They all argue for doing less I took a quick peek at the past year of activity here—not to overanalyze it, just to see what people actually spent time with. What shook out was a short list of posts that consistently rose to the top. I thought I’d share those most-viewed pieces, along with aContinue reading "Less Noise, More Signal: My Most Popular Posts of the 2025"
The Best L&D Books Are Not L&D Books
(A reading list that makes you useful, fast) When someone new to learning design asks a reasonable question: “What L&D books should I read?” They usually get a long list of L&D books.Models. Methods. Frameworks. More models. Helpful… up to a point. Because the real job of learning design isn’t “build a course.” It’s helpContinue reading "The Best L&D Books Are Not L&D Books"
The Signaling Principle
A practical guide to designing learning people actually notice Learners don’t ignore content because they’re lazy.They ignore it because your design makes them guess what matters. That’s the signaling principle (cueing). Signaling means you guide attention—on purpose.You make the important parts easy to spot and the unimportant parts easy to ignore. Why it works isContinue reading "The Signaling Principle"
Most Instructional Designers Put This at the Start. Here’s Why YOU Shouldn’t!
You spent three weeks on that compliance module. Got the objectives perfectly clear. Slide two, exactly where Gagne said they should be. Your instructional design was textbook. Then you watched what happened: Learners skimmed the objectives and jumped ahead. Exit interviews revealed the pattern: "I knew what I was supposed to learn, so I didn'tContinue reading "Most Instructional Designers Put This at the Start. Here’s Why YOU Shouldn’t!"
Stop Building Courses. Start Fixing Problems.
A practical crash course in performance-first thinking It's Tuesday at 2:47 PM when the Slack message arrives. "We need a two-hour eLearning course on communication skills. By Friday." If you're in L&D or instructional design, you probably fire back: What content should it include? Video or scenarios? Self-paced or instructor-led? Here's the uncomfortable truth: thoseContinue reading "Stop Building Courses. Start Fixing Problems."
Debunking Learning Styles: What The Research Really Says
You’re in a kickoff meeting. Someone suggests, “Let’s find out everyone’s learning style first. Then we can tailor the training.” Heads nod. It sounds thoughtful. It sounds learner-centered.And you feel that small, nagging voice: Is this actually a thing? If you’ve been in L&D for a while, you’ve probably been in that room. It feltContinue reading "Debunking Learning Styles: What The Research Really Says"
Take Back Your Feed: A Simple Guide to Getting Started With RSS (Even If Tech Intimidates You)
Most of us are drowning in information. Emails. Social feeds. Notifications piling on notifications. You look away for one minute and miss three posts from a writer you actually wanted to read—because an algorithm decided you needed fourteen kitchen remodeling hacks instead. There's a better way to keep up with the things you care about.Continue reading "Take Back Your Feed: A Simple Guide to Getting Started With RSS (Even If Tech Intimidates You)"
The Testing Effect: Why Retrieval Practice is Your Most Powerful Learning Tool
The Lie We Tell Ourselves Sarah's quarterly review went well. Her compliance training program had a 94% completion rate. Everyone passed the quiz. Leadership was pleased. Three months later, a manager made a comment that clearly crossed the line. Nobody reported it. When HR investigated, five employees gave the same answer: "I didn't know thatContinue reading "The Testing Effect: Why Retrieval Practice is Your Most Powerful Learning Tool"
The Dangerous Allure of Distraction: Why Seductive Details Can Derail Learning (and When They Don’t)
NOTE: I've updated this post from the previous version to incorporate some new research shared by Julie Dirksen & Will Thalheimer. Every learning designer knows the temptation. You’ve built a solid course… but it still feels a little flat.So you add a funny story.Or a dramatic photo.Or a splash of background music because “engagement!” AndContinue reading "The Dangerous Allure of Distraction: Why Seductive Details Can Derail Learning (and When They Don’t)"
The Right Kind of Difficulty: Why Worked Examples Beat Practice for Novices
Evidence-Based L&D Series: Article 3 of 8 Picture Maria, three weeks into her new role as a financial advisor. Her manager has just assigned her first real client—a 52-year-old teacher who needs retirement planning. Maria opens the spreadsheet. Stares at it. Closes it. Opens the training manual. Scans for the formula. Tries a calculation. GetsContinue reading "The Right Kind of Difficulty: Why Worked Examples Beat Practice for Novices"
Mike Taylor 
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