Introducing New Articulate Superhero: Bruce Graham

Over nearly five years, we’ve noticed that something interesting happens when Bruce Graham posts in the E-Learning Heroes forums. People rally around his quick wit and innovative work, intrigued and inspired. In a flash, a single posted thought or screenr becomes a conversation. He starts threads and joins them, keeps watch over the Articulate community, and is quick to assist—just like a real superhero. Stuck on a problem? Looking for feedback? Want someone to share your joy about a Storyline feature? Bruce is right there with tips, insight, and applause honed from his years as an instructional designer. And through each of his conversations, he weaves a humble and supportive thread all his own. That’s why we’ve made Bruce an Articulate Superhero. A longstanding superhero by actions, now a superhero by title, too.

By all accounts, it’s clear that Bruce is passionate about e-learning. But he’s equally eager to help others in the Articulate community find their toehold in the world of independent e-learning consulting. “As a ‘lone worker,’ it’s sometimes very hard to keep going without the normalities of social interaction,” Bruce explains. “You don’t get annual appraisals. Sometimes you need validation that what you’re saying and doing is useful to others. I measure my success partly on the success I can bring to others, helping them have an easier ride over some of the hurdles I had to fall over.”

If you read threads on E-Learning Heroes, you’ll quickly realize that Bruce doesn’t just talk the talk; he walks the walk. Designers looking to blaze a trail on their own find in Bruce a mentor and sounding board, an accessible professional who shares tips and travails gleaned from years of experience.

Here are some of our favorite (and super helpful)
Bruce-isms:

• How to say “no”—and protect your reputation. Bruce weighs in with great info for freelancers tempted to take every opportunity that crosses their plate. You’ll also appreciate Bruce’s sage vignette on “Pecha Kucha” style (don’t worry, he’ll explain what that means!).

• How to get new projects. This thread includes many tips on defining, polishing, and promoting your work to clients so you spend more time working on new projects and less time worrying about your project pipeline.

• How to communicate more in less slide space. Bruce routinely posts screenrs with great advice on using Articulate software. In our current favorite, Bruce shows how you can use the Zoom feature in Articulate Storyline to tell visually-rich, clutter-free, and easy-to-read stories. Maybe you’ll try it in your next Storyline course!

View the Screenr

Fun Facts

Bruce is a natural entertainer with some great life stories. Who knew he survived a UK Special Forces stun-grenade attack? How about that he learned to play jazz and dance-band drums from the late and great Roy Castle? Ask him about these sometime!

Thank you, Bruce, for all your work toward making the Articulate community the most interesting and fun place in the e-learning universe. Articulate Superhero, you make us proud!

Looking for Bruce? He’s easy to find:

• E-Learning Heroes: go to Bruce Graham‘s page
• Twitter: @BrucUK
• Website: http://pperf.co.uk/