership, cross-departmental collaboration, and focused training on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, supplemented with continuous performance support.
🎯 Take away: In today’s automated world, fostering emotional intelligence in the workplace is a key differentiator for top performance, contributing significantly to personal development and organizational success.
The Power of a Performance-First Mindset
Bob Mosher talks about the shift from a training-first to a performance-first approach significantly reduces training time, accelerates competency, and enables learners to better handle constant changes in skills and business processes. Key design changes suggested include beginning with analyzing the workflow and focusing training efforts on tasks that significantly impact performance, with a digital coach handling the rest.
🎯 Take away: Workflow learning, a performance-first approach that embeds learning within work tasks, can transform L&D by reducing training time, accelerating competency, and enabling continuous adaptation to change.
25 Ways to Support Social Learning
Crafted by Mark Britz of the Learning Guild, this checklist is a handy companion to thriving in today’s dynamic, hybrid work landscapes. Unveil the power of social learning to foster knowledge sharing, continuous growth, and strong team bonds even in distributed settings. Embrace change, conquer challenges, and unlock innovation to revolutionize your organization’s success!
🎯 Take away: Embracing social learning empowers organizations to thrive in rapidly changing work environments, unlocking innovation and connection among dispersed teams.
The Art of Sharing: Getting Your Slide Decks Online
Explore three options for sharing your presentations online: Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reliable but lacking engagement insights; SpeakerDeck, a nice-looking, minimalist and PDF-only option; and DeckLinks, a cutting-edge marvel with interactive features and detailed analytics. Choose your platform, and share your own slide deck gems if you’ve got ’em!
🎯 Take away: Explore three good options for sharing your presentation slides online.
Visit and subscribe to the Neovation Learning Hub for free eLearning resources – L&D superpowers that you can use to improve your eLearning initiatives and help you be more creative, productive, and valuable to your L&D team!
Become a better designer in 5 minute lessons
Join 50,000+ people learning design in short, practical lessons. Original, illustrated design tutorials to help you design better websites & apps.
Check it out for free!
Prompt Engineering Daily
Get the most simplified and tactical AI prompts, insights and tools to stay ahead of the curve. Read by over 85,000+ readers from Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta and more!
Check it out for free!
The Knowledge Newsletter
The Knowledge 🧭, is a newsletter helping creators and professionals to think deeper and work smarter.
Subscribe for free
🎧 Podcasts
These are the conversations that caught my ear this week.
Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.
This user-friendly guide offers a simple checklist of the key questions you should ask potential learning partners, plus tips for what to listen for to evaluate fit. Vet for key traits such as strategic capabilities, innovation, operational excellence, and values alignment. Download for free
🧰 Tech Tools & Tips
If tools are your jam, check out my new Work Smarter newsletter.
.
Iconbuddy
100K+ open source icons. Search, download, customize, edit over 100k+ open source icons. SVG, PNG, WEBP & other formats.
Pixelied
This is an image editor and versatile online graphics editor. Perfect for marketing, e-commerce, and social media designs.
Free Vector Illustrations For Your Projects
Hand-drawn, vector, free illustrations. Ideal for websites, web applications, mobile applications, marketing materials, printouts, social media posts, templates, work presentations,
Get live feedback during PowerPoint presentations with Microsoft Forms
Take the pulse of your audience during a presentation by gathering live feedback and fostering active participation.
Discover What Employees Think About Your Current Training
How effective is your training? Do employees find it helpful and engaging? Get the answers easily: download this free survey template and send it to your learners. In it, you’ll find 10 questions handpicked by training professionals. You only need to add your organization’s name and the survey is good to go.
🧳 Where’s Mike?
NASJE
August 28
Columbus, OH
Central Ohio ATD Annual Conference
Sept 12
Columbus, OH
CUNA Learning Live
October 16
San Antonio
Friday Finds is an independent publication that I produce in my free-time. You can support my work by sharing it with the world, booking an advertising spot, or by buying me a coffee.
Like this post? Share it with someone you love. Don’t like it? Share it with someone you don’t!
Mike Taylor 