How I Broke the Seal on Podcasting Improvement Dave – David Kolmer
In 2023, I revived this blog, Improvement Dave, which I originally started in 2017 while earning my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology but had since abandoned. Why did I bring it back? The answer is simple: I attended a session by Betty Dannewitz at DEVLEARN 2023 on podcasting. Her session not only gave me the confidence to think about starting a podcast but also provided logical steps to follow. Her first piece of advice? “Just keep writing.” I thought, Well, that’s easy—I can just pick up where I left off with my blog from grad school.
I posted the above passage into Adobe Firefly AI and it gave me these images:
Keep On Writing
What I didn’t realize was how much this simple act of writing would impact my personal and professional growth, as well as my sense of identity and self-worth. From participating in daily push-up challenges (Push-Ups for St. Jude) to learning 3D modeling on Adobe in just two weeks (30-Day 3D Model Challenge), writing more turned out to be excellent advice.
Feeling inspired, I reached out to Betty as both a fan and a student to let her know how much she had motivated me. She responded with kindness and even became an ally and friend. Emboldened, I pitched her a complex concept for a show exploring how the musical Hamilton relates to Learning and Development. To my disappointment, she politely declined, saying she didn’t want to open that particular can of worms.
I am a Blackstar Just Come With Me We Were Born Upside-Down I’m a Blackstar
A Hero Must Fail
At first, this rejection stung. I felt vulnerable and as though I had failed. However, after some reflection, I realized that the only person truly letting me down was me.
So, I returned to writing, regrouped, and started building a sound studio as I added an office to my home. (Building My Sound Booth). I used my undergrad knowledge of stage lighting to hang lights in my office and began vlogging alongside blogging, creating videos of myself speaking.
I kept finding ways to improve and grow. I strengthened the Improvement Dave brand I had created back in 2017 into a visual brand and a creative identity.
Eventually, the tables turned. Betty invited me to appear on her show, If You Ask Betty. For some, this might just be another item on their calendar, but for me, it was a milestone. I had reached a point where I could feel proud of my progress. Everyone’s path is unique, and while I sometimes take my accomplishments for granted, others view them as remarkable or even unattainable. The effort I had invested in developing my writing voice, building my brand, and learning new skills paid off. I was on the show. I prepared extensively, and from my perspective, it went pretty well.
This blog post celebrates that achievement and curates the content that came from this experience.
Highlights
The Teaser I Was Featured In (My favorite artifact): LinkedIn Post
The Podcast Episode: “I’m Just Ken” (Or use player below.)
Bonus Content
When Betty shared her favorite part of “Barbie” (2023) Film, I just couldn’t resist making a cartoon of it. (NSFW)
This video is not for children if you can not tell by the cover image.
Conclusion
So, I did it—I got on the show, and it all happened so quickly. I gave it 100%, even if some people may have been aggravated by my takes on social equity and gender as a social construct. I’ve moved past that now. No matter what you do, about 30% of people will dislike it, 30% will love it, and 30% won’t even know it happened. The key is to keep moving forward. Either way, I got a new friend out of the deal so it’s a win.
Next, I’m focusing on getting out there more, taking more chances, worrying less, and finding a way to launch my own podcast.
I am working on a thread on my blog focusing on things I can celebrate this year. This post, Why You Should Present at a Conference started as a celebration of the fact that I had an opportunity to speak at a conference and I revised it to be framed around reasons why we should all present at conferences.
Inspired to Be Myself
I recently was inspired (again) by Kassy Laborie. This time she was speaking on a podcast (called Business Breakdown by Al Dea Listen Here: https://lnkd.in/eAckUwmf) about her background in learning in development and how she reached a point where her reputation preceded her. While she shared her background I kept thinking, I have been there, that happened to me at work as a trainer or yes, that was me. Now I am not as far along on my path as I am ready to leave my independent contractor work to reinvent myself as a Keynote speaker but maybe I never will, maybe that is not my journey. I bring all of this up because of a personal story that Kassy shared in this interview. She was rocking her pressed red pants with her matching red kicks and as she put it, “I mean, I looked good!”. Someone approached her and stated, “Ah, we do not wear red pants at this company.”
Kassy reflected on how this made her feel small. How it felt like she was not seen for who she is. It made her feel like she didn’t belong. It made her feel like she was not in the right place. She had a choice. She could start wearing black pants and conform to the dominating overbearing culture she found herself in, or she could move on and find a space that was a better fit. Luckily for her (and for the rest of us I reckon) she chose the latter to move on. To keep on ramblin’ to keep on keepin’ on.
She done good, she even made Woody Guthrie smile…
Reminder of the Inspiration
This morning when I got into the office it was a normal work-in-the-office day. I had already had 2 cups of regular coffee at home and I was going to brew a whole pot of decaf to drink throughout the day. I ran into a colleague Erika Teneyck who was wearing RED PANTS, and it took me right back to Kassy’s story on the podcast. This illustrates how we as humans resonate with stories, but more on that later. I said Erika you are wearing RED PANTS and I am wearing my BLUE PANTS, can we take a picture!? Luckily there was another creative coworker (Michael Bollenbach, MA, MFA ) in the work kitchen who holds a Master of Fine Arts AND a Master of Arts to take the picture. He begrudgingly murmured that he did not want to take our picture but I insisted. While Mike took the picture he commented on how he had a previous role where they insisted every employee had to wear black pants.
I had Blue Pants and my Work Buddy had on RED PANTS!
So, more about Erika. When I started in my current role, we had a Holiday Party at a local brewery you might have heard of called Budweiser. It was a fun evening, but I was a bit anxious because I had not met anyone in person yet. I had just started at the company in 2021 and we were still remote. It was the time when many companies were still transitioning back into office from the COVID-19 pandemic. (We even had a mask decorating contest and I won for the ugliest mask, although in retrospect they shared it should have been most bizarre or creative.)
