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We're enjoying the cool, refreshing Rocky Mountain air this week. We've checked out a couple more schools with my son, and Denver University is right up there on his favorites list! We've also had the chance to visit with family and explore the mountains. It is always a treat getting outdoors in the mountains. (I do have to confess that this flatlander has felt the lack of oxygen up here. )

Thanks for reading!

📰 News & Notes

Stop Brainstorming

Matthew Ström's article "Stop brainstorming" critiques the effectiveness of brainstorming, a popular method for idea generation in leadership meetings. He argues that at its best, brainstorming produces the same ideas as individuals working alone, and at its worst, it perpetuates negative cultural habits, reinforces hierarchies, and limits creativity. The concept of brainstorming, introduced by Alex Osborn in 1948, has been challenged by studies showing that individuals working alone often solve more problems than those in groups due to issues like production blocking, evaluation apprehension, and free riding. Ström emphasizes the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment for idea sharing, suggesting that brainstorming has become a shortcut for psychological safety. He concludes that if a team is already producing ideas, they should continue doing so in their own way, and if not, the focus should be on building psychological safety rather than scheduling brainstorming sessions.

🎯 Take away: An interesting read from Matthew Ström about brainstorming and why it does not work.

Top People to Follow in Behavioral Design

A fantastic resource created by Sarah Wong of team Habit Weekly on the top people to follow to stay up-to-date and learn more about behavioral design. These practitioners from around the world are sharing valuable behavioral insights, fundamental concepts and tips for getting started in the field.

🎯 Take away: If you’re interested in behavioral design, subscribe to the Habit Weekly newsletter and follow them on Twitter or LinkedIn.

ChatGPT Driven Instructional Design: Dreams, Results, and Horrors

There are many different opinions on the benefits of ChatGPT for the learning field. Excitingly, it's already being tested as a "teaching assistant" and I believe it can elevate your instructional design and delivery. In this webinar, Megan Torrance, Josh Cavalier, and Ray Jimenez, explore the profound impacts of leveraging ChatGPT in areas such as instructional design, tools and technologies (video, writing, images, audio, etc.), leadership, strategies, data analytics, platform and systems integration, and learning systems.

🎯 Take away: Get the scoop on using ChatGPT in the learning field from three top experts in this recorded webinar.

Battle of the Breakout Rooms

If your crunched for time, you can pop open this comparison chart. If you have time to dig in, you’ll find a thorough comparison of the break out room capabilities of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Butter. If you haven’t tried Butter yet, it’s work giving it a test drive.

🎯 Take away: ​Compare the breakout room functionality of Zoom, Teams, Google Meet & Butter​.

The Priming Effect: How Expectations Become Reality

This article delves into the intriguing concept of the priming effect, a psychological phenomenon that significantly influences our behavior and performance. This effect, essentially a mental shortcut, occurs when our response to a subsequent stimulus is influenced by our exposure to an initial one. The manifestation of the priming effect is evident in a variety of scenarios. For instance, the same message, when articulated in different words, can elicit diverse reactions. Similarly, a positive past experience with a brand can prime us for a similarly positive encounter in the future. Moreover, the identities we adopt and use to define ourselves can significantly shape our behavior, further demonstrating the pervasive influence of the priming effect.

🎯 Take away: The science is clear: humans take mental shortcuts. Learn why we do this and how you can avoid it.

🎧 Podcasts

These are the conversations that caught my ear this week. Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.

🧰 Tech Tools & Tips

If tools are your jam, check out my new Work Smarter newsletter.

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🧳 Where’s Mike?

• NASJE 2023, August 28 , Columbus, Ohio

• CUNA Learning Live , October 16 San Antonio

If you or your event needs a speaker or workshop that is highly interactive and super practical we should talk.

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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. J