Organizational Clarity: “Powerpoint: Branched Scenario Template” free download

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs.

In this article: “Powerpoint: Branched Scenario Template” is a free download easily customized template with graphics and fonts already added to the PowerPoint template. Just change around a couple of things such as the text and you can have your own Powerpoint quiz ready for during or after your training session.

Just click on the link here to learn more:
https://community.articulate.com/download/powerpoint-branched-scenario-template

Click here for the font:
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/bebas

Organizational Clarity: upcoming topics

Looking through old assignments and found a couple of useful things that I can post upon here to help give some clarity to the field of organizational development. I noticed that many students and professionals post a few blog posts online with some great information but after a while either get disillusioned and quit or did it for an assignment then stopped after completion.

I started the blog as an assignment but decided to add more to it because there just is not a lot of information about the field out there. Plus, if there is any information it is usually disjointed or all over the place, giving the researcher multiple sources with bits and pieces everywhere. Hopefully, these new posts will streamline that process for everyone and make researching for material and sources easier for everyone.

Organizational Clarity: “PowerPoint '13: 5 Things to Know Template" free download

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. In this article: “PowerPoint '13: 5 Things to Know Template” is a free download easily customized template with graphics and fonts already added to the PowerPoint template.

It is simply a great way to illustrate your projects and presentations with that extra zip that will garner your learner’s attention and help keep them focused and alert during a lengthy or even short training session.

Just click on the link here to learn more:

https://community.articulate.com/download/powerpoint-13-5-things-to-know-template

Click here for the fonts:

https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Lato
http://www.1001freefonts.com/bebas_neue.font

Organizational Clarity wallpaper collections: "Free download" and "Organizational Development"

I have been working on multiple projects, wallpapers for the blog there are a limited amount of resources for graphics. There are paid graphics and free ones as well. To be honest, a lot of them look "stale" or "generic" so I decided to create some in basically the same vein. I used a combination of Microsoft PowerPoint and paint.net from these wallpapers/graphics. I made them for various purposes and subjects, for such phrases as "free download" "organizational development" also I integrated the title of the blog in the graphics.

The latter are of course, for my usage, but anyone can use the rest or I guess "public usage" for students and professionals. This way we can all have graphics to use in the field for presentations, blogs and training programs. Also if you hate the challenge of looking for the appropriate graphic for your subject matter this link will narrow it down quite a bit. Plus you get it for free. Enjoy.

The Free Download wallpaper collection On Google Plus:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/Uv_mHE

The Organizational Development wallpaper collection on Google Plus:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/k1yjHE

Went Black: The WordPress side of the Organizational Clarity blog

Recently the WordPress side of the organizational clarity blog went down, basically all of the sudden, without notice without clarity on the reasons why (pun intended). What happened as I ascertained from the help desk representative was the blog for some reason caught in WordPress' automatic filtering system flagging the blog for terms of service violation without a clear reason why. After I had contacted the help desk the account was turned back on, due to this was a mistake committed by the program. In truth this type of snafus happens when you work with third party entities that do not have your interests at heart, in mind or just do not care. 

Either way, the other "truth" illustrated by this situation is the importance of not relying on technology ha! To combat issues like this, I have the organizational clarity blog in WordPress and blogger.com. I am now starting to add a copy of the blog and its posts upon weebly/wix. The reason for creating the blog was to create a resource for students and professionals while completing a school project. To simply let the blog to stay deleted at this point would make no sense. Also as a cautionary measure, I have saved every post in a Microsoft Word document to my computer to backup all the work that has so far been completed. 

Therefore, the WordPress snafu on their part was a major inconvenience but nothing that will stop the progress of the blog. Another issue that arose that I questioned was the lack of communication between us, WordPress did not contact via email or the site to the specifics of what they termed as terms of service violations. I had to search my emails thoroughly and press a bunch of buttons on the WordPress account to come up with contacting the help desk on my own.  

Only through that interaction through email was I able to find out the answer why but only then and it was very vague. Lucky for me I only do this blog for academic reasons and not for money, as part of an affiliate program. Or if I were a small organization or business that depended on this website to drive customers to my business I would be more than upset. However, as anyone can theorize, that as  an organization WordPress could use a good OD professional at once.

Organizational Clarity: “Is Google Translate the Wrong Choice for Course Translations?” article

The CommlabIndia community is another group decided to easy, cheap solutions to meet an organizational need within the various aspects of Organizational Development whether it is training sessions or meeting presentations. In this article: “Is Google Translate the Wrong Choice for Course Translations?” which lists five important points why not to use Google Translate, if you have used Google Translate before you know it is not exactly accurate. When Google Translate incorrectly translates text, it can lead to further confusion, misunderstandings and possibly insulting potential international employees and clients.

