#MVPbuzzChat with Jess Stratton

Hey everybody, it's Christian Buckley doing another MVP buzz chat and I'm talking today with Jess. Hello. >> Hello. >> So Jess, for folks that don't know you, who are you? Where are you and what do you do? Yes, I am Jess Stratton, um, aka Nerd Girl Jess, and I'm very excited because I just filed for an actual trademark for that. So, that's kind of exciting for me. >> I do computer training and co-pilot training in Microsoft 365. I have a lot of courses on the LinkedIn Learning platform. I used to be a senior staff instructor with LinkedIn Learning and now I am independent again just registered Nerd Girl Jess LLC. So kind of on my own and and working that and it's really fun. And I'm based out of Rhode Island. >> You know, you've got that skill set that I still I don't understand. It's funny as a people that that create a lot of content that's out there. Again, there's different skill sets in content creation. I've got a good friend uh uh shortcut Sherry Sher Oswald. >> I love I know her. I love her. Amazing. >> And so she does a great So she's been out and done a lot of LinkedIn training courses. She does like she just has that whittle down. She has a model for creating that kind of content. But she's always coming to me like Christian like I don't understand how you can write so much other content. And so we I and I tried to tell her I said it's easier for you to do what I do than it is for me to do what you do. For me to shift to the model to go and create like it's pain painful painstaking to create that kind of learning content. >> It's crazy. Well, and I've been I've been very lucky. I've had 12 year, you know, I've been in tech for 25 30 years, but I've had 12 years as a senior staff instructor to actually hone that skill. And it is a skill. It's insane because over time learning needs have shifted and the way we the way we consume education has shifted and so it used to go you know back when we were doing it virtually there would be like a three-day class to go learn Microsoft Word right I don't know you remember that we would go and take a class three days we would remember maybe 5% of everything that we learned um and so then these courses were created and we would create you know first a 4-hour course then it would be like okay we need an hour and a half and then it got down to okay we need like you know a 45 minute class on Microsoft work you know they've got to be short and oh by the way and every time we created a new iteration of that course you know because back then they were still on the cycle of you know office specific office releases you know Microsoft was kind of a thing but they were still on like scheduled releases so at that point we could create the courses and then it was you know well we need to make it shorter But you still have to get content on all these new features. So then we have to be really picky and choosy about well what are people doing? What are the trends? Like what are people actively using? You know, and what are they actually know how to do? You know, because it used to be like we would be like we would turn on our GPS voice and be like, you know, click file and save as to save the, you know, and turn left on Smith Street. But now we, you know, it got to a point where we're like, "All right, nobody prints anything anymore. We can get rid of that." You know, people know how to save a document. We can we can skip that step. Um, and so it just comes down to learning how people are using the technology, what we can get rid of, what chapters, you know, what videos, and some things are painful. Some things you're like, "Oh, I really like teaching people that." I was like, "But, you know, it just can't make the final cut, so I got to throw it out." So, it's really just learning how to hone that craft over the years. >> Well, something, you know, I love a lot of that content. I have people that I uh that I follow on on especially on YouTube to see new content that comes out and that they are so meticulous like that walking through breaking down features and walkthroughs, that kind of content. And when I've attempted to go and create that kind of content, most of the training that I do, it's not that meticulous. It's not like that. it it's more of a because I have a like as an example I have a 16-hour project management course that I deliver in two-hour blocks or two or fourhour blocks you know over multiple days for that and it's pretty intensive but even in a two-hour block there is a breakdown of each of the two hours where it's uh where I uh uh walk through and explain you know the the the the you know the core message of that part of the module that half of it I then demo a certain thing and then it's projects it's their hands dirty and but I'm just there answering questions and so that mixture of of uh you know presentation uh uh showcasing examples so let's say five minutes of presentation 10 minutes of demo and then the remainder of the time is practice this uh and answering their questions live. So like when you talk about because they obviously they know these things, there's always those people that don't know how do I upload this file and so you're there answering those questions live as well. That's my experience with the with training material these days. And I think that's what you need that because you need and that's why even for a trainer it's so important to be out there doing webinars and getting those questions doing conferences because over time you kind of lose that intuition about what not everybody knows you know like I I just remember that that everybody has that aha moment when they're like oh I got to explain this stuff you know because I remember one time and this was a conference and I was talking about creating a VM and blah blah blah blah blah and then you know that somebody in the audience and I will never