Die Hard is a Christmas Movie. PERIOD
OK, so my point. Let’s get to the point. My point is that Erika was at the party and she made me feel welcome. She talked to me even though I was the new guy with a very weird mask. She welcomed me even though I told her that owning a boat was a bad financial decision and I perceived it as a liability, not an asset. Then later she wore red pants and reminded me of Kassie’s strong lesson.
Broadcast my Inspiration
Now, it is worth mentioning that, Erika has her bachelor’s AND master’s in Art History and has used that to enter into the space of organizing and curating data analytics where I work. That is something worth celebrating in and of itself. 🥳
It also touches on a topic that I am toying around with for the Podcast I am crafting. How creatives, or people who are perceived as creatives, can work their way into a situation of being gainfully employed. Or in other words discussions on how creatively minded people can generate income through as opposed to despite their inventive tendencies. I am in the storming stage. I have not ironed out the details nor fleshed out the concept. I am taking my time to settle on a topic that I feel confident I will want to speak about from the heart for years to come to an audience that resonates with my true self.
“Treat every small victory like you just won the Superbowl.” -Lewis Howes
Last month I presented for the first time at a conference. I presented at the Learn Conference that was held by my local ATD chapter in St. Louis, MO. I wrote this a week after presenting but it has taken me a month to process this and get this post to where I want it to be. I have narrowed this down to three main points:
Attend the Conference for free
Slightly Heightened Status
You Connect more to ideas and people
Why Present at Conferences?
What I Learned
I have recently developed an itch to present and wondered about how that would feel. I was anxious before the conference. During the conference, I was surprisingly relaxed and after the conference, I was relieved to be on the other side of it. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. It is not the presenting that wore me out though, it was the standing, the waiting, the meeting new people, and holding professional conversations to the best of my ability. Now that I have the first one in the bag and am relatively unscathed, I want to share my experience and the benefits I see around presenting at conferences.
Attend for Free
Let’s talk about the low-hanging fruit first. The main payment for speaking at a conference is that you get to attend that conference for free. I never really thought much about this because my company paid for any conference I attended (which I should add is a limited number per year.) Maybe this says something about how much I am willing to pay for my own personal and professional development. I prefer to take the perspective that I am a frugal person. There are plenty of ways for me to improve on my own. Be it, online, the library, the Libby app, linked in learning, (and let’s be honest, the largest LMS in the world, YouTube.)
The benefit is not necessarily that you can attend for free but that you can afford to attend more conferences. So, I don’t pay for the conferences I go to, but my company only sends me to so many per year because there is a budget. I can stretch that budget further if the entrance ticket and part of the food board are already paid for.
There is a hidden benefit I just learned about too. I applied to speak at Training Magazine’s Training Conference & Expo in Orlando in February 2025. I was not accepted but put on standby. Now I thought this meant rejected but after some conversations in my professional network I learned that “Standby is Good.” Not only do you still have a shot at presenting at the conference, but you get into the show at a discounted rate.
OK, so free stuff, that’s nice.
Slightly Heightened Status
I should start here by saying that I do NOT perceive myself as a person who is motivated by status. In fact I see people who crave status as the opposite of those who peruse quality of work or seek out the truth. So, I am not naturally motivated by status.
My friend Jazmin Webster (President Elect of ATD STL) let me keep the sign!
One thing I suppose I never really noticed or thought about was that people who present at conferences are sort of the bread and butter of the event. They are creating a draw for people to attend. I have to admit I always understood this on a logical level. However, after being a presenter at a conference I had a different perspective on the value presenters add. People walked up and thanked me for my efforts and there was a buzz in just that. Sure, an unnecessary boost to my ego, but also a healthy development of my sense of self-worth and overall confidence.
In the same way, I feel like I held myself up in a different way while at the conference. There must have been something different about the way I was moving through the space. I am going to make this point by picking on a new professional connection I have. Two years ago, I walked up to the Keynote Speaker at the same event, after she gave her message and said, “Hey, I really liked what you said.” She politely smiled and thanked me and then slightly turned away from me. It wasn’t her; it was me. I was approaching her, probably standing too close, and didn’t add anything to the conversation other than I liked her. Sort of creepy, weird, awkward, yes, and maybe verging on stalker.
Who was this mystery woman you ask? Well, Justine Froelker is a speaker and therapist who has made a name for herself both locally and nationally as a training facilitator, speaker, and author. Well, she also presented this year at the same event, and when I saw her I remembered that awkward time I went to compliment her and then found I had nothing to say. I walked up to her while she was quietly enjoying a salad alone at the vendor table ATD had provided her to market her services. I smiled and said hello and introduced myself. She asked if I was a presenter and then we started a real conversation about our lives. That’s my whole point. It’s not that I approached her and had something to say, it’s that she could smell it on me. I held myself like a presenter and somehow, she just knew. (I promise I didn’t say, Hey I’m Dave I’m a presenter.) You could argue that I have grown a lot in my personal and professional development simply by rebooting this Blog and pouring my soul into it, and you would be right. I would argue that more than that my identity was altered because I had been selected to present.
You End Up Connecting More
Connecting more dots
Connecting with more people
I have saved the best part about presenting at a conference for last. This was a selfish choice, I should have led with my best point, and the one that would benefit you the most. As I have written previously:
So, I share that to simply point out that I am not afraid to break my own rules.
However, if you are still reading now you will learn about the best part of presenting at a conference. Having gotten up and presented in front of a crowd at the conference was a hit. It jazzed me up and gave me a strong buzz. I was in good spirits and overall, just in a great mood. This landed me in the growth mindset and when I attended other sessions, I was more vulnerable, more open, and more engaged.
For example, when I attended the amazing session on Gamifying business strategy by Caitlin Johnson from Bold-Bird Consulting. I spoke up in the session and shared personal information that I might not have shared if I was only an attendee. In addition, I spoke with Caitlin after the day was over at the networking event hosted for presenters and we think that we might be able to collaborate at some point.
