profile

The eLearning Coach Newsletter

Elevate Your Visibility, 100 Freebies, & Better Explanations!

Published 4 months ago • 2 min read

The eLearning Coach Newsletter

For Curious Learning Professionals

Hi Reader,

Good to be with you for a few moments (telepathically, anyway). This newsletter may have a few items of interest for you. But first, I wanted to let you know that I'm giving a free webinar on video scripting with We Are Learning (they make a 3D authoring tool) this Tuesday June 10th @10AM EDT. You can register at Write the Script. If you can't make it, you'll get the recording.

Back to the newsletter. If you're an established learning professional and feel you're not getting the recognition you deserve, please read the first article Elevate Your Visibility. The next article is for those of you who love or need freebies. I spent hours updating a list of 100+ Freebies for learning design.

And finally, you'll find a podcast interview that I recorded with Lee Lefever, co-founder of Common Craft Videos and author of The Art of Explanation. He has lots of good advice on creating effective explanations.

​How to Elevate Your Visibility ​

Increasing your visibility opens new doors and opportunities. There are lots of strategies here and you can sign up for a free email course that walks established learning designers through a process for identifying the best ways to elevate your visibility.

​100 Hand-Picked Freebies for Learning Designers​

You'll find everything from free illustrations, icons, photos, music, sound effects, and tools. Enjoy!

​How to Make Better Explanations​

This oldie is still so relevant because we spend our days explaining. But are we always as clear as possible? Check out the podcast or download the transcript (or both).

GOOD FINDS

Before downloading files, please be sure to check that they are virus and spam-free. Note that freebies often require some form of registration.

FEED YOUR MIND

MULTIMEDIA

  • ​Adobe Firefly: AI image and video generator for $10US a month
  • ​ColorKit: Tool for blending colors
  • ​Duotone: Ahhh! Finally found a tool that ONLY does dutoones. Check it out and see you like the look for the occasional whatever.
  • ​123 Apps: A kind of amazing collection of multimedia and PDF tools

COOL TOOLS

  • ​Reclaim: AI calendar app with a free plan
  • ​Career Dreamer: AI tool for exploring career possibilities from Google Labs
  • ​HealthyMind: Free well-being app to stay sane

MY COMMUNITY AND COURSES

​HOW TO WRITE SHORT VIDEO SCRIPTS​
Self-paced course and downloadable resources. You can read reviews of the workshop too, like this one "It really was an amazing course – this is the first time in recent years that I have paid for a course and it was worth every penny of my own funds.”
​MASTERING INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN​
This is a learning community of smart and friendly members that want to move forward and expand their instructional design skills. We have 15+ self-paced courses, monthly speakers who are industry leaders, member calls, and a discussion forum. All courses are open to all members.
​BREAKING INTO INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN​
My free 12-lesson email course about transitioning to a career in instructional design. The course explains the variety of instructional design careers, tasks of the profession, places to network, salary ranges and more. You'll get two email lessons a week for six weeks. Or receive all lessons at once by purchasing the eBook.
Would a colleague like this newsletter? They can sign up here: The eLearning Coach Newsletter. See you on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and at Instructional Design Newbies on Facebook!

Stay inspired!

Connie Malamed

PO Box 1623, Frederick, MD 21702
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

The eLearning Coach Newsletter

Connie Malamed

I help learning professionals build skills and visibility to advance their careers. Join 15,000 readers who enjoy articles on learning design, visual design, and cognitive psychology every month.. Subscribe for practical guidance, resources, and freebies.

Read more from The eLearning Coach Newsletter

The eLearning Coach Newsletter For Curious Learning Professionals October 2, 2025 Hi Reader, I hope you are well. Did you know that moving pictures, like animations, are one of the basic visual features that capture our attention? However, animations are not always the most effective choice for learning. Read the first article to find out more. One of the significant challenges of remote work is missing out on great opportunities or higher pay. Out of sight, out of mind. The second article...

16 days ago • 3 min read

The eLearning Coach Newsletter For Curious Learning Professionals September 1, 2025 Greetings Reader, Do you ever struggle when working with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)? Maybe they don’t fully understand your role or what you actually do. Maybe you don't get their perspective. In the first and third items this month, you’ll find strategies based on research and practice to make SME collaboration easier and less frustrating. The second article continues my visibility series. This one is for...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

The eLearning Coach Newsletter For Curious Learning Professionals August 1, 2025 Greetings Reader, It’s peak heat season for much of the Northern Hemisphere, and every day can feel like a slog through humidity and high temps. Still, garden tomatoes, breezy summer nights, and fireflies make it all worthwhile. I hope you’re having a good season, wherever you are. Now, on to the articles. 7 Books That Will Make You a Better Writer Many people—myself included—didn’t realize just how much writing...

3 months ago • 3 min read