forget they were like you know right at the end and she was like what's a BM I was heartbroken I felt so bad I was like that is such an assumption that I made that everybody knows what that is you know but when you're teaching these courses and they're just training videos on YouTube you don't get that kind of feedback so I think that's so important to always still do that >> I always say it's like you know that there's the ad old adage you know that there's there's no stupid question I say no there is it's the question that you never asked Yes. >> That you held on the inside. Like don't do that. Like like I don't want to assume that everyone knows what I'm talking about. If I go too fast, >> tell me. I'm happy to explain that or reexlain it. Uh if I went too quick through something and we can walk through. Said that's what I said. I'm here for you. You're not here for me for my ego. So >> that's exactly it. And you just nailed it. Like you can't have an ego cuz you always get feedback and if you should always be asking for feedback and the of it's always nice to hear that you did well. Everybody likes that. But that's the gems are, hey, you need to do this. You could do this better. You didn't ask this. You know, a water bottle is not a prop. Put it down. You know, actual feedback that I got. And I really appreciated that because I probably was one of my first few, you know, and I was nervous and I was kind of like, >> isn't it the prompt? You know, and that was so valuable. I was so thankful that somebody said that, you know, >> right? Well, I and I think you probably agree with this. I I think every question that's asked, I go back and I adjust that same material to make sure that I like here are the questions that were asked and when I take notes. Sometimes I'll even pause, hold on, let me write this down. uh even though it's recording I'm like I still capture it because I will go and on the break find the answer or or change what I'm he says let's go back let's recover this one just to make sure everybody's you know at the same level here uh or I'll build it in the materials for the next time I deliver the class >> always always and whenever I create a new very like a new iteration of my course you know I would always say hey can you print out the feed can you give me the feedback because I want to make sure like that I'm getting everything that people ask in there so important other you'll never grow otherwise never. >> Well Jess I have to ask like so you you were part of the the the Microsoft employee ecosystem there the LinkedIn learning and all of that for >> con I and I'm uh >> so what was your um origin story of becoming an MVP like it's just from working with a lot of MVPs that you knew about the program or kind of what's your story there? It was it was so I got l I worked for LinkedIn Learning as a senior staff instructor for 12 years and then three years ago I was in one of those really big rounds of layoffs and um there was a bunch of staff instructors that were still left you know and it was it was just a sad day all around you know where it's a very close community there everybody it was just an amazing environment of just really awesome smart unbelievably hardworking people you know we were just like a welloiled machine. It was a great team. I learned so much about business processes through them because and I'm forever spoiled by like how well it's really run. Um, and so when that happened, I was I was bummed, but at the same time, it was such a great environment and everybody was so great that it's one of those like I think they've spoiled me for any other company going forward. You know, they really have. Like, how could anything top that? They were just such an incredibly like I can't even say enough good things about everybody there. So, I was like, well, I might as well just try to do this on my own. You know, at the time I had a teenager. She's just completed her first year of college, getting ready to go into her second year. So, we were we were going to be dealing with like graduation, touring schools, getting her. So, I knew I was going to have like a whole bunch of life things coming up. So, I was like, I'm just going to try to do this thing on my own. Let's just see, you know, because I had done webinars. I at the time I had a pretty solid LinkedIn following which was amazing and I'm very thankful for. So I was like I just need to keep that momentum. So like the the day I got laid off everybody's like you know just take a break or something and and you know in tech I'm like I can't do that. I'm like going to be so far behind if I do that. That's not happening. So I just didn't stop. I I kind of just went in gear that week. I registered nerdgirl.com. threw up a it was a Google Sites website, created like a quick logo. I did that in PowerPoint. Um, and then I just threw everything up and got ready and I'm like, "Okay, now now I wait." And so I created some training packages and fortunately I was able to keep some momentum of some people that had used me for webinars and I kind of reached out to them because this is what a lot of this is like. This is what I'm learning like sink or swim. you know, when you're on your own, you you kind of always have to be like a lion, like where's my next meal coming from? It's almost like where's my ne where's my next deal sale coming from or deal? So, I would kind of reach out to people. I'm like, hey, I'm offering these packages, put together some things. And at the time, I got reached out um by a publisher called A Press because I'd had a lot of courses on Copilot on LinkedIn Learning. They're like, "Hey, would you write a book for us on Copilot? It's brand new." because it was very new at the time and I was like, well, funny. I happen to have a lot of time on my hands now, so yes, I would love to. So, I was able to turn it out pretty