Fredrickson Communications eZine - May 2010

by Site Admin,

In this edition of the Fredrickson eZine . . .

Satirical, Yet Oh So True

by Molly Emmings, Account Manager
Fredrickson Communications

Here at Fredrickson, we use the social media tool Yammer to keep each other in the loop on our individual goings-on and accomplishments. We also sometimes use it to give each other a little break in the day where we can laugh. The latter happened last week when Rebecca Kuhlman, our Director of Visual Design, posted a link to an article on TheOnion.com titled Nation Shudders at Large Block of Uninterrupted Text.

“Why won’t it just tell me what it’s about?” One reader asks. “There are no bullet points, no highlighted parts. I’ve looked everywhere – there’s nothing here but words.” I find it funny that an article is condemned for being “nothing but words.

Another reader says, “I’ve never seen anything like it…what does it want from us?

As most of you probably know, The Onion is known for its sarcasm, drama, and ironic humor. However, in this case, the exaggerated reactions described in response to the (fictional?) poorly-written web article are funny because they’re essentially true. This article drives home several important points about writing for today’s audience.

Read more . . .

Mainstream Mobile Devices – The Smartphone’s Impact on Learning.

by J. Hruby, Director of Marketing
Fredrickson Communications

Last month, fellow Fredcomm’er Pat McGuinn sent me a link to a very interesting radio interview featuring Robert Stephens, the founder of the Geek Squad. Joyce Lasecke also mentioned this interview on the Fredcomm Blog.

I listened to the interview and the observations that Stephens makes, and my thoughts immediately turned toward the impact that smartphones and other mobile devices will have on learning and development.

As with eLearning and social learning, the use of mobile technology for learning is already here and it will continue to grow. Beyond the fact that it makes sense in certain instances, the larger force that will make mobile learning a broad reality will be user expectations. We want our day job to reflect the rest of our lives. If I can use my mobile device to learn something in my non-work life, why can’t I use it for learning on the job as well?

Among Stephen’s many observations about the rise of the mobile device, he comments on the following:

• The benefits of designing for the small screen – simplicity and usability become paramount because of the limited screen size.
• The trend toward using someone’s online preferences to predict what they will want or need in the future.
• Everything new becomes normal or mainstream at some point. Conventions around how, when, and why to use any technology evolve and eventually become normalized part of our lives.

See my entry on the Fredcomm blog for a link to the full interview on Minnesota Public Radio. Then I’d be interested in your comments on the impact that the smartphone will have on workplace learning and development.

Listen to the interview . . .

The Learning Leadership Summit 2010 – The Power of Purpose for Learning Leaders

Fredrickson Communications proudly presents the fifth-annual Learning Leadership Summit on Thursday, July 15.

This year, our featured speaker and workshop leader for the Summit will be none other than Richard Leider, the international best-selling author of The Power of Purpose. Richard will deliver a groundbreaking seminar developed exclusively for the Summit: The Power of Purpose for Learning Leaders.

The Learning Leadership Summit is an annual gathering dedicated to the needs of leadership-level learning and development professionals in the Twin Cities and surrounding area. If you’re currently hold a leadership position within a corporate or public-sector learning and development organization and you’d like more information about the Learning Leadership Summit, please get in touch.