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“I think a life properly lived is just learn, learn, learn all the time.”
— Charlie Munger
Unfortunately, winter has arrived with a not-so-pleasant gift: my first (and hopefully only) cold of the season. My hacking cough and unwelcome germs are certainly not something I’d wish upon anyone, so I’m taking refuge in the basement for the time being. Naps and isolation are my current weapons in this battle against the sniffles. Here’s wishing you health and happiness wherever you are!
Thanks for reading!
🎶 What I’m Listening To
You can take a sneak peek at my music tastes in my Top Songs from 2023
👆 Last Week’s Most Clicked
📰 News & Notes
New Research Suggests Humans Prefer AI-Generated Content
In a fascinating twist, recent MIT research reveals that people actually prefer content generated by AI over that crafted by human professionals. This study compared human and AI-created content in product descriptions and persuasive ad campaign content. Surprisingly, content fully written by AI or edited by AI was favored by readers. Even more intriguing, disclosing the AI origin of the content didn’t diminish its appeal. This finding challenges the notion that persuasive communication is a uniquely human skill, especially in the context of straightforward, well-defined tasks.
🎯 Take away: A recent MIT study shows people prefer AI-generated content, highlighting AI’s rising influence in persuasive writing.
Unleash Your Inner PowerPoint Hero with Slidewise – Free Subscriptions Up for Grabs
If you work with PowerPoint and want to save time and avoid frustration, you need Slidewise. It is a problem-solving super-tool that can find and fix problems in no time! Loaded with clever features to make you look like a PowerPoint superhero. Say goodbye to relying on colleagues, forums, or your IT help desk — because you won’t need them.
The creator of Slidewise, Mike Power, is giving away 10 free one-year subscriptions to the first 10 readers of this newsletter who claim them.
Even if you miss out, you can still save 50% (through December 15) —a no-brainer of a deal. You can learn more and download a 30-day trial from their website.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to streamline your PowerPoint workflow!
🎯 Take away: An early holiday present for anyone who has ever tried to tackle tricky PowerPoint problems like font issues, unwieldy slide masters, giant file sizes, and more.
Eight Ways Your Perception of Reality Is Skewed
Clearly, many forces below our conscious awareness affect our perceptions, thoughts, and decisions, and errors abound. Becoming cognizant of those influences could keep us from making costly misjudgments or creating unnecessary conflicts with others who see things differently. The ultimate benefit of that? Hopefully, having a little humility might help all of us to act with less hubris and be more open to other points of view.
🎯 Take away: A new book explains the sometimes-unconscious forces that shape what we see, feel, and think.
Named Best App of 2023 by Google! Imprint is a brand new way to learn the world’s most important knowledge that’s visual and interactive. Master essential topics in psychology, philosophy, business, science, technology and more in bite-sized lessons. Get started »
🧰 Tech Tools & Tips
If tools are your jam, check out my new Work Smarter newsletter.
Accessible Color Palette Generator | WCAG Compliant
Discover beautiful color combinations your whole audience can appreciate. Try out this accessible color palette generator from Venngage.
venngage.com/tools/accessible-color-palette-generator
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1ft – One Step Beyond the Paywall
Try this simple trick to peek around paywalled sites.
Beyond the gimmick: using AI video to improve learning experiences
(Sponsored)
With generative AI, it’s becoming easier and cheaper than ever to use video in your training courses – but how do you go beyond the gimmick and use it to improve the learning experience for your learners? In this webinar on 14 December at 9AM ET, Learning experts Roy de Vries and David Gillham share frameworks and examples of how you can use AI video to improve your training tomorrow. what?
Visit the Neovation Learning Hub for helpful, practical, and actionable eLearning resources to build your L&D toolkit! If you like what you see, subscribe for free – and receive resources directly to your inbox.
🎧 Podcast
This is the conversation that caught my ear this week. Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.
Prospective Memory – a Conversation with Dr. Carmen Simon
There is a science to the art of presentation design. Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Carmen Simon discusses presentation information retention and her latest study findings.
🧳 Where’s Mike?
- ATD ICE, New Orleans May 19-22, 2024
If you or your event needs a highly interactive and practical speaker or workshop, we should talk.
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Identify and Unleash the Full Potential of Your Team
How well does an employee fit their job description? What skills should they develop to improve their performance? A 360-degree assessment will give you answers to these and other essential questions. Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, December 14, at 11:00 AM EST to learn everything you need to know about this type of assessment: what it is, how it works, and how to analyze the results. Seats are limited, so secure one now
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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 