quickly, especially because it was so new. There was not a lot of books out at the time. I was very lucky. It was very good timing. Um, it was making, you know, lemonade out of lemons. And the book came out and it I was really proud of it and it led to a lot of really great um great things. You know, like they do say you do not make a lot of money when you publish a book. And >> my my saying that I always say about books is it's the most amount of work you can do for the least amount of money. Yeah. >> 100% true. 100% true. But it did. It was worth it was one, it was worth it for a great sense of pride. Two, creating the book, I learned so much. It was right. >> It was worth it alone just for how much I learned doing it about co-pilot. You know, like I'd already known about co-pilot, but this really made me get my ducks in a row about like all the facts. you know, I had to all the exercises, all the promps, I just learned so much about it. And I was able to take that momentum and create more training packages from it. And then from then, I was able to use a lot and share what I know, get some videos out. Um, I was just always posting on LinkedIn just because it was the thing to do, you know, like I just wanted to keep that momentum. I enjoy it. I work by myself. been working from myself from my house mostly in this little 5x7 soundproof booth for like 25 years. So, um you know, I need that connection with people. So, I love going out on LinkedIn. It's not work, it's just fun. And um I do a lot of volunteering also um with driving. Like, it's just a hobby of mine, motorsports. And so one of the LinkedIn Learning producers when I started doing contract courses, she's like, "Have you ever thought about, you know, being an MVP, she's like, "You're kind of doing all that stuff already." She's like, "You might as well just apply for it." And so I was like, >> "Huh, okay." So I did and then I kind of forgot about it because, you know, it takes three months. Like at first I was like, you know, for for the first couple weeks I was like, "Oh, it's going to be a long week." And then just stuff happened and I forgot all about it. And then all of a sudden I got that email and I was like I think I did that when you know when I got the email I was so I I just felt really accomplished. It was a great feeling. I'm so excited but I'm more excited >> just for the networking that I've got to meet all these like amazingly smart people that I'm now following and can connect with and it's a dream. It's such a a gift. Very thankful for it. >> Yeah. No, it it it's fantastic. It's it's uh one of the things I always say is that uh look, I was doing the stuff that I was doing to begin an MVP before I was an MVP. I'll be doing the same stuff afterwards. You know, it's it's not the reason why I do the things that I do and create content. It's just part part of me. But I'm so grateful for the program for uh you know, for that recognition because it does open up doors. It is it's fantastic. I don't want to just uh you know I don't know the right word that I'm looking for uh to say that I I am it's funny we there's there's a whole meme now of humbled andhonored every time all the renewal every July and so we do hash humbled and honored because everybody uses those words it's like funny >> but they are like the best descriptive words for >> being part of part of the program and and the network and the doors that it opens. It's It's just It's been fantastic. >> It has. Yeah. >> And you don't think about it like like I never thought about it. I was like, "These are just things that I do." Until somebody said, "Hey, you should you know, you should think about this." And then when I put it on um LinkedIn, like it was so surprising to me the amount of people that said I thought you I just assumed you already were, you know, like and I thought that was really like out of anything that I could have gotten like that was the most like touching and and nicest thing I could have ever read, you know. I was like, "Oh yeah, >> I I had the same thing where the the the guy who the MVP who submitted me nominated me for that said the same thing." is like I just kept seeing him at different conferences, different events. I was doing a lot of speaking and I was, you know, blessed to work for a company. So, we were talking before we started recording about, you know, companies that you you work for and and pros and cons of of that versus being independent. But I worked for a company, this company Exceler, where thankfully they really understood the community aspect. And so they were very supportive before, you know, the things that I was doing out in community um before I became an MVP and certainly after that. Uh and for a lot of those events around the world, getting to represent them and they're paying for my flights and hotels to go speak at these events. um it was still my time and I did a lot of community events where they were my weekends. Fact the SharePoint Saturday um which now has been kind of displaced by the community days.org for folks that aren't familiar with that community day events that are out there that are all community-led um free events that are happening around the world. One year I did 18 of those 18 of my weekends. And I'm not it's not a brag. There's people that have done more and I'm like, well, they've got I have a problem. They have a problem. Um I think somebody did 24 was the the high number there. But um it was still like my weekends giving up my company was thankfully paying for the travel and and you know all of that. But they knew that hey it's it's important. It's good for the community. It helps their brand to have uh their person there of course. But um you know it was even without that I would have done you know as much as I could in the region just right around me. So >> but yeah it's it's a great community of of folks