Everybody needs go to experts.
As an educator, I spend much of my year working with students at BCIT, a Vancouver-based, polytechnic university. I also teach assorted workshops, seminars, and guest lectures at other venues. I teach content planning, digital marketing, public relations, work from home skills, digital decluttering, and more.
Lifelong Learning
Typically, I work with a group of students for a single semester, about twelve weeks. One of the lessons I hope they takeaway is the knowledge that everything digital is constantly evolving. To be successful, it’s vital to become a lifelong learner who is consistently curious about what’s new and what’s stayed the same.
My Go To Experts
I know from experience that it is impossible to stay up to date on everything of interest on my own. I need to update my knowledge regularly, as needed. The gaps between updates vary depending on the work (or play) that holds our attention at any given time.
To help make it easier to stay up-to-date on topics of interest, I curate this constantly evolving list of go to experts. The names on this list offer expertise that intersects with mine. They generously share their work, research, and other relevant information online.
To help my students (and readers) jump start their own list of experts, I’m sharing my list. Below, grouped by subject matter, you’ll find a list of professionals whose work I know and admire. In no particular order, here are my go to experts:
Marketing
Tara Hunt has an extraordinary mind when it comes to digital marketing. Her research and experience across several industries makes the work she shares invaluable. Check out her video on owned versus earned media for an example and don’t hesitate to use brand personality cards.
As both educator and food writer, Rebecca Coleman’s research and practical experience in social media is brilliant. Her Instagram stories are well-planned yet spontaneous, personable, and fun.
More than one million Canadian listeners tune into Terry O’Reilly’s engaging podcast, Under the Influence, each week. Each well-researched and engaging episode is filled with an entertaining look at some aspect of the marketing business. My current favourite episode is Number Fever: Surprising Stories of Bottle Cap Marketing (Season 11, Episode 1).
Business Communication
Catherine Blyth’s book, The Art of Conversation, is a much-needed reminder to make the most of every conversation. As she wrote, “Conversation is brilliant at both polishing thoughts and frothing up new ones.” (p4)
Vicki McLeod brings decades of experience to work around digital communication. She passionately advocates for us all to be more human in a digital world. Her most recent book, Effective Communication at Work, is a must-read for anyone wanting meaningful communication at the office. This excerpt from her blog is a good starting point, “Empathy connects us to one another, creating resonance and helping people feel seen, heard, and understood.” (And I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that she is also my Digital Legacy Plan co-author.)
Productivity
When it comes to productivity, I’m most likely to refer people to Mike Vardy’s work. From his Timecrafting productivity framework to his popular A Productive Conversation podcast, Mike’s work is filled with actionable advice. (He also enjoys alliteration as much as I do!) I recently enjoyed his conversation with Annie Duke – tune in if you need help making decisions.
Author Chris Bailey’s experiments in productivity illuminate the dilemma all digital marketers face – online distractions. As he wrote, “The internet can destroy your productivity if you’re not careful… disconnect from it when working on a high-impact or ugly task… and disconnect as much as possible throughout the day.” (The Productivity Project, p.76) And be sure to check out this time-tracking hack from Chris’ blog – easy and insightful.
Solopreneur Stephen Warley identifies the skills entrepreneurs need to get the right things done. Be sure to check out the Life Skills That Matter podcast and blog. Stephen’s thoughts on making time for self-reflection caught my attention. He “[regards] self-reflection as a check-in conversation with myself to see who everything is going.”
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, shows us the value of small, incremental changes to shift how, when, and why we commit to new habits. His 1% approach is almost sneaky; it’s so simple (based on complex research). We’re also on the same page when it comes to the value of no.
Technology
Steve Dotto is one of my favourite tech geeks. His robust (and free!) webinar Wednesdays are a treasure trove of weekly learning opportunities on a wide range of topics. He’s also host of Grey Matters podcast guiding mid-career and late-career professionals. (He recently interviewed my Digital Legacy Plan co-author, Vicki McLeod, on writing.)
Journalist and CBC Radio host, Nora Young, offers a fun and informative look at new technology. On her program, SPARK, she explores how technology impacts our lives at work, at play, and at rest. This episode about how online communications impacts are relationships resonated with me.
Most weeks, I turn to co-hosts Mike Agerbo and John Biehler for the latest tech news. I regularly listen to the podcast edition of their live radio shows, Get Connected and The App Show, to hear tech news. With informed opinions on the new gear, related public policy, and real world application, it’s easy to keep up to date.
Creativity
Meghan Parker‘s book, Teaching Artfully, influenced my perception and understanding of how we communicate ideas. If a graphic novel and a comic had a baby, it would this delightfully visual exploration. One of my main takeaways is to use more varied elements of art (line, color, form, texture, shape, space, and value) in my note-taking. Check out her Instagram feed for a closer look at her work.
Whenever I’m struggling with writer’s block or procrastination, I reread Steven Pressfield‘s The War of Art. It’s just the reset I need to remember what Pressfield calls “resistance”. This repelling force…[that] aims to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work”. Because resistance is “self-generated and self-perpetuated”, the reminder helps me reset my creative mojo.
Given my academic background, I’m a stickler for citing sources. That said, I enjoy Austin Kleon‘s observation in his book, Steal Like an Artist. As Kleon wrote, “… a good artist understands nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.” I find this freeing as I explore different ideas. I’m always seeking new connections, new interpretations, and new presentations to help me understand what I’m learning.
More go to experts to come
Over time, I anticipate this list of go to experts will grow. Check back from time to time. Meanwhile, keep learning! Always.
(I’m also open to suggested additions. Drop me a line if you’d like to recommend someone for this list.)