January - 2018

What does an instructional designer do anyway? Instructional designers can be valuable corporate tra

Summary: - Instructional designers can make great corporate trainers and consultants! I always try to understand how I can get better. As a professor, and as a corporate trainer, I believe much of what I do is related to instructional design. Yes, I have helped instructors create online courses at Bellarmine University (that was a role in a previous life), but instructional design is not limited to online learning or “IT”, as I mention below. I have read several articles rece

Reduce Email-Increase Effectiveness

Harvard Business Review author Andrew O’Connell published an article regarding email habits of top executives. This is a fascinating read. We assume email equates to greater efficiency and effectiveness….new research has shown this is not the case. The interactive function in the article will illustrate the beauty of fewer email messages. O’Connell’s article brings email research to the forefront of communication discussions. We cannot assume that quantity equals quality nor

Write with "Purpose"

I recently facilitated a two day business writing fundamentals workshop for a Lexington area law firm. Day 1: Established a foundation for writing and focused on the communication process, discussed the rhetorical situation, and dabbled in mechanics. Day 2: The material shifted to more applicable/personal instruction for this specific firm as we discussed “Communication Goals”: Building Relationships, Information Sharing, and Persuasion. I am amazed at how many people (myself