These are the five reasons why not to rely on Google Translate for your organization's main translation device for documentation used on a global scale:

1. Google Translate is not 100% accurate

2. Google Translate relies on educated guesswork

3. Google Translate makes several iterations

4. Google Translate cannot accurately decipher complex grammar

5. Google Translate cannot find an exact match for idioms

Whether your organization is using Google Translate for translating the text for a training program, an online Private message, or even important company documentation any errors can waste time. Money and other resources that are considered valuable to the organization and its clients. In a world with rapid responses thanks to email, instant messages and texting there is a lot of room to make mistakes and misinterpret messages that are in our native language but that level of failure in communication heightens with languages and cultures different from our own.

Add the fact most of us use Google for everything from emails to translation of basic text our interdependence of this technology can be our undoing, and this article briefly discusses five reasons why not to put our full trust in such technology.

If you want to know more just click the link here:
http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-translations/google-translate-for-course-translations

Organizational Clarity: "Custom E-Learning Graphics Using Free Font Icons #165" article

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. In this article: "Custom E-Learning Graphics Using Free Font Icons #165” is about using fonts to bring more emphasis to other visuals used in your presentations and documents.

Whether you use PowerPoint, Storyline 360, Illustrator, or Word font usage is very important to give your visuals extra details and clearly discuss the points you are trying to present in the document or presentation. If the font is too “out there” the learner’s attention can be diverted and lessen the impact of your training program or E-learning document.

Knowing what font to use seems to be a textbook thing or even an exercise in common sense, but sometimes when creating a document or presentation for training purposes we can get over anxious. Picking the wrong font, as a result, can cause future issues as I have aforementioned but this article touches on the subject and can help you stay on the right path to creating the best presentation or E-Learning document possible.

Just click on the link here to learn more:
https://community.articulate.com/articles/custom-elearning-graphics-using-free-font-icons
Click here for the fonts:
https://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/dozens-free-dingbat-fonts-commercial-use/

Organizational Clarity: "Who Should Review Your E-Learning Course Before Launch?" article

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. In this article: “Who Should Review Your E-Learning Course Before Launch?” briefly discusses who should review your proposed training program for your organization.

1. Your project sponsor
2. SME
3. Corporate legal counsel (if your organization is big enough to have one!)
4. Global reps (only if your organization is global)
5. Safety or compliance expert
6. Quality leader
7. IT and LMS specialist
8. Content editor/usability tester
9. Pilot trainees

Having all of these individuals giving their feedback for your new training program can help it avoid technical, legal and usability issues this will save the organization from wasting precious resources. Plus, following the advice mentioned from this article will help you build credibility with these various groups, and build avenues of communication that will be required later on when trying to gain workable feedback to determine the Return on Investment for the organization.

Just click on the link here to learn more:
https://community.articulate.com/articles/who-should-review-your-e-learning-course-before-launch

Organizational Clarity: “5 Free PowerPoint Downloads to Supercharge Your Next Project” free download

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs.

In this article: “5 Free PowerPoint Downloads to Supercharge Your Next Project” is a free download in that if you want to get more visual with your presentation. It can be a great way to illustrate your projects and presentations with that extra zip that will garner your learner’s attention and help keep them focused and alert during a lengthy or even short training session.
These are the listing of the five downloads:

1. Energizing orange-hued template.
2. Vintage cartoon icons.
3. Hospital graphics.
4. Creative designs.
5. Avatar illustrations

Just click on the link here to learn more:
https://community.articulate.com/articles/5-free-powerpoint-downloads-to-supercharge-your-next-project

Organization Clarity (OC) blog collections on Google Plus part 1

I have created two collections on Google Plus for the Organization Clarity (OC) blog and public usage, these are just basic logos and a bunch of ROI mockups. I have posted about twenty-two ROI mockup images and about twelve Organization Clarity blog wallpapers. I am just testing some images because of the lack of content out there and for our own use, my audience (you) and I. You may notice that for the Organization Clarity blog wallpapers I focused on using the Blogger address first, that is because this site gets the most views however I will be working soon on the Wordpress site of the OC blog.

I love creating my own images even as basic as they are, this way I have the freedom to tighten up the image and manipulate it as much as I want. I hope that everyone can enjoy these images and add them to their day to day blogs. I will be adding more images as time goes on, to increase, the amount of materials that students, professionals and anyone else can use. I used Microsoft Powerpoint and Paint.Net for these images so they are very basic, however, visuals are very important in presenting information, with this fact very well known, you will be seeing these images in future posts on the Organization Clarity (OC) blog.

