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My excitement level is starting to ramp up as I start packing for my trip to the NZATD conference in New Zealand. It's going to be an incredible experience filled with new adventures, breathtaking landscapes, and meeting lots of fascinating people. The 15 and 1/2 hour flight is a lot less exciting. I've picked out the best seat I could find. Now I just hope I can still walk when I try to peel myself out of it when I get there. So, I'm packing my sense of humor, tons of snacks, and hoping for the best!

As always, thanks for reading.

📰 News & Notes

"Critical Ignoring": Learning to Ignore in an Information-Overloaded World

The digital age has brought an overload of information and competition for our attention. While critical thinking is helpful for evaluating information, it may not be enough to handle the massive amounts of information available. Therefore, we also need to develop "critical ignoring" skills, which allow us to choose what to ignore and where to focus our attention.

These strategies can help us manage our cognitive load and prioritize our attention in a world full of distractions.

Top People to Follow in Behavioral Design

Behavioral design is a fascinating but complex field that involves various theories and concepts. However, to become a more effective behavioral designer, we must always be open to learning from the latest research and field experiences. Fortunately, we can learn a lot by following practitioners who are already doing this work day-to-day. By engaging in their reading lists, attending the same events, and joining their discussions, we can immerse ourselves in the field and gain valuable insights.

This Behavioral Scientist article points you to some of the top experts you should start following and learning from today!

Slide Docs, One-Pagers & Slide Handouts

The article by Stephanie Evergreen is all about presentation handouts, which can be a really effective way to get your point across. Slidedocs are a special type of handout that combine the best parts of slides and documents. They have all the cool visuals of slides, but also the in-depth information of a document.

One-pagers are another type of Slidedoc that condense all the information down to just one page. They're perfect for when you need to give a quick summary of something or you don't want to overwhelm your audience with too much information.

The whole point of Slidedocs and one-pagers is to make sure that your audience stays engaged and interested in what you're saying. By tailoring your handouts to your audience and the purpose of your presentation, you'll be able to create something that really resonates with them.

How to write for the way your coworkers actually read

Writing at work is a big deal. It's like wearing clothes to an interview – you want to look good and make a great first impression. Your writing skills can impact productivity, decision-making, and even company culture. This article will help you brush up on those writing skills and learn how to rock the written word like a pro.

Steal these data-backed marketing tricks of the trade to improve your memos, emails, messages, and more.

The Difference Between Open-Minded and Closed-Minded People

This Farnam Street article really resonates with me. It looks at things like why do some people seem to make constant progress in their professional and personal lives while others repeat the same mistakes? I think part of the answer is how they approach problems. It comes down to mindset.

Over time, the person who approaches life with an openness to being wrong and a willingness to learn outperforms the person who doesn’t.

🎧 Podcasts

These are the conversations that caught my ear this week.

🧰 Tech Tools & Tips

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

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6 Graphic Design Principles for Course Authoring

As important as instructional content is, the visual presentation of that content strongly affects how easily learners will be able to learn and apply new information. How good are your graphic design skills?

Take this simulation to know for sure.

And read this article to learn six principles of graphic design that will help you build a compelling online course.

🧳 Where’s Mike?

• iDTX 2023, March 8

• New Zealand ATD Conference, March 15-16

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