Innovative Alignments

01/23/2023

This may sound elementary but a lot of people have experience and knowledge on topics because they were forced to do it at a job or it came easy; NOT because they actually liked it.

So if you’re thinking about creating a course on a topic, make sure you actually love it because you’re going to be talking and writing about it A LOT!!

Keep this in mind and the rest will surely follow. Believe me! 💫

~ Dr. C

01/20/2023

Can I just say how excited I am for the next couple weeks? For the past 5 months I’ve been working on some major corporate full time contracts and one of them is finally coming to an end, which means… I have more time for all of you!

Although I have more corporate opportunities knocking on my door, I’m putting those on hold because I’m so excited to get back to my passion of helping entrepreneurs like yourself get the word out there with your amazing knowledge and expertise 😁😁

As I prepare for what that looks like, I’d love to hear from you! What are you struggling with in creating content? What barriers are you facing? Let me know!

12/03/2022

A little inspiration for the a.m. 🌤️

11/04/2022

It happens to the best of us. Even those who write for a living 😆

08/19/2022

According to some resources, a human’s attention span, on average, is about 8 seconds and a goldfish is about 10 seconds. Now, whether you actually believe this statistic or not, it’s still something to think about!

We all know how quickly we can lose interest in everything and creating course content is no different. Who wants to sit through a 60 minute webinar nowadays or take an 8 hour course? NOT ME!!

This has popularized the term “micro learning” which is basically chopping up learning into small digestible chunks of about 5-7 minutes at a time.

Using this method regardless of topic can help keep your audience engaged and coming back to continue to learn at a pace and timeframe that works for them.

If you haven’t used it before, consider the method, try it out and see what your audience thinks! 💫

08/18/2022

This was me this morning and pretty much every morning. My mind works overtime, even when I’m sleeping. Thoughts about everything! Ideas about my next business venture, thoughts about how others are doing, you name it, I think it!

So how do I attempt to keep my thoughts in check? I write.. A LOT. About anything and everything. On paper, on my phone, on computers, pretty much anything I can get my hands on.

It’s been my therapy to a degree but also helps me organize my random thoughts into some sort of logic. What do you do to organize your thoughts and ideas?

08/16/2022

It’s one thing to know a lot about what you do for a living but trying to articulate it to others is a different story! I’ve spent years taking people’s thoughts and creating content they can teach to others but it took a long time to get there.

Whether just starting out or a pro, what are your biggest hang ups when creating course content?

08/15/2022

I literally cannot remember the last time I didn’t have a meeting on a Monday. NO internal meetings with colleagues, NO external meetings with clients.. just me, my coffee, and messy bun 😆

I may need to do this more often 🧐

08/02/2022

As an instructional designer I use the phrase “adjust and pivot” ALL THE TIME! Why? Well, I’ve learned that projects rarely go to plan. It’s inevitable that something is going to change, whether it’s the timeline, delivery or even the topic!

Being able to adjust and pivot to any change that comes your way, enables some flexibility and most importantly, LESS PANIC!

06/21/2022

As a non-salaried instructional designer expect to... recognize that the length of your contracts may change.

Although contracts establish a relationship between two parties (or sometimes more if you're working with a recruiting firm), it's most likely not a 100% guarantee.

Read more about my experiences on both ends of the spectrum. Getting cut from a long-term contract and getting extended from a short one.

Both were initial surprises as first-time experiences, but I learned a lot and how to prepare myself, moving forward. Click the link in the bio!

05/03/2022

I’ve been in the Learning & Development world about 10 years and still manage to learn something different every day. If it’s not from deliverables I’m creating it’s from immersing myself in my clients’ world and learning how they operate.

Although I have preferences and common practices and processes I use, I also seek to learn different ways to improve on what I’m already doing and how I can do it better.

This to me is the key to learning. You have to be open-minded to embrace the new and feel uncomfortable with it until you gain the knowledge and experience to become comfortable. It may take time but often worth the effort!

04/27/2022

There's a lot of things about being an instructional designer you learn on the job and it's not without hiccups along the way! One of the most common questions I'm asked is...

"Do you have the capacity to take on another project?"

Click below for a quick read on what I've experienced and how I typically respond to the popular question!

expect to be asked frequently "Do you have the capacity to take on another project?" Regardless of whether a salaried or non-salaried ID, you’ll probably hear this question the most. Whenever I’m asked, my immediate response in my head is, “it depends” and it really does! But that alone is n...