The LinkedIn Feature Nobody Tells You About: How to Build a Feed of Only the People Worth Your Attention

You open LinkedIn, looking for one person's take on one topic. Twenty minutes later, you've read four unrelated hot takes, a humble-brag about a promotion, and an AI-generated poem about "leadership." The person you actually wanted to hear from? Buried three scrolls back, if you find them at all. That's not an accident. It's notContinue reading "The LinkedIn Feature Nobody Tells You About: How to Build a Feed of Only the People Worth Your Attention"

Stop Calling It Mandatory Training

An email lands in your inbox with the subject line Mandatory Annual Compliance Training—Complete by Friday. Before you open it, you already know the plot: a slow march through policy slides, a quiz designed to prove you were technically present, and perhaps a cheerful stock photo of coworkers pointing at a laptop. The course mayContinue reading "Stop Calling It Mandatory Training"

AI Literacy Isn’t a Tool Demo

A lot of AI training feels like a tour of a fancy new kitchen. Here’s the oven.Here’s the blender.Here’s the drawer full of tiny tools nobody understands.Good luck making dinner. That may help people find the buttons. It doesn't help them cook. And that is the problem with a lot of AI literacy training rightContinue reading "AI Literacy Isn’t a Tool Demo"

Attention Isn’t Given. It’s Spent.

Learners aren't losing the ability to pay attention. They're making rational decisions about where to spend it. That's not a capacity problem. It's a design problem. Attention Is a Resource. Not a Reflex. Herbert Simon saw it coming in 1971. A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention. His point was precise: information doesn't justContinue reading "Attention Isn’t Given. It’s Spent."

The Art & Science of eLearning

I recently presented at the iSpring 2026 online conference. The session was called The Art & Science of eLearning, and the core idea was pretty simple: Anyone can do eLearning. Not just anyone can do it well. Here's a quick rundown of what we covered. Anyone Can Build It. That's the Problem. The tools haveContinue reading "The Art & Science of eLearning"

Friday Finds — Tools Edition: AI slide tools are finally getting good

It's 'Tool Time' again! This month, I want to share some new AI slide tools. And if you haven't been following, some of these are getting pretty good. I'm not ready to break up with PowerPoint yet. But the blank-page problem? That time before anything exists? Some of these new tools have helped that becomeContinue reading "Friday Finds — Tools Edition: AI slide tools are finally getting good"

The Best Free Illustration Libraries for Designers (2026 Edition)

If your eLearning slides feel slightly off — and you can't quite put your finger on why — visuals are often the culprit. A stock photo on slide three. A cartoon character on slide seven. A flat icon set that clashes with both. You built the course in pieces, and it looks like it. TheContinue reading "The Best Free Illustration Libraries for Designers (2026 Edition)"

Getting it wrong is the whole point

Before you read another word: During a typical 20-minute video lecture, what percentage of learners are actively mind-wandering at any given moment? Take a guess. Research consistently finds that a third to more than half of learners are mind-wandering during a video lecture — and the rate climbs as the session goes on. You’ll rememberContinue reading "Getting it wrong is the whole point"

The 3-Question Test Every L&D Pro Should Use Why Most Resource Libraries Fail — and What Real Curation Looks Like Instead There's a folder. You know the one. It lives in your bookmarks, a shared drive, or a Teams channel someone created with good intentions in 2021. It's called something like "Learning Resources" or "GoodContinue reading

The Dual Coding Problem: Why Your Learners Keep Tuning You Out

How Dual Coding Theory Explains (and Fixes) Your Biggest Learning Design Problem Your learners look glazed over. They're reading ahead while you talk. Or they've checked out entirely. You know what they're doing? Choosing. Read the slide or listen to you. Not both. They can't. And it's not their fault—it's your design. Your Brain ProcessesContinue reading "The Dual Coding Problem: Why Your Learners Keep Tuning You Out"