About Me

One of my favorite Christmas presents was my mom's old manual typewriter and a "how to type" book - in third grade. I've been writing and typing ever since.

My Latest Work

The Learning Styles Myth: The Truth Behind Customized Training

Learning styles are all the rage these days. You’ve heard someone say, or may have said yourself, “I’m a visual learner.” That is an example of a learning style. The idea is appealing. Some companies claim they can use learning styles to create a custom curriculum for each of your employees, which usually requires you spending valuable resources on their expensive tests to learn your employees’ learning styles. Unfortunately, these claims don’t stand up to scientific research on the subject, whi

From Bits to Bolts: Write User Manuals for Hardware and Software

User guides and manuals play a crucial role in helping operators navigate and make the most of products, whether they are physical equipment or software applications. While both serve the purpose of providing instructions and guidance, the best practices for creating hardware and software user manuals can vary significantly. Let’s look at the key differences in best practices for crafting user guides for hardware and software, highlighting the similarities and unique challenges and considerations that come with each.

Remote Work: Training for Tomorrow's Workforce

Out of necessity since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, there has been a steep upward trend in remote and hybrid work. According to Gallup, approximately 40 percent of remote-capable employees have shifted from working entirely onsite to either a hybrid or remote-only work environment. Even more telling, leaders of large companies confirm that hybrid work is here to stay: 80 percent of chief human resource officers from Fortune 500 companies report they do not plan to decrease r

Technical Writing: Principles and Characteristics

Back when technical writers were often limited to writing user manuals, the definition of technical writing was “the practice of documenting processes, such as software manuals or instructional materials.”

That was then. Today, a technical writer (TW) creates a variety of writing, including reports, executive summary statements, white papers, even blogs. They may write instruction manuals, product descriptions, guidebooks, research reports, important policies, and press releases. Their writing

Using Simplified Technical English (STE) to Create Clear, Consistent Documentation

English is the international language of science and technology. Those who do not speak English as their native language, however, may have enough English to get by in conversations but not understand subtle differences with synonyms, homophones, and complex sentence structures. This is where Simplified Technical English (STE) shines.

In the late 1970s, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) asked the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA, now ASD) and the Aerospace Industries

The Role of AI in Instructional Design: Collaborator, not Competitor

As technology rapidly evolves, education and training are undergoing a significant transformation. One of the most notable advancements is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into instructional design (ID) processes. Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin & Associates, says, “Of all the domains to be impacted by AI, perhaps the biggest transformation is taking place in corporate learning. After a year of experimentation, it’s now clear that AI will revolutionize this space.” A 2023 study fou

Editing & Proofreading Made Easy: The Power of Polished Content

Have you ever written something, only to see an error after it has been published online — or worse, in print? I’m betting that has happened to everyone at least once — a quickly written paper for school, a magazine article with a strict deadline so you only used spell check, or perhaps a blog post where you used both present tense and past tense interchangeably. While you can easily fix these things in online environment, you miss the chance to make a great first impression if it’s not correcte

From Concept to Completion: Microlearning Design Best Practices

This is the eighth and final post in our series about microlearning.


In today’s fast-paced corporate landscape, traditional training methods are being reshaped by the rise of microlearning. Microlearning delivers bite-sized learning units that focus on specific learning objectives, making it an ideal solution for busy professionals seeking to efficiently enhance their skills. In fact, organizations relying on microlearning for mobile devices, how most microlearning is accessed, saw a 16 perc

The Great Oxford Comma Debate: Should You Use It or Not?

In a nutshell, the $10 million lawsuit (judgment was for $5 million) involved an overtime dispute between Oakhurst Dairy company and its drivers. Oakhurst settled for $5 million. The crux of the judgment was the interpretation of a sentence in Maine’s overtime law — a sentence that did not use the Oxford comma. Judge David Barron said that the law’s punctuation was not clear, as “packing for shipping or distribution” could be seen as one activity or two separate activities.

This Maine law has s

Measuring Microlearning Mastery: Metrics that Matter

This is the seventh post in our series about microlearning.

Training methods in business are rapidly evolving, and microlearning has emerged as a powerful tool for keeping up with the changes. With attention spans dwindling and the need for on-the-go learning increasing, microlearning offers a solution that is both convenient and effective. Like any training method, its success hinges on the ability to accurately measure its impact. Let’s dive into the intricacies of measuring the effectiveness

Help! My Goals Already Seem Overwhelming!

This is a guest post from UDLAB Products, a designer of unique and innovative productivity products for the home and office.


It’s nearly the end of February. How are you feeling about your 2024 goals? It’s not uncommon for people to set ambitious goals at the beginning of the year and then feel overwhelmed as they try to achieve them. Here are some suggestions to help you manage them and get back on track.

Are your goals realistic and achievable in the time frame you’ve set? Do you have clea

Transforming Life Sciences Training: The Microlearning Advantage

This is the sixth post in our series about microlearning.

The life sciences industry has been growing rapidly over the past decade. For example, even before the Covid-19 pandemic started in late 2019, the pharmaceutical market grew 225 percent between 2001 and 2020. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) now approves therapeutics faster than ever, and the industry is facing a skills gap as employees need to be trained on updated regulations, supply chains, and specialty drugs. The traditional me

Embracing the Heartfelt Joys of Our Profession

As Valentine’s Day dawns upon us, it’s not just chocolates and flowers that fill the air with sweetness — it’s the genuine love and passion we have for the work we do each day.

In a world where career paths often feel like a tumultuous dating scene, filled with uncertainty and fleeting romances, our team has found its forever match in our profession. From the first flirtatious encounter with a challenging project to the deep, enduring bond formed over countless victories and setbacks, our love

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