“Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.”
– Tecumseh
Happy Friday! It’s that time of year again: the season of mistletoe, hot cocoa, and good cheer. And what better way to spread some festive joy than with this week’s edition of the newsletter? So pour yourself a mug of eggnog, curl up by the fire, and let the holiday magic begin!
Want to send holiday cards this year but aren’t crazy about the time and expense involved? Try one from BrightCarbon’s big collection of Powerpoint-made greetings. Choose from over 100 options that you can personalize and use to spread some festive cheer PowerPoint style!
Thanks for reading.
What I’m Listening To: I don’t think I’m quite ready for non-stop Christmas music yet, but this Christmas Holiday Jazz playlist pairs nicely with reading your favorite newsletter. 😎
Last Week’s Most Clicked:
32 Non-L&D Books for L&D Pros
📰 News & Notes
How Zapier’s L&D team saved 1,000s of hours of work with automation
Zapier’s Learning and Development team hasn’t created a calendar event or manually promoted internal workshops since 2020. They outsourced the admin work to automation so they could spend time on tasks that need a human touch—like coaching and facilitating.
This article walks you through how it works along with a few advanced Zap-building tricks to inspire you to think big when it comes to automating.
Curious to see how you rank as an automator? Take this automation score quiz to find out.
The ever-growing importance of L&D in the future of work
In the future of work, it’s not just robots and AI that will be taking over – it’s also the constant need for learning and development. As the business world evolves at a rapid pace, it’s becoming increasingly important for companies to invest L&D.
So, put down that VR headset and read on to discover why L&D is the key to thriving in the future of work.
Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2022
It’s that time of year again: the holidays are coming and behavioral science enthusiasts are gathering to discuss the latest and greatest books on the subject. This annual round-up is sure to provide food for thought for anyone interested in understanding the mysteries of the human behavior. So grab a cup of cocoa and dive into the latest and greatest in the world of behavioral science.
Should You Trust the Myers-Briggs Personality Test?
Are you an introverted intuitive who loves deep conversations and hates small talk? Or maybe you’re an extroverted feeling type who loves to be around people and always puts others’ needs before your own? If you’ve ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality test, chances are you have a good idea of where you fall on the personality spectrum.
But here’s the million-dollar question: should you trust the results of this popular personality test?
Transfer of learning: The necessary step to make learning stick
Transfer of learning is a concept that should be top-of-mind when planning any learning and development program. Without a solid understanding of the factors that affect the transfer of learning, the gulf between training and job performance is difficult to bridge.
Learn the 16 factors addressed in the Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) and how the transfer of learning must be an underlying design principle for L&D teams.
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🎧 Podcasts
The 3 Pillars of
Great Content
If you write copy or work in the content creation business, then do not sleep on this episode. Dakota Robinson discusses the three content pillars and share five actionable tips for writing better copy. Here’s a quick example: use simple language and short sentences.
Thriving amid
Information Overload
Ross Dawson shares battle-tested strategies for excelling in a world of massive information including:
The five information superpowers, how to consume information optimally, & how to discern the good sources from the bad ones
Can ChatGPT Make This Podcast?
It’s writing podcast scripts, finishing students’ homework and correcting mistakes in computer code: ChatGPT, the A.I. chatbot from OpenAI, is suddenly everywhere. Who should decide how it’s built? What could go wrong? And what could go right?
🧰 Tech, Tools & Tips
Sessions
Sessions has everything you need for effective meetings, webinars, & online events.
Magical
Turn calendar invitations into a collaborative workspace to schedule, coordinate & automate meetings.
Writesonic
Create plagiarism-free content for your blogs, ads, emails, and website with this AI writing assistant.
Excel Formula Bot
Transform your text instructions into Excel formulas in seconds with the help of AI.
🧳 Where’s Mike?
- Mid-New Jersey ATD, February 21, 2023
- New Zealand ATD Conference March 15-16, 2023
4 Must Reads About PowerPoint and eLearning
Do you know that you can create eLearning courses right in PowerPoint? Here are some blog posts that will let you get started immediately:
How to Convert Your PowerPoint Presentation into an eLearning Module
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 