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The Power of Stories in Learning
Posted on May 14, 2015 4 Comments
This week I led a workshop on the Power of Stories in Learning for the Association for Talent Development here in Portland. Here’s my presentation. Thanks to all who participated!
Speaking Event: The Power of Stories in Learning
Posted on May 5, 2015 Leave a Comment
Next Wednesday May 13 I’ll be leading a workshop on “The Power of Stories in Learning” as part of the Association for Talent Development (ATD–formerly ASTD) Learning Leaders Forum. It takes place at Con-Way from 8 – 10:30 AM. During the workshop, we’ll go over why story-based training design enhances learner attention and outcomes; practical tips […]
Center for Digital Storytelling: The Ramones Come to Farmville, VA
Posted on April 22, 2015 Leave a Comment
I’ve had my eye on the Center for Digital Storytelling for a couple years, and this past week the timing finally worked out for me to take one of their workshops. I decided to make it an adventure and take a 10-hour road trip from Portland to Berkeley. The premise of the three-day workshop is […]
Two Ways to Incorporate Narrative Into Your Training
Posted on March 23, 2015 Leave a Comment
Humans naturally learn through stories. When we hear a good story, our brains release oxytocin, the “cuddle chemical” associated with empathy, cooperation, willingness to help others, and enhanced social cues. What is a story? At its basic structure, a story is a tale of imaginary or real characters, told to inform, persuade, or entertain. It […]
The Pumpkin Diorama Project: 14 Years of Ghoulish Gourds
Posted on November 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
During the week of Halloween each year, I dress up a pumpkin. Not as a pumpkin…I dress up the pumpkin itself. I find pumpkins to be the perfect vessels for fleshing out a scene. Over the past dozen years I’ve been inspired by three themes: amusement parks, twisted fairy tales, and ghoulish vices. I compiled […]
An Exercise for Story-based Learning
Posted on October 31, 2014 Leave a Comment
I created this exercise as part of my Story-based Instructional Design session for the ASTD-Cascadia conference. It’s a tool you can use with another person or by yourself to practice adapting training content into a story structure. Pick a training topic, answer a few questions, and then begin shaping your topic into a story.
Speak & Spell: An Interactive Learning Muse
Posted on October 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
The year was 1980 and I was in the first-grade. Mrs. Taylor, a terrifying presence, was in her final year of teaching before retirement–a second career, as she had previously served as a commander in the army. (She is scowling and wearing big boots and bright red lipstick in our class picture.) During the first week of […]
Too Much Set-up = Brain Shut-down
Posted on October 3, 2014 Leave a Comment
When designing how a training course begins for your learners, flavor your approach with less Do Re Mi and more In Medias Res. No matter how linear the content, no matter how compliant-heavy the material, you don’t need to bore your learners with a lot of set-up. Throw them right in–most adult learners will thrive on the immediate […]
Speaking at BlueVolt LEAP Ahead Conference 6/25/14
Posted on June 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
This Wednesday I’ll be speaking on the topic of “Actively Involving Learners Through Story” at the BlueVolt LEAP Ahead Conference in downtown Portland. My session will focus on the power of storytelling as a tool of persuasion, how stories can inspire and engage learning, and tips for interviewing subject matter experts during the discovery process. We’ll […]
Nimble Narrative 
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