Elliott Masie on Webinar No Shows

Posted on August 30, 2011May 20, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

“Webinar No Shows” was the headline in today’s Learning Trends newsletter from Elliott Masie of The Masie Center. He called this a “dirty” secret of the learning world. According to Elliott, some organizations report no-show rates as high as 40 to 60% for a webinar. The issue is so pervasive that many companies even book 40% fewer lines/licenses for an event.

Why the no shows? Elliott offered these factors:

Life Gets Busy
People Watch Asynchronously
No Consequences
Value Against Time
No Clear Outcomes
Need Creative Designs

Is a no-show rate of 40%-60% typical in your organization? If so, do you know why? Any factors you’d like to share?

Tickling the Brain with Adam Rubin

Posted on March 30, 2011May 20, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

I recently met Adam Rubin, Creative Manager of Groupon, at the WritersUA conference in Long Beach, CA. Adam delivered an amazing closing presentation entitled “Tickling the Brain: Sharing Ideas in Memorable Ways.” He’s got a website with the same name: Tickling the Brain.

Adam’s work experience is varied, including stints with Leo Burnett and David Copperfield, and interning on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He’s also an amateur magician and does improv comedy in Chicago. And, if that’s not enough, he’s written two children’s books—Those Darn Squirrels and Those Darn Squirrels and Cat Next Door. Does this guy ever sleep?

Adam’s a real character with a lot of great ideas. He presented a number of “brain tickling” visual examples and activities grouped into five categories:

Surprise
Contrast
Tension
Rhythm
Style

His talk was funny, thought-provoking, in-your-face direct, candid, and insightful. He even got the F*** word into his talk! Have you ever heard that at a professional conference?

Be sure to check out Tickling the Brain; it’s definitely worth a look.

Review of MadCap Flare V7

Posted on March 11, 2011May 20, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

Paul Pehrson, author of the Technically Speaking blog, just published a review of MadCap Software’s flagship help authoring tool, MadCap Flare V7. It’s a very thorough and detailed review. Read all about it at http://blog.paulpehrson.com/2011/03/09/flare-v7-an-impressive-iteration/.

Online Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing MBA for Executives

Posted on February 4, 2011May 20, 2013 by Valentina Rosa

Saint Joseph’s University has launched an Online Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing MBA for Executives. The program is being offered at the Erivan K. Haub School of Business and is accredited by the AACSB. The entire program can be completed in 20 months – 24 courses with four residencies.

To quote the website:

“the Online Pharma MBA format is designed specifically to accommodate today’s executive schedule and global assignments by eliminating obstacles like geography and time-zones. Ideal for professionals in the pharma, biotech, device, diagnostics and healthcare sectors, our accelerated program offers the flexibility to participate in an industry-specific, lock-step curriculum, taught by our world-class faculty, and driven by state-of-the-art technology.”

After reviewing the website, this program seems like an excellent choice for marketing professionals, regulatory professionals, medical communicators, and medical writers who are interested in taking their experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or medical devices to the executive level. Technical writers who are looking to make a career change that leverages their substantial experience in technology might also see value in a program like this one.

The tuition and fees are expensive; though they are comparable to other programs I have seen and heard about. If you’re interested in a program like this one at Saint Joseph’s and the fees are out of reach, there may be scholarships available. The website doesn’t say anything about them. Contact Christine Anderson, Senior Manager, Executive Relations & Industry Relations for more details.