This post appeared appeared on my former blog, Chunk Flip Guide Laugh, to announce my transition to a new format and focus.
Five years ago, I was asked to speak about instructional design. It was the end of the training year, and I didn’t have time to prepare. I sat on the airplane to the conference and sketched the four ideas I thought people should know:
Chunk: Break ideas down into 3-5 parts
Flip: Create ways for people to learn alone, in peer groups, and in classrooms
Guide: Give people what they need to take action
Laugh: Honor and harness the emotions they bring to the topic
I’ve heard from diverse people—from keynote speakers to church ministers—that the framework has helped to hone a message into something memorable and actionable. I’ve created a workbook to keep these ideas alive as I transition to something new.
After seven years leading Washington Nonprofits’ learning program and five years expanding my ideas on leading and learning in the nonprofit sector, I am shifting my focus. I will be stepping away from Washington Nonprofits (though I plan to keep all of my commitments through the spring.) I will be focusing on leading and learning in the nonprofit sector generally, expanding my consulting work on all things nonprofits, learning, and leadership. (Read why it matters here.) This work includes learning strategy, program development, conference design, instructional design, and more projects I’ve been keeping on the back burner.
One of those projects is Aim For Action. I am very excited to lean into instructional design with my long-time friend and colleague in this work, Margaret “Meps” Schulte. You may have appreciated the graphics behind “Starting a Nonprofit,” or maybe the video editing behind “Liquor and Your Fundraising Event.” That’s Meps’ magic. We created the Aim4Action.com website to showcase our work and plans for the future. If you have something that you want people to learn or know, let’s talk about how we can help.
It is again an honor to be speaking on conference design with Mark Nilles during the Learning Technology Design conference on February 27. If you have an interest in adult learning and program design, this is a great conference to attend, and it is all available from your desktop! (Use discount codes org100nb for $100 off organizational registration or ind50nb for $50 off individual registration.)
I hope that you will continue to be interested in learning and leadership in the nonprofit sector. I plan to keep writing on all things nonprofits and leadership, shared through a monthly email. Meps and I have a new ebook on instructional design coming out in February 2020— I look forward to sharing it with you! If you don’t want to receive emails from me, please let me know (or unsubscribe when you receive the next email).
I am excited for 2020, and I begin it with tremendous gratitude for you. When you start a blog, you open yourself up to see who might be interested in your ideas. I jumped in with the hopes of making space for a community of people who value excellence in learning in the sector that makes our communities great places to live, work, and play. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
Warmest wishes for a wonderful New Year!
