The Dan York Report

In a time of isolation, how can you use virtual coffee breaks to connect with others? In this episode, I talk about how people within my organization have used the combination of Zoom and Slack to have virtual coffee (or tea) breaks to connect with each other. I also offer some tips for someone wanting to do this within your organization...

Why do we write articles that people can't understand? How can we be more clear and concise in our writing? How can we reduce the load on the brains of our readers? In this episode I talk about how critically important it is to write in "plain language" so that you text can be understood by the widest number of readers. Some of the resources I mention include:

- http://www.hemingwayapp.com/

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_English

- https://plainlanguage.gov/

- https://plainlanguage.gov/resources/checklists/web-checklist/

What techniques and strategies do YOU find effective for writing in plain language?

It’s been one month since the first positive case of COVID-19 was found in Vermont, where I live. In this episode I talk through some of my thoughts about what all is going on...

Yesterday we had the joy of using the Internet to celebrate the relationship of two people whose wedding was cancelled due to the pandemic. In this episode I talk about how wonderful that celebration was... and how the Internet can be used to bring moments of joy amidst the chaos...

This past Tuesday was “Super Tuesday” where my wife and I had a date night with CNN, settling in for a long night of watching primary election results... why do I find this so fascinating? In this episode, I talk about why...

It was 10 years ago, on January 27, 2010, that Steve Jobs stood on stage and announced the iPad. In this episode I reflect on all the ways that I personally have found the iPad to be useful (including curling!).

What do YOU think about the iPad? Have you found it useful? If so, how? If not, what didn’t work for you?

Links I referred to in the article:

- https://twitter.com/stevesi/status/1221853721363013632?s=21

- https://daringfireball.net/2020/01/the_ipad_awkwardly_turns_10

[Note: this episode was planned entirely on an iPad (using MindNode to create a mind map), recorded on an iPhone, and then uploaded to SoundCloud using an iPad.]

Since 2010, I've started the new year with a blog post about my 3 or 4 themes or aspirations for the new year. This year I've published that at https://www.danyork.com/2020/01/my-4-words-for-2020.html - and this episode talks more about what I'm hoping to do in 2020.

Recorded back on December 1, 2019, this episode recaps how and why I failed at "National Podcast Post Month" (NaPodPoMo) a second time. I was SO prepared... I had outlines... I had a whole month of episodes planned out... I just hadn't counted on one thing...

Why not try something different than just presenting with slides? In this episode I talk about how I recently used MindNode to present a talk using its "Focus" mode and some trackpad zooming to give a different style of presenting. More info about MindNode's Focus mode: https://mindnode.com/news/2019-04-24-mindnode-6-has-arrived

And the mind map I presented this week is at: https://my.mindnode.com/YDJYKxKp2y1jbd4XENeNpmHdZWaqFVW6aKTwqgyn#869.0,-2412.0,2

What are some LESSONS LEARNED since I first started working in a home office 20 years ago? In this final Part 3, I talk about the lessons I have learned that have helped me thrive working remotely from a home office, and I also share lessons that others shared with me on Twitter. Episode 380 covered the benefits of remote working. Episode 381 covered the disadvantages, and then this episode wraps it all up. I would love to hear your comments - are there lessons YOU have learned that I didn't cover? Please leave a comment!

(Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/danyork/status/1182606706485977088 )

Episode 380 - Benefits - https://soundcloud.com/danyork/tdyr-380-remote-working-part-1-what-are-the-benefits-of-working-from-home

Episode 381 - Disadvantages - https://soundcloud.com/danyork/tdyr-381-remote-working-part-2-what-are-the-disadvantages-of-working-from-home