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Performance,  Transformed

“...The content you are pushing out is really impressive. This is really admirable. There are people like me, years behind you, that you are inspiring whether you know it or not.”
— - Organization Development Consultant

5 FREE or Inexpensive Ways to Keep Your Learning Sharp During COVID-19

COVID-19 has brought almost immediate change to how people work. Many people are working remotely, while others are looking for new jobs during this pandemic. To make sure that you're ready for whatever comes next, now is the BEST time to be learning new skills and keeping older skills sharp. During this time of ambiguity, I want to share some resources that are free or inexpensive to support your lifelong learning.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): These are courses online that are different from traditional e-learning. There are often 1000’s of people enrolled and users can move at their own pace with assignments due weekly. Some courses involve group projects. Lectures are online and students can access them when it is convenient. Having competed over 20 MOOC courses since starting my company eight years ago, I recommend Coursera and EdX. Learn from faculty at some of the top universities in the world for free or a very low price.  Coursera includes courses from universities such as Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Penn. They have an app for Android and iOS, in addition to being available on the Internet. A Stanford class I took a few years ago through Coursera put me on a global project team with students who were employees of Google and Facebook. Together, we proposed solutions for learning design in third world countries. EdX has courses from MIT, Harvard, and Georgetown, to name a few.

TED Talks: Another excellent resource for supporting competencies and enhancing learning, TED Talks are 8-15-minute presentations on a specific topic. TED Talks are free and accessible on the Internet or via an Android or iOS app.

Top Business Books: With so many bestselling business books available, you may not have physical space at home for all of them. I recommend Overdrive through your local library to gain access to e-books for FREE. This provides 24/7 access to books and audio books that can be read online, downloaded in Amazon Kindle Format, or on the Overdrive App to listen to audio books. I check out audio books via Overdrive often, especially when traveling, so that I can keep my learning sharp. Here is a recent blog that details my most recent recommended books on Leadership, Coaching, and Social Justice.

Podcasts: I often listen to podcasts when I am cycling, running, or driving in the car. Some that I recommend include: The Tim Ferris Show, Work Life by Adam Grant, Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman, and Essentialism by Grey McKeown.

Digital Learning: From watching YouTube videos to learn new skills, to inexpensive online courses to close gaps, I have taken advantage of digital learning to support my development. To help other’s learn, I have created over 50 short YouTube videos on my channel on topics including: Emotional Intelligence, Optimism, Resilience, and Grit, Career Planning, Creativity and Innovation, Difficult Conversations, Mentoring, and Neuro Coaching. I have also built two digital courses: Optimism, Resilience and Grit and Mentor Program Design with Strong ROI.

How are you continuing your learning during COVID-19? Leave a Comment to Share.

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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and executive coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.

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