Organization Clarity (OC) blog wallpapers collection:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QSGUHE

ROI mockup images collection:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QbAhCE

Organizational Clarity: “More Friendly Illustrated People” free download

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. In this article: “More Friendly Illustrated People” is a free download in .ai and .png versions. It is simply a great way to illustrate your projects and presentations with that extra zip that will garner your learner’s attention and help keep them focused and alert during a lengthy or even short training session

Just click on the link here to learn more:

https://community.articulate.com/download/more-friendly-illustrated-people

Organizational Clarity: Unicorn Books and Music

Okay, as an Organizational Development student (finishing in Winter 2017) it is very hard to separate “real life” from the OD realm in which constant analysis occurs. Evaluation, engagement, interaction all of this is summed up, categorized and reanalyzed with every organization or representative we meet, it is very hard to shut it off. In fact, we as professionals are usually on a constant rant about how to make things better (with an organization) that every business whether it is a large corporation or a mom and pop has the pleasure of undergoing this type of scrutiny.

The one thing that most professionals in the Organizational Development field wish to have is the chance to “see” an organization/ business as it starts out with a purely “Clean slate”. Just to get a psychological understanding of what first motivated its founders into beginning their business, to all the ins and outs of the decision process. From choosing the name to the location of the first location, these “basic building blocks” are essential to the business success, therefore, seeing or hearing it all got started firsthand, and not two to ten years later is fantastic.

There is an old friend of mine starting a Book, Collectible and Music store down in Winchester, Kentucky, the business is called Unicorn Books and Music. In Organizational Development, you maintain a standard of ethics so I could not pry too much into what was going on but, his email announcement of stating his intentions was right on the money. Plus, it allowed me the chance to ask a couple of questions while not being an OD “freak” at the same time.

The email got into the reason why he is starting the business because like most OD Professionals he had the analytic strength of observing how to run a business like this firsthand and what he would do to make it better if given a chance. Exactly, what most OD professionals are guilty of in some capacity!!!

Being a huge collectible nut myself and a friend I cannot wait to this store opens on June 10^th and hopefully, I will be able to pick his brain on the ins and outs of starting a new business and the challenges that go with it (that’s OD for you).

As with the downloads, I review what I recommend so this is the address of the new store so if you are in the area or are online you can review them as well:

Unicorn Books And Music

18 N. Main Street

Winchester, Kentucky, KY 40391

https://www.facebook.com/UnicornBooksAndMusic/

Organizational Clarity: “PowerPoint: Flashcards Template” free download

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs.

In this article: “Powerpoint: Flashcards Template” is a free download in that if you want to get more visual with your presentation. It can be a great way to illustrate your projects and presentations with that extra zip that will garner your learner’s attention and help keep them focused and alert during a lengthy or even short training session.

Just click on the link here to learn more:

https://community.articulate.com/download/powerpoint-flashcards-template

https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/bree-serif

Linked In... nah.

There is a real good reason that while in school I am not on Linked in, it seems that everyone I worked with thinks its Facebook light. And posts pictures to their personal profile that belong on Instagram, not in a professional profile or environment. Then my special friends want to connect with me, but unfortunately linked in now works you are in a bind to use all the free services without a specific number of connections meaning that to use LinkedIn  I am forced to link up with these individuals.

Yes, they are friends but they do not understand the need for a professional image nor know that organizations frown upon such profiles, when associating with specific candidates I have tried to discuss these issues with a friend who was guilty of the professional futa poa their response was that they did not care what Organizations thought! But they also did not care how that decision impacted others as well. If employers frowned upon their profile then they will definitely assume (falsely) that I was unprofessional as well.

The proof was in the pudding during a job search last year I shut down the linked in account when searching for opportunities and that being the only change I made, I was not surprised when I received more emails and calls from prospective employers. Now, this not a scientific study but the evidence to us was plain to see. Without the linked in account, I was more professional and more of a mystery to organizations that did not want to chance to associate with someone who was in turn with people who were unprofessional themselves.

Although you do not want to hurt your coworkers or friend’s feelings nor do you really want to deal with an organization that looks past your resume and accomplishments but this is the real world and these Things actually occur reaffirming the old saying not to judge a book by its cover, but in reality organizations and people who hire still do that being the case that is why I shut off linked in so I do not give any organization a reason to judge me until that first live interaction and maybe you should too.