The reason this all sparked up was because what I shared about myself was a missing piece in her process. I am an explorer in her language, and the exploration factor is her weakest link and what she is leaning into now for personal growth. I am not saying I don’t learn anything at conferences I don’t present at. I do learn at those conferences. I think the difference is the baseline mindset. Will I continue to get more out of conferences even if I don’t present at them? Maybe. Or perhaps sometimes I will and sometimes I won’t. I don’t know. What I do know is that I am still relatively new to all this conference going considering my age. Why didn’t I go to these sooner? Why not quote the Talking Heads here and share:
When I attended my first national conference in 2023 it was also my first time in Vegas. It made such am impact on me it revived this VLOG and got me on a new path. I had a breakthrough when I wrote this:
As I said, it was my first time in Vegas, and I was good, I didn’t gamble, I didn’t get sleazy and I only drank alcohol that was free (#Principles)! DevLearn was a force of nature and the whole week can easily be summarized as over-stimulation. Cognitive overload doesn’t begin to describe what happened to me that week. I will share that I didn’t hold back either. I walked all the way from the southern tip of New Vegas up through the desert to New Vegas to see the Zappos building and the Neon Sign Museum, and I would like to curate a post just on that experience. …Yet, in all of that frenzied madness, I attended a session by Renee Boydo. I entered that training room and a calm came over me.
I met Boydo the night before at an impromptu dinner I saw on the conference app., she confided in me that she was terrified because she was presenting for the first time and she asked everyone at that table to go so she wouldn’t have to present to an empty room. The next day, I went, she was calm she was collected, and she stated referencing her work as a leader, “My thing is that I just keep saying ‘It will be alright. It will work out.’” She presented a smartphone app she developed with a third party to train school bus drivers. In the class she shared that she had never presented before, she was terrified, but then came her light that “it was going to be alright.”
Conclusion
I didn’t know it then, but Mrs. Boydo planted a seed during that session. She lit a light in me. I saw that she was throwing herself into unbridled improvement. She was forcing herself out of her comfort zone in the name of learning and in the name of sharing her insights with her community at large. I didn’t want to admit it, but I wanted to do that too. I wanted to be like her. Now, I am writing this so I can share it with her and tell her my version of the story, so I can thank her for that.
Then later I attended a session by this lady named Betty Danowitz on Podcasting. Well, that whole thing is definitely for another post. Long story short, I started listening to her podcast and then started chatting with her, and I ended up as a guest on the show. Then Betty and her friends who are now my friends pushed me to present at a conference. It was ✨Kassy LaBorie who said, you need to apply to speak at conferences, so I did. I am forever grateful to Kassy. Now there is no turning back.
Hey, this is Dave. I am an Instructional Designer and learning experience advocate. I would like to discuss ways we as learning professionals can help learners on their journey. How Teachers, Corporate Training Facilitators, or Instructional Designers can “Get Out of the Way” of learners on their journey. This is not a new idea, but it is an important one.
Main Points
Use tools that help you stay in the learning game.
Write content that helps the reader improve on their own.
Sell your idea, don’t force it, Sell it!
Make the training about the real world, not academia or your world view
Serve the Reader
One way we can create instructional content that resonates with learners is to write better. Write simple statements that offer solutions and ideas that will help our learners. It sounds obvious when you say it, but somehow it helps to be reminded. In this article, I would like to pinpoint this concept, explore its meaning, and connect it to educational artifacts.
Expedited Audio Learning Tool
Here is an accidental win I had. Have you ever done a free trial of an app on your phone? Then you liked the app so much that you just never canceled it? It’s not something anyone would be proud of. I’ve had it happen at least once. OK, it was once because I do not spend money. It was the Headway app. This is not a paid advertisement for the Headway app… …but it should be!
My favorite app, I mean Blankest is good but Headway is BOSS!
I love the Headway app. It condenses books to their essence and then reads that summary to you, it also provides you a text summary. In this way, you can listen to 4 or 5 books while you say, mow the lawn. (Which is normally what I do while using the app.) I have
Listened to condensed versions of books I have never heard of
listened to condensed versions of books I have already read twice
discovered books I want to read and then went out and read or listened to them.
The topics are wide ranging. I have relistened to the 7 Habits by Stephen Covey. I learned about the Japanese Aesthetic of silence and somber inaction. I have trained my subconscious mind to generate creative solutions. I have gotten better at not arguing with my family. You tell the app what your interests are. Then it amazes you with content you never knew existed. It also reminds you of content you love.
Nobody Cares About You
The most useful book that I listened to on Headway is called:
This book falls into the category of: This is a book I like so much. I went out and read the original book.
I love the message of this short book:
Write clear and concise messages that help other people.
It really doesn’t get any better than that. People don’t care about you, they care about themselves. People like to read about interesting or novel things that will help them. Even if you write a story about yourself, you should not stroke your ego. Don’t make the book all about how you are the most amazing human ever in the history of the world. The focus is on the reader, how can you help them? After all humility is sexy. People want to be with other people who are humble.
Summary of the book, that I wrote on my iPhone while mowing the lawn.
As I mentioned I use this app while mowing the lawn. (OK, I took breaks from driving the riding lawnmower while I took these notes. I did not write these while I was mowing.)
This book will teach you how to write better
Delivery is critical, be proactive in finding ways to help others.
Always write in casual copy.
Never write in technical explanation. *Unless designing technical documentation or technical training.
People care about themselves. people do not care about you. So write for them. Write things that help them.
People respond to what is: new, novel, or helpful.
Use the AIDA sales Model:
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
[End of the summary I wrote on my iPhone.]