and I like Jeff Teper uh who's what's what's his current title? President of collaborative apps and services and whatever I don't know it changes says it's the best tech community in the world. It really is. It really is. Yeah, just every just smart, friendly, welcoming. It's Yeah. >> Well, so Jess, what's your uh you I'm sure you've had people coming out reaching out to you now and saying, "Okay, what's like how do I become an MVP? How do I get into like what what could I go and do? What's your advice for folks that are kind of in the orbit around the the community that are doing some things but are interested in being part of the MVP community?" Yeah, I would say share just, you know, it's all about the sharing like you said, like share what you know. But here's the thing. I feel like that tends to block everybody because they always think that they have to do something really super technical and, you know, super advanced and that's kind of a block. They get overwhelmed and don't want to do it. Well, I think the basic, you know, like the basics, like what's just something like a a stupid tip that you love? I'm like, just put it out there because you're going to get like tons of people that are going to be like, you know, I didn't know about that. And it's unbelievable how many grateful people there are to hear about. Like the littlest thing that you've known forever and you've been using forever and you're like, I don't want to post about that. Everybody knows about that. No, they don't. and they will be very grateful to hear it. So just like just start doing it, you know, that's probably exactly what I would say to them. >> If I look at the analytics of my blog, there's always three or four blog posts of those throwaway simple old, they weren't even new, but like some of my favorite productivity tips that are out there. I used to do a ton of content around productivity tips. They're I wrote these blog posts like six to 10 years ago. They're still in my top 10. >> People are still finding them. >> Yes. >> Love that. >> Yeah. It's it's amazing. Like things that you don't even And even like shopkeepers. So like perfect example like my Apple Watch. I love it. You know, I'll go out somewhere whenever I go to a store and you know, you just double tap put it down and it and you can walk right out. Like it's faster than even doing it on your phone. and the sheer amount of shop owners that are at the register that are like, "That's so cool." I'm like, "Well, you see like thousands of people doing that, you know, they don't see anybody doing it because people don't know about it." And for, you know, for us, it's just something like, "Well, that's, you know, one of the core features. We love that about our nobody knows about it." It's like, throw that out there. Everybody's gonna going to love it. So, all these little things that you think everybody knows and they don't. It's crazy, >> you know? Here here's an another example. I've talked about this a couple times, but I think last fall someone showed me and again I've been doing productivity tips for, you know, years for 15 plus years. Um, and somebody said I like the the format brush in Word, PowerPoint, whatever, where you can click on it, select this header style, and then paint it down this text and it pops it. I didn't know that if you doubleclick >> Yes. IT STAYS ON. >> IT STAYS ON. I'm like, where is this documented? How did I not know this? You know, so that's in my my productivity session I did a couple months ago. And again, I do I said show of hands. And more than half the room, I'd say three4s of the room said people who if you've never seen this before, most of the hands went up. And that's a lot of fun doing in those sessions as well too. >> Yes. >> Yeah. It's like what what blows your mind because there's when you do productivity tips and I do the like 20 of my favorite productivity tips and I change it up every time I give it and it's a different mixture of new and old and and I always tell people I said you know you're going to be watching this you're gonna be like heard of it heard of it heard of it and then that next one you're it's going to blow your mind and change your life. >> Yeah. It really It's so true. So true. Somebody like I I just remember like my aha moment that I feel like everybody already knew about but me was CarPlay. Like I was in somebody's car and they had CarPlay and like I always listen to music and have the map on. >> Mhm. >> And she just went down to the bottom right left hand corner and just tapped on that little square and it was instantly like the the um the tiles where you could see the map on one side and the music and your next turn. And I was like, >> "Yeah, >> that was my mind." My mind was blown when I saw that. I was like, "It's been there all this time." And I >> I've gotten there by accident. So, yes, I know what you're talking about. >> Yeah. But little Yeah, every time you learn like that one little thing, it's it's awesome. Yes. And those productivity tips are also good to know if you're doing a demo and it like something doesn't work or like you're waiting and something's taking too long. You're like, "Let me show you this really cool thing." It's great for It's great for distractions also. >> Hey Jess, one one last question for you because I I get a lot of uh questions and and people that are interested in the MVP program and I think there's the there's they're mistaken in their thinking about what it takes to become an MVP. Like somebody insisted it's like, well, I know that you have to be speaking at conferences. are like no no you don't have to be speaking at conferences >> but what are your primary content types I mean coming from the training background but have you kind of expanded that what are your primary contribution output types >> primary contributions are videos and some of they're all the lