25th Anniversary Edition: ASU+GSV Summit, Success Paths & Design For How People Learn

Thanks for being here

Hey everyone, hope you’re having a wonder-full week

San Diego, here I come. ☀️

I’m headed to ASU+GSV next week—a summit designed to “connect leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work.”

This is my first summit as a self-employed woman. And my first ever in the US.

I can’t wait.

When I worked for Ubisoft HQ in Paris, I was a summit organizer. And I’d get to spend three whole days absorbing all kinds of gems from 100 HR Directors hailing from our offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, the US—and about half the countries in Europe. So I know how valuable these events are.

That’s why I ultimately decided to attend ASU+GSV.

I was on the fence about going. Spending over $3K USD on the summit alone was out of the question as I’m slowly growing my business. But when I realized there was a 50% discount self-employed people, I decided it was worth the investment.

By that I mean:

• I’ll get to meet people I’ve worked with remotely in real life, and connect with a bunch of new people.

• I’ll get to hear industry leaders deconstruct recent trends and forecast new ones regarding how workforce training and education will be impacted by Web3 and the creator economy.

• I’ll generate tons of ideas to write about.

Thankfully, I jumped on board when I did because the event sold out 24 hours later.

As a bonus, I’m excited to explore a new city.

San Diego is renowned for its idyllic climate, 70 miles of pristine beaches and a dazzling array of world-class family attractions.

After a typically cold Canadian Winter, I’ll be grateful to feel the California sun, swim in the ocean, and wander through Balboa Park.

💌 If you’re attending ASU+GSV—or in San Diego between April 4th-7th—let me know and we can meet up. Otherwise, stay tuned for updates from the summit.

Now, here are 3 gems I want to share with you:

An experience to inspire: Authority By Design workshop

Analogies are a powerful learning tool.

When you have a good one, students can grasp concepts with crystal clarity.

That’s how I felt during Terri Lonier’s recent workshop on how to create visual frameworks. She used a simple path analogy to help us contextualize what students need from us as teachers.

When you show someone a success path, they want to know two things: Where are they on the path? How can they go further?

—Terri Lonier, PhD

You want to ensure you give students clarity on their current situation, while guiding them toward their ideal outcomes.

💞 Challenge: Reflect on how to help students visualize where they are on their success path, and how they can go further.

🎯 Bonus: If you want to create a portfolio of visual frameworks that can profoundly transform your business, sign up for Terri’s course, Authority by Design, here.

A resource to consider: Design For How People Learn book

Design For How People Learn is the ultimate playbook for designing professional development courses.

Not only is it loaded with pedagogy gold but it’s explained in a way that anyone could understand it—and apply the takeaways.

📘 If you’re looking for a point of reference to structure—or rethink—elements of your course, pick up a copy. You can find it on Amazon or in your local bookstore.

A question to ponder: Your success path

As educators and employers, you spend a lot of time helping others visualize their success path, and how they can move further along it.

Why not take a few moments to do the same for yourself?

Consider talking through your responses with trusted peers, mentors, or coaches. Their input can help you visualize your goals, and they’ll likely have suggestions for activities you could practice, skills you could hone, and resources you could leverage to move forward.

💭 Questions: Where are you on your success path? How can you go further?

A gesture to consider: Donating to Ukrainians

Here are some causes you can support (though I recommend doing your own research):

🏥 Ukrainian Red Cross​ (You can become a monthly donor like I have)

🪖 Come Back Alive​

🚸 Voices of Children​

May we continue to support Ukrainians until they’re peacefully home. 💙💛

Thanks for reading my 25th newsletter

We’re now 116 people within this vibrant community. And my goal is to nurture the art of reflection amongst us.

I’d love your feedback on how I can make future editions beneficial. So if you have an idea or burning question I could address, hit reply and we’re off.

Have a wonder-full week,

Alexandra

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