So, we have a novice writer (yours truly). He is writing about being a better writer. He is also using a sales model to identify how to be a better educator. I want to drill down on the warning above about the tone of the writing. We should use casual copy to describe ideas to compose writing that is easy to read. Learning content should be straightforward. It should be easy to follow. It should use common words and not use complex language that the average person would not know.
This is because the reader (learner) will waste effort on figuring out what you mean. They will focus on looking up words or not really understanding instead of focusing on the message itself. In the Learning World, we discuss this using the phase, “Cognitive Load” but you already knew that… or you should have.
Definition of the A.I.D.A. sales model
Here is a definition of the AIDA sales model provided by Gemini AI from Google.com
The AIDA model is a marketing framework that describes the four stages a consumer goes through before making a purchase:
The acronym AIDA was developed by American businessman Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898 and has been in use ever since. Businesses can use the AIDA model to create effective sales pitches that resonate with prospects and turn them into customers by understanding and addressing each stage. For example, a salon might use the AIDA model to promote an opening by running a PR campaign before launch, offering free consultations, and hosting exclusive launch events.
[End of Gemini AI Summary from Google.com]
Oh, wow. Look at that AI writes really long sentences too. Now I don’t feel as bad!
Wait, is This Sales? Am I on the Wrong Vlog?
How can Learning and Development professionals apply this model to our work? After all, this is a sales model of all things. I would like to lean on my memory of writings by Daniel Pink here. I am evoking his book “To Sell Is Human.” This book was suggested to me long ago by a colleague. They saw that I just didn’t get it. I was being naive and idealistic in my approach to work.
I was acting as if it was all about me. Yet, counterintuitively I was being aloof. Self-deprecating humor is very useful when you are a corporate training facilitator, but it can go too far. I was not speaking well of myself all the time. I was chronically breaking myself down with self-deprecating humor. This wasn’t just humility, I started to believe it. I hypnotized myself into thinking that I wasn’t good enough.
It’s not about me, it never is. It is about us, working together for a better way. We have to sell ourselves to the people around us all the time. We have to sell the ideas we write about in our learning artifacts. Sales is good, it is healthy. It isn’t inherently sleezy, as long as you are being honest. So, let me rewrite this summary with an L&D bend:
A.I.D.A. Learning Model
The AIDA Learning Model is not a real thing. I just made it up because this is my blog, and it just fits. A sales pitch is a perfect metaphor for well-written learning content.
It needs to be short and concise.
It needs to grab our attention.
It needs to tell us why we should care.
It needs to get us fired up to make a change.
If our learning content is not engaging learners in an experience. Then it is not a learning experience. Learners should feel encouraged to explore and think for themselves. Otherwise it might as well be compliance training on an LMS with a multiple-choice exam. That’s not learning, that is covering your legal ass-ets.
Another Short Book on Writing Better
I don’t think it is a coincidence that the other book I would like to mention here is also short. Writing better is about being concise. I already had a lot of classroom experience. I worked as a training facilitator at a call center in Bridgeton, MO. This experience was in front of audiences and classrooms. I didn’t have a lot of feedback (or feedback I was open to accepting) on my writing.
At one point, I had written an especially terrible email. One of the seasoned trainers handed me a small gray book. I will call him “Jim Simpson”, which is his real name. On the front, it said, ~~~ “The Little Gray Book” ~~~ Q. Wallace. I started reading it. It instantly pulled me in. It gave me ideas I implemented right away to improve the clarity of my writing. I can not recommend it enough to someone who wants to write better.
All aspects of our experience can help us better serve our learners. We better serve our learners and create learning content that truly connects with them. This happens when we give the best solution to potential problems. We should avoid just collecting cold facts or professing problems.
There is nothing wrong with using AI or ChatGPT and citing them accordingly. We should hesitate to send only what a search from these tools told us. These tools do not always write in the most straightforward tone. Nor do they always give the insider information we can get from partnering with an SME. If we share “real company culture” or “how they do it on the floor,” then we are helping the learners.
The learners will be more engaged. The more focused this solution is on their environment or job role the better this works. The more specific you can be on: what the solution IS the better the results. Share best practices. Explain how it works best. Provide tricks with “the system login”. Describe how it fails etc. The better the results. [This was the end of the post.]
When I started the blog I was getting my Master’s Degree in Instructional Design. It was from a smaller local liberal arts college. The college had a strong online program with a foundation in technology. Fontbonne is not the greatest college in the world. In a few years, it will sadly close its doors. I believe that is a sign of our Post-Covid 19 world. It is not an indicator of the quality of education the University provided. Still, it gave me a great education and I am forever grateful. Thank you Fontbonne U. for showing me how magical online learning can be when done correctly, and getting me started on this beautiful journey.
The 100th Post
The thought came on a whim. It was a boring day at work that was infinitely brightened by a call from a friend. A conference call with people who did what I did but on the next level. They had been trainers, they had been designers but now they had died and moved on to bigger things. Traveling the world to speak at conferences, starting their own business, becoming keynote speakers.
The keynote speaker bit really caught my attention. So when Kassy said you need a strong speaker reel to be a real speaker, I had an idea. A potion of an idea. A crazy Dave of the theater idea. The sort of idea you get from listening to WEEN rock out your whole life.
Influence of Ween on Dave
If you don’t know WEEN they are the strangest band you never heard of. Unbridled creativity and a sense of power that no other band seems to wield… and some drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. They have said themselves in interviews that most of their best songs were conceived just before recording. These songs were written and recorded in under an hour’s time. I believe that. It is easy to believe. It has always inspired me. The speed of production and creative freedom, not the drugs.
The thing about WEEN, is you were never sure what you were gonna get. Each album was its in a genre, not to mention a new universe.
Then in 2016, they got the band back together. In 2023 came to St. Louis while my brother was visiting from Japan… So we went. They were better than ever, it was amazing. What had changed was they had a new crowd in the audience. Before it was the art crowd. The weirdos from every town. Now it was remnants of the stinky neo-hippy crowd. It didn’t matter. I didn’t care They still sang out harder than anyone I have seen rock out.
