“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look
back and realize they were the big things.”
– Robert Brault
Happy Friday! A heartfelt thanks to everyone who replied to my query into whether anyone reads this space. I see you all and be forewarned that there may be a dad joke somewhere on the horizon. (Sorry, Judith. I promise I won’t over do it.)
Thanks for reading.
What I’m Listening To: I’ve been a big fan of Louis Armstrong for as long as I can remember. Today I’m listening to this playlist that kicks off with Wonderful World – makes me smile every time!
(You can follow me on Spotify)
Last Week’s Most Clicked:
Improving Multiple Choice Questioning
📰 News & Notes
It’s Not a Headline, It’s a Hook Point
The world is a busy place with millions of people and brands competing for attention on digital platforms. If you want to succeed and see results, you need to hook people in with your content and message.
Hook Points can be applied to any content you make and distribute, so start thinking about what your perfect Hook Point might be.
Simply Put: A guide for creating easy-to-understand materials
This guide from the CDC is intended to help design clear and understandable health materials. It provides steps (and checklists) with detailed information and tips for developing communication materials that are evidence-based, user-friendly and also applicable to other topics as well.
If this resonates, you may also be interested in a deeper dive available in the “Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective“.
32 Non-L&D Books for L&D Professionals
L&D is an integrative domain that draws on so many other subjects. Therefore, it’s essential that we educate ourselves on these subjects.
Learnovators has compile a list of the disciplines that are of interest to those in our field, including marketing, behavioral economics and others along with some book suggestions under each discipline.
10 AI Content Tools Worth
Checking Out
While AI isn’t ready to replace us yet, some of these new tools can speed up and simplify your work. New tools are evolving fast and here are 10 good ones worth knowing.
Imagine letting the Open AI Chatbot write your script, putting that into Murf.ai to generate the voice over and then dropping it into Descript with some b-roll video. For the right topics, you can do that now and it only takes minutes instead of hours or even weeks.
Plain Language Is For Everyone, Even Experts
A common objection about plain language is that it dumbs down content and insults intelligent readers. Some writers use an academic tone out of habit or try to impress readers with complex sentences and showy vocabulary. The idea that long sentences and big words make you sound smarter (or more professional) results in great sacrifices to readability and credibility.
Learn more about the advantages of clear, straightforward writing in this article from the Nielsen Norman Group.
- Morning Brew
There’s a reason over 2.6 million people start their day with Morning Brew – the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Business news doesn’t have to be dry and dense…make your mornings more enjoyable, for free.
Check it out!. - Axios Local Newsletter
Axios has daily, early morning newsletters to help readers get smarter, faster about their hometowns. I’ve been reading the one for Columbus and it is a great scoop into local happenings.
Subscribe for $0 here - Important, Not Important
Science for people who give a shit! The critically-acclaimed and “refreshingly snarky” newsletter and podcast help you think deeply and act decisively about the world’s make or break science news, from climate to COVID, heat to hunger, and agriculture to AI ethics.
Subscribe for free!
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🎧 Podcasts
Why Curiosity in the Workplace Is Important
Stefaan Van Hooydonk has conducted research on the topic of curiosity at work. He believes that curious individuals need curious environments to thrive and that in times of economic turmoil, individuals and companies need to start embracing the power of intentional curiosity.
The link between learning transfer & assessment
This episode of the Learning While Working podcast with Keith Keating, explores the science of learning, some of the greatest challenges with learning transfer, why L&D experts should be viewed as trusted advisors, & more.
Humor’s Role in the 21st Century Workplace
Institutions as serious as Wharton, MIT, and the London Business School agree: it’s time to bring some laughter in the workplace.
🧰 Tech, Tools & Tips
600+ Designer Resources
The web’s biggest free collection of design resources. You’ll definitely want to bookmark this one.
WelcomeSpaces
A collaborative tool for professional designers. Client collaboration has never been so simple.
Vectormaker
With Vectormaker, you can easily convert pixel-based images into colorful vector graphics.
Accessible Color Palettes
Take the mystery out of accessibility with a simple color palette generator by Venngage that does the heavy lifting for you.
🧳 Where’s Mike?
- Mid-New Jersey ATD, February 21, 2023
- New Zealand ATD Conference March 15-16, 2023
Great resources for gamification in eLearning
Did you know that engagement in employee training continues to be the #1 challenge for L&D professionals? One definite way to boost it is to integrate gamification into your training strategy. Here are some great resources that will give you a great deal of useful information on gamification and resources for implementing it in your projects:
eLearning Gamification: How to Apply It and Win the Game
Prefer to watch this content on gamification? We got you
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.
Mike Taylor 