"The future isn’t about doing the same faster—it’s about doing things that weren’t possible before." — Dr Philippa Hardman
Long weekends are the best—unless you’re me, staring down a pile of house projects and a conference presentation I thought would be a “fun” idea months ago. (Future Mike is shaking his head hard at Past Mike right now.) But here’s the real highlight: my buddy Karl is coming into town for the COATD annual conference on the 9th! I’m ridiculously excited about that. If you’re anywhere near central Ohio, come hang out with us—it’s going to be a blast.
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📰 News & Notes
Prompt Structure for AI Image Generation
Rundown: Christy Tucker has helped me a lot with AI generation tips, and in this article, she shares a concise formula for creating more accurate AI-generated images: use short, structured prompts instead of long paragraphs. Her flexible structure prioritizes key elements such as image style, subject, action, physical traits, clothing, setting, and any extra details.
The Context: Long, complex prompts work well for text-based AI tools. But image-generation tools like Midjourney or DALL·E respond better to clear, phrase‑based inputs. The suggested structure helps ensure each element—from style to environment—is clearly communicated.
Why It Matters: This structure helps L&D designers produce clearer visual assets—from stock-like editorial photos to stylized illustrations—with fewer attempts. You focus on what matters (like expression or lighting) and help the tool deliver better results, faster.
How might clearly structured image prompts shift the way you design visuals for learning—improving clarity and reducing iteration time?
Rundown: A new report from Tim Slade's The eLearning Designer’s Academy breaks down the state of the L&D industry in 2025—covering pay, hiring, tools, portfolios, and the growing role of AI. Based on 600+ responses, it reveals what’s working, what’s shifting, and how instructional designers can thrive.
The Context: The median L&D salary is $88K, but education, experience, company size, and leadership roles drive big swings. Portfolios are now essential—66% of hiring managers demand them, yet only half of applicants show up with one. Asynchronous eLearning still dominates delivery formats, while AI tools are on the rise but not yet reshaping team size or hiring. Most teams still rely on Word, PowerPoint, Storyline, and Rise.
Why It Matters: This is your cheat sheet for staying competitive in a fast-evolving industry. Whether you’re job hunting or building a team, the data here helps you benchmark your pay, sharpen your skills, and future-proof your portfolio. It also signals that AI will reward early adopters—especially those who use it to solve real business problems, not just automate busywork.
If AI tools can streamline your workflow and elevate outcomes, what’s stopping you (or your team) from going all in?
Mastering Google Gemini: Your AI Training Assistant
Rundown: I've always had a fondness for Google’s Gemini. It now lives inside Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive) and via its standalone chat app. It handles long, multimodal conversations, remembers context, and can analyze documents from Drive. Key features include Gems (custom AI personas like writing or coding assistants), Canvas‑style workflows, and Deep Research for rich insights.
The Context: It shines by folding into your daily work environment—helping keep ideas and tasks in one place. But note: while its context memory and Workspace access are strong, true seamless interaction across apps isn’t there yet.
Why It Matters: Gemini can help L&D pros move faster—from summarizing source material to designing with AI-powered assistants like “Lesson Coach.” It recently outperformed GPT‑4o and Claude 3.7 in education-specific tasks, making it a strong contender for course design support.
If every learner had a personalized AI assistant, how would your approach to instructional design change?
Have you encountered eLearning project challenges like missed timelines, scope creep, blown budgets, never-ending feedback loops, or unclear responsibilities?
Join our PMP-certified speaker, Jesse Paulsen, as she offers practical and insightful tips for getting your eLearning project back on track for success!
This is the conversation that caught my ear this week. Check out previous episodes in the Friday Finds podcast playlist.
Escaping the Content Trap
This L&D Disrupt episode dives into the state of L&D—tackling content overload, making the case for a shift from content-first to skills-first, and showing how aligning learning to business goals drives real impact.
If you or your event needs a speaker or workshop that is highly interactive and super practical, we should talk.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
I wrote a book because apparently I have opinions now. "Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro" is for everyone tired of watching marketers effortlessly grab attention while we're over here begging people to care about compliance training. Available wherever you buy things to feel smarter than your coworkers.
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