So What?
OK, Yes. That was way too much back story on Ween. I hope you check them out if you don’t know about them. Fast forward, to the 100th post of Improvement Dave, in 2024! It somehow channeled some of that energy that WEEN brings to the table without even trying. There was some coffee involved, but not very much. When people read the post and watch the video, the next comment tends to be around partying or drugs. (Why I thought of WEEN! 😂) I should just take in stride.
It was a very liberating post to create. People have said they review the video to reduce stress. Besides who am I trying to impress at this point? I have a successful and fulfilling career. I have a loving wife and two beautiful children who completely love me. (Well, they are still young) I am building my real estate empire!… and Yet, I was stone-cold-sober when I recorded iSPEAK. The excitement of making the post revved me up. I got Punch-drunk on the muse.
Here is the point, the video landed me a speaking gig at a local conference!
iSPEAK
The post was written much later than the video. The video carries the post, and somehow people have already calling me the iSPEAK guy. It is OK, I like it. The whole project is true to my brand. Do something bold, do it for free, do not over-rehearsed, be brutally honest, and don’t take yourself too seriously.
This was a fun post, but the post is just the beginning. I am developing learning sessions about how to be a better designer. To be a champion for the learner. I have a working title of “Get Out of The Way!” a command to educators to make room for the learner in the learning event. To make it about the learner and their experience. If we do not make room for their journey, deep learning does not happen. The whole damn thing is in vain.
My first speak will be in St. Louis at the ATD St. Louis LEARN Conference:
I tell myself I am excited about it. If I am being honest, I am terrified. I have anxiety from not building out the presentation completely. I also haven’t rehearsed as much as I should by now. The problem is, I will do just fine.
What’s Next?
I started writing this post less than thirty minutes ago and now I am going to publish it. I still need to find a cover image. This was a simple message to recognize that my promise to myself in 2023 was to be consistent. I have been consistent. Now I am working on being more integrated, to tie all of my selves together. I aim to be a more whole person. In many ways I see that working.
Moving forward, I hope to keep the creative spark alive. I want to do what WEEN did later in their career. Don’t record a song 20 minutes after you thought about. Get the idea and then build on it, develop it, cite sources, generate illustrative examples, and tell relevant examples. In the next post, which I have been working several weeks on, I hope to do just that. To have fun with it, but do better at delivering a message the reader can walk away with. To give the reader something they can use… Like a gift. A gift for Improvement.
Real Speakers Speak to the Need to Need Speaker Reels
I recently learned from my friend, mentor, and famous person that I know (and admire) Kassy LaBorie, that if you want to speak at conferences and be a keynote speaker you need a “speaker reel”. So, I very professionally, (And quickly), Googled up what the #MATH a speaker reel was and saw some things.
A Smartphone Works
A Speaker Reel is short shots of you speaking from multiple angles and backgrounds. Ideally you should be presenting something that is on brand for your overall message…
Behold, I made a speaker reel within 1 hour of hearing about it for the first time. I am a Real Speaker, I speak.
VIDEO MUSIC: Ani Kuni – Polo & Pan CC
I attached my iPhone12 Mini to a standard camera tripod using an attachment I purchased on Amazon for ~$15 USD. I placed the camera pointing at the scene, started video record, and then walked into place. I edited out all of this extra footage in post production using TechSmith Camtasia, but iMovie or a version of Windows Movie Maker could have just as easily been used.
You don’t need to pay a million dollars for a speaker reel, just make it with your phone. Using a real microphone would be preferable to achieve a more favorable result. I did not do this here because I made this in a fit of passion to make a point.
Conclusion
This project had several iterations but overall it was created in about a day. I posted it on YouTube and linked it to Instagram and LinkedIn. There were about 30 views initially and it helped me land a speaking slot at the local ATD Learning conference in St. Louis, MO.
So, I would argue that this experiment worked.This supports the hypothesis that it is the idea that matters. It is the concept that is important, not the production quality or resolution. Having a high production value is important but that is second to having substance or a message. A mediocre idea can be propped up with high production values, but a stellar idea will shine on its own.
My First Speak
If you will be near St. Louis, MO come check out my SPEAK on Not Blocking the Learner Journey titled “Get Out of The Way!”
In a previous post, I declared I Can Beach, however, I did not delve deeply into what that means and left it up to your interpretation. I plan to dig deeper into what “Beach” means in this post.
Prologue
In 2023, Greta Gerwig directed a groundbreaking film about the push and pull between the patriarchy and a matriarchy. The film, Barbie, features the iconic doll and her rumored romantic partner, Ken. At best, he is a 2D accessory to Barbie.
Though the film is about Barbie, Ken takes a personal journey too. He has an identity crisis when he travels from Barbieland to the real world. At first, the real world is very different for Ken, and he soon realizes he can’t even “beach” anymore. This simple and yet abstract action that Ken partakes in, known as beach, is not a job title, it’s not a profession, and it might not even be a complete concept. However, there is a certain understanding that you can glean from the movie but is difficult to put into words. Let me tell you what I think it means to “beach”.
We can all BEACH.
My Beach is not Ken’s BEACH.
We all BEACH differently. This is Improvement Dave, and… I beach.
Relaxed – The first step is to be relaxed. “Beach” is never forced, it is summoned.
Not complicated– Identify the next right thing and then do that. This will not lead to being overwhelmed this will lead to being on the right path with the least amount of mental delineation.
Simple does not mean stupid. Do not make bad decisions. Work slowly, think about it, and take the next best small step
In Thai, we say Sabaii Sabaii Dee “easy easy good” In many ways we could just say look at Thai culture, traditional Thai culture, and in that way, you can identify BEACH.
Beautiful aged Thailand old man sincerely smiling at camera on street food market. He offers fruits and vegetables to locals and tourists from biking cart. Local small business and traveling concept.
I lived in Northern Thailand for 7 lucky years. The Thai people smile all the time. There are 16 unique smiles in the Thai language. There is a sad smile. Thailand is called “The Land of Smiles”. Did you know that when you smile because you are happy, the scientifically measurable mental state is the equivalent of smiling when you are not happy, but then you become happy because you smiled? So, in other words, smiling all the time is a reverse-engineered way to just choose happiness. Now THAT is Beach!
#2 Beach is Informal
Not formal, also Not trashy, but quality
Relaxed fit, No slim fit, and Not super baggy
Good example: Trendy, but not expensive, Sandals from Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom rack. Not sandals from Bloomingdale and not the cheapest sandals at Walmart or Amazon.
So, I am using fashion as a metaphor in the bullets above. This is not about where you buy your clothes. However, if you search at Bloomingdales there is an inverse relationship of correlation with being BEACH. This is about how you present yourselves overall and can include a more informal thought process, posture, or style about you. If you will go there with me, we can call it “Chill Vibes“.
Speaking of Chill vibes, this song will take you to BEACH wherever you are.
Groove Armada broke the ceiling with this absolute chill Banger!
#3 …But wait, “I BEACH”… that doesn’t even make sense
Not making sense is a crucial step in the creative process.
If something doesn’t make sense now that doesn’t mean it won’t make sense in the future when you better understand it. After you nail it down and know what it is and what it isn’t.
Being bold and brave enough not to make sense is a way to innovate and try new things out.
This might lead you to a new solution that is better than what we have now.
Stop Making Sense – in 1984 the music group The Talking Heads did a tour called “Stop Making Sense” where David Byrne begged us to let go and stop making sense. It is arguably some of the best live recordings of stage rock/funk music ever compiled. In each song, the band adds a new band member.
Just Dot it. STOP MAKING SENSE.
Epilogue
BEACH ON! Before we get to the summary let’s watch the scene this is taken from.
In conclusion, the phrase “I Beach” is an illogical one, but that does not mean that we can not pull meaningful direction from it. That is the whole point of this point. Simply because something doesn’t make social sense does not mean it has no value.
Epilogue 2.0
Also, on the Podcast mentioned above, the Hostess with the Mostest, Betty Dannewitz admits that her favorite scene in the Barbie movie was right when Barbie and Ken traveled to the real world and some construction workers hit on Barie, so she explains that “Oh, we do not have Genetals.” …AND, since I BEACH, I made a cartoon out of it, and I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, yes I did!
Credits
The Betty Dannewitz did copy editing on this writing and suggested it to be a VLOG video, but I left it as a Blog post. (Mostly because I am behind and I have COVID-19.)
Song Credits taken from Wikipedia
“At the River” is a song released in 1997 by British duo Groove Armada.
It has been months since I posted on this VLOG, and there were points last year when I posted daily. I had multiple ideas for April of 2024, and they are just sitting in their folders waiting to be developed. So, Now that it is near the end of June I am going to put together a post. It might not be my best post, but it will be honest. I believe I have started to struggle with why I created this Vlog. I have identified here that I have not focused on self-care and analysis paralysis has set in.
Strange man in black hood and gas mask on the background of mountains, around smoke, fog and radioactive fallout. Concept of environmental pollution, chemical disaster. Ecological catastrophe. AdobeStock_499292144
In April, a theme that played out almost across the board was Nuclear Radiation, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I am glad I paused to think about it and I really talk about it in the videobelow. So, the purpose of this post is around self-care. Identify what is holding you back or causing you analysis paralysis and call it out. Name it and talk about it.
ATD ICE 2024
Last month, I visited New Orleans, Louisiana for the first time. I attended the largest annual conference held by the Association for Talent Development. Luckily it jogged me out of the funk I was feeling about the “month of nuclear radiation”.
I do not know if there was a theme of self-care at the conference but I feel like there was. Maybe I think that because I noticed those messages because I needed them, but It seems like self-care is becoming more talked about as behavioral health becomes less stigmatized. I think this is great, and I keep telling myself I should meditate more or go to therapy, but instead I create videos at work, take care of my kids, rebuild bathrooms, and write on this blog… you know, live my life.
DEAR WORLD was at the event and “X” himself led multiple openings to keynote speakers, and short of Daniel Pink I think “X” did the best Keynote talks. He was honest, he was fresh and he had a clear purpose at the event. I ended up getting a “brain tattoo” and I am glad I did. You can read about it on my LinkedIn post here:
In this video, I speak to the fact that I have not posted in a while and I reflect on my apprehension to do so. I suffer from analysis paralysis and I bring up the irony that I have attended a few training sessions and listened to numerous podcasts on Imposter Syndrom created by my mentor/friend Betty Dannewitz. (She called me on a cell phone, and she said we are friends… it’s a thing.)
Supporting Video
In this vlog post, I talk about how April had a theme of radioactivity, and how nearly everything I did that month was related to nuclear radiation. I had the footage up front of the field trip and I put that video together separately because one of the students on the field trip is actually an Improvement Dave fan. I know it’s crazy, I have fans. I didn’t even know that.
This year I am focused on integration, and so far I am not sure I am doing a great job at it. I feel like the blog posts I have managed to create are long-winded, winding, tangled and disconnected. I feel like last year when my word for the year was Consistency I posted frequently and the posts were short, straight to the point, and therefore had a clear message. Or maybe I posted more so I was less focused on each specific post.
I recently shared this post (Close the Loop) with a new colleague and friend, ✨Kassy LaBorie. Her feedback was very telling. “David you are obviously intelligent, maybe a genius, but you need to make the message clear.” Well, I am paraphrasing, but that is the gist of what she said. (Thank you Kassy, you are a good friend.) She is right, I need to get back to why I started the blog, to talk about Instructional Design. ID work is about learning and the message needs to be clear. So, here it is.
