Book Review: Permission to Speak
I’m not “bothered” by speaking, but I also don’t necessarily seek it frequently. I’m introverted by nature, and I also have a habit of diminishing my voice. I’ve worked on this in informal settings (especially text based, like sending a message) and gotten over the idea “Someone else will say it better” or “I don’t need to speak here”. But it’s still in my head. I dislike any speaking feels self promotional, self aggrandizing, etc. and it can be uncomfortable to speak in certain settings aloud due to this.
I really liked this quote on that issue, from the book:“But if you consciously shift to thinking, I’m here to help my audience, you can disarm the panic button. Sounds tiny, right? But when we choose to look out at our audience with kindness and offer what we’ve got with generosity, we actually trigger an entirely different physiological response. The walls come down and we free ourselves to be ourselves. Which is not tiny at all.”
L&D Book Reviews: The eLearning Design Handbook (Repost from LinkedIn)
Who I would recommend it to: This is an easy entry level read so anyone can benefit, but it’s probably not the best option or at least starting point for someone who’s focused on Higher Ed (has a corporate focus) or uninterested in development, though it could be a good primer if they’re looking to diversify. It does focus on the whole process, not just eLearning. I’ll also mention the visual examples are Storyline heavy, but so is the industry, and plenty can be cross applied to other applications or used application “agnostic”.
L&D Book Reviews: The Non-Designer’s Design Book (Repost from LinkedIn)
Who I would recommend it to: This is another "entry level" book, and I'd recommend it especially to anyone who hasn't worked much with graphic design or graphic designers. It won't teach the depth of graphic design, but it's a great entry point, and I would recommend it before deeper graphic design or even UX design reads or courses. It's probably not that useful if you're already really skilled and confident in graphic design!
L&D Book Reviews: Map It! (Repost from LinkedIn)
Who I would recommend it to: Anyone and everyone who is going to develop training, manage the development of training, measure the development of training, or engage in any way to support human performance efforts in an organization. It is not solely for "entry level" folks, but if you are moving from something like education to a corporate L&D focus, Map It can bring some purpose and business sense into your framework. Honestly, I have already re-read this book once and I will keep re-reading it!
L&D Book Reviews: Design for How People Learn (Repost from LinkedIn)
Who I would recommend it to: Anyone in L&D! Understanding learners and how our brains work is so crucial to designing and delivering learning. Though the focus here is on designing, I think it would help folks interested in corporate training as well. I have seen teachers complain it's "review" and they already know this, but that doesn't mean it's not helpful to learn scenarios and how to translate and talk about cognitive science in a new setting.