The Point
I need to focus on simple outcomes. I need to get to the learning moment upfront of each post. So, if people only read the first paragraph they get the point. In this post, I did that. I went on and on supporting the “BIG IDEA” but I think I did less of that and all of what I said is pointing back to the idea that I need to focus on self-care because posting this was hard. I have suffered from analysis paralysis AGAIN. I fell back into my old rhythm. I can be integrated but I can not let go of consistency. It’s not one or the other it is both, and that’s the point.
I need to keep on stepping. I need to think less. I need to get out there.
My word for 2024 is Integration, and I am applying this goal to all of my projects. In this post, I integrate my interests in Podcasting, gardening, home repair, painting, video design, and parenting into a single message on productivity and self-improvement.
Video
I can beach. I can solder. I can paint I can speak. I can tie it all together.
AI Summary
Monica is a free AI assistant that I have added to Google Chrome, and she so kindly offered to summarize my video.
This video drives me closer to having a Podcaster tone of voice so the Video really drives this post. Also, in the post I share that I am slated to be a guest on the “If You Ask Betty” Podcast. This post is about me preparing my setup to arrive at that recording ready to roll. I had an issue recording on my current setup in 4K and then did not have an issue recording after I set my recording to 1080p.
The ways Monica caught my meaning and extrapolated the connections I inferred are amazing. I love how parts of the summary are inaccurate, for example, Monica stated that I will attend the “If You Ask Betty” Podcast and play the role of Ken.
00:04 Improvement Dave (David Kolmer) is excited to be on a podcast about the Barbie movie and is celebrating by throwing sand on his front yard to practice “beaching” like Ken.
David is a fan of the podcast “If You Ask Betty” and has listened to the Loki series multiple times.
He bought one ton of sand and plans to purchase another ton to create a backdrop on his front yard.
David’s wife is not impressed with the sand on the lawn, but he finds it fun and is practicing for his role as Ken in the podcast.
06:14 The speaker is working on fixing a pipe and plans to solder a new piece in place.
The sprinkler system is still in good condition.
The speaker purchased a piece of 1/2-inch pipe from Lowe’s.
They are using a husky cutter to cut out the old pipe.
The speaker plans to solder the new pipe in place using tinning flux and solder wire.
09:21 The video shows the process of using a torch to melt copper wire onto a snowboard, with some mishaps along the way.
The person lights up a torch to melt the copper wire onto the snowboard.
They accidentally melt the snowboard in the process.
They continue to apply the wire to the copper until it starts to discolor.
They notice steam coming out, indicating a problem with water in the line.
Despite some mishaps, they managed to successfully apply the liquid metal onto the painting.
12:28 The artist is experimenting with melted metal on a painting.
The artist didn’t initially want melted metal on the painting but decided to try it.
Some parts of the painting have liquid metal splatter.
The artist cleans off the discoloration on the painting with a wet rag.
15:35 The speaker discusses a plumbing issue that caused potential damage to their painting, but they were able to fix it by soldering a new piece of metal into the line above it.
The shut-off valve for the water was failing, which could have caused damage to the painting.
The speaker soldered a new piece of metal into the line above the painting to fix the issue.
Some silver tinning came off the painting while applying gel medium, causing concern.
[END MONICA AI CONTENT]
Beach Photos
I can Beach. I bought a ton of sand but I still need to purchase the second ton of sand after it stops raining all the time. I am strong, but there is no reason to shovel sand when it is wet a second time. That gets heavy!
Soldering Copper Water Pipe Photos
Here is a photograph of the old gate valve that stopped working last winter (2023), I simply shut it off and opened the bleeder valve planning to fix it in the spring (2024 / Now).
Here are two shots of the final product with the ball valve I installed in the video. (I learned I should work on my home improvement instructional video skills.)
Abstract Painting Photos
I have been trying for a while now to find a way to create “A Painting that Moves“. I am still unsure if I have gotten there, but I am getting closer. I have a history of painting abstract waterfalls on flat canvas, but now I am creating a support to drop the paint down where the paint spills as the waterfall. The paint would spill off the support onto the plastic liner so now I am crafting a support that has a 90-degree angle so the “Spilage” can be captured into the final piece.
The excess or runoff pool is quickly becoming my favorite part of these “gravity paintings.” I am spending more time making sure the pool below looks right and adding more color and texture to draw the observer’s eye to that aspect of the painting. These paintings are breaking the 4th wall in a way because they are working into the 3rd dimension and that is exciting to me.
Front View
Top View
These paintings hang “Sideways”, if you want to see more about that I have a video on that here.
I have found an artistic outlet through painting for years now. I really started painting a lot in 2005, when I lived in Lampang Thailand, and broke my foot. I had nothing to do and was not able to get around very well, so I used painting to pass the time and perhaps it aided me in the healing process.
I don’t have a very strong online art presence, but I do have an Etsy shop and a Facebook Page.
Improvement is something that always sounds good up front. The concept is wonderful, you will end up with something better than what you started with… Who wouldn’t want something better than what they already have?
The flip side is that nothing worth obtaining is easy to come by. Value is determined by the scarcity of a resource or the difficulty of learning. Improvement without real work does not add real value.
This post started with a simple video I created about fixing an issue I was having with my new Scarlet 4i4 audio interface recording into only one ear, (which is still how the post ends.)
Basement Office
As I told this story it caused me to work backward into describing all the work I did to build the sound booth I put in my basement. So, to integrate the process I took my time and told more of the story. This increased the quality of this post and I hope it adds more value to the reader. The pictures of me building my sound booth included the work on the bathroom adjacent to the home office/sound booth/guest room, so I included that work because it is part of the same story.
As I worked backward from making iterations on my sound stage I realized I hadn’t shared all the work I did on that room to get it where it is today. So I developed this second video as a retro-montage. I cover the steps in this video in more detail in the rest of the Blog post below.
This video covers cutting cement with gas saws, adding an egress window, leveling the floor, adding a jetted tub, and finishing the project. Content on sound-proofing is below.
Adding Value
When I put in the muted office space in my basement I did three things:
I added an egress window.
I “soundproofed” the walls with Mineral Wool & decoupling pads.
Hung a suspended ceiling.
Egress Window
I could have saved some time hiring someone else to put in an egress window but I saved a lot of money leveraging the knowledge, skill, and power of my dad, Mike Kolmer, and my friend (and CPA) Jon Carns.
This is what we had when we started:
I rented a gas-powered circular saw with a massive diamond-crusted blade and made cuts from inside and outside. Unfortunately, the cuts didn’t allow the block to fall outward so we had to knock it out with sledgehammers. Below is what we did ending with the updated egress window.
Why Add an Egress Window?
There are many benefits to adding an egress window into a basement, they are beauty, safety, and, income.
Beauty
It is very nice to have a big window in a basement room because it lets plenty of natural light into the room and makes it feel much less like a basement.
Safety
There is also the safety concern of a fire where people could escape from the window if there was a fire.
Income
This is related to the law around listing a room as a bedroom when renting or selling the property. If you have an egress window that meets local code requirements (a certain height from the floor, a big enough opening to crawl out of, and a certain size based on the size of the room,) then you can call it a bedroom! That will raise the monthly rent you can charge and or the selling price of the property.
What I learned…
…is that if I do this again I will pay more for a cement saw with a mount that cuts at a perfect 90-degree angle. They also have lasers on them, so I would also require that it has lasers, not because that is very important but because it is amazing.
Level the Playing Ground
After putting in the window I leveled the floor with some self-leveling cement. The first step is to paint down some primer rated for self-leveling cement. (Left below) Then mix the cement. (Center below) Lastly, pour and spread with a board. (Right, below)
Words cannot express how satisfying it was to pour very liquid cement on the floor of my basement and strike it out to level the floor.
After the Egress window was in and I felt better about the dip in the floor, I hung some 10 mil sheet plastic as a moisture barrier with “liquid nails” industrial caulk.
The next step was to put up some stud walls with pine 2″X4″ lumber. I used pressure-treated lumber on the bottom board because those hold up to moisture better than the cheaper untreated boards I used for the studs and the top plate.
Sound-Proofed the Room
So, I am using the term sound-proofed lightly here. I merely dampened the sound entering and reverberating within the room. If I had “soundproofed” my office that would have cost several tens of thousands of dollars, but I will say that my office is quiet and mute, and there are still things I could do to reduce the noise floor of the space.
Rockwool Insulation and Wool Pads
I also filled the walls and ceiling with Rockwool insulation. This fiber made from minerals adds additional sound absorption.
If you look closely at the pictures on the right, above, I also added wool strips between the gypsum drywall sheets and the studs in the whole room, and across the hall on the wall in front of the HVAC. All this was done to make the room mute and dampen sounds from outside.
There are definitely more complicated and much more expensive ways to decouple the drywall from the wooden stud, however, these wool pads worked and I purchased them at a clearance price at Menards. Whenever I upgrade a house I always look for the option with a good value. It’s not the fanciest system, but it did the job well and cost me almost nothing to implement.
Then, after hanging the drywall over the studs we hung a suspended ceiling. Luckily my (then) 5-year-old son had experience with this. He had also wired a few houses by then, which was helpful.
Yes, I am joking, this was his first experience hanging suspended ceilings and wiring LED light fixtures, but it’s never too early to learn how to build sweat equity in real estate, especially in an owner-occupied property!
That brings us up to 2014, and a lot has happened in the room where I am currently sitting, writing this blog post. For starters, I work from home in this room.
Jetted Tub
We installed a jetted tub! So, this has nothing to do with building my sound booth, but the work happened alongside the sound booth work, so it ended up in the retro montage video I opened this post with. This addition was less substantial overall but it is something that I use all the time to unwind and relax.
I have used this tub to take hot Epsom Salt baths, but it has also come in handy for ice water baths for muscle recovery, and a fun bath for the kids!
How I am Improving My Sound Booth Today
Sound in One Ear Using Camo Studio Pro with Focusrite Scarlet 4i4
in the original Video, I shot for this post, I looked further into a complication with my sound setup. It took me quite a bit of time to solve this issue. I wasn’t sure which sound setting was causing my audio to record into only the left channel.
At first, I thought this issue was with the Focusrite Scarlet 4i4 digital sound input. So I was looking at the audio settings in the app interface for that device, and they were not fixing the issue. in the end, I discovered a setting in the Camo Studio application (which I’m using to implement my cell phone as an HD camera), that caused the single audio channel in the final recording.
In this video, you can see me explaining this issue in detail, and I start with how I solved this issue, then I include all of the tests I ran while I was trying to understand why I was having this error. I ended the video with a humorous project I completed for work where I had to quickly put together a video that had sound in only one channel. At the end of this video, the movement of my lips is not synced with the sound, and it is disorienting. Unfortunately, this video was already published to the members of our organization before I realized I had made this error. this clarifies why it was so vital for me to solve this opportunity. #CamoStudioPro #FocusriteScarlet4i4 #focusritescarlett #Focusrite #Scarlet4i4 #Camostudio
Conclusion
This year I am focused on integrating the separate parts of my life. I have many interests and often do not have enough time to allocate to all of them adequately. Integration has become about clearly identifying the things I like to do and spending more time on them, so I can do them well. My interests in sound design, video, learning content, real estate, art, landscaping, and spending time with my family have all contributed to the success of this sound stage that I have built. There will always be ways to make it even quieter and find better ways to increase the quality of my videos. I must not let the idea of those things that I still plan to do demotivate or distract me from things I am doing today.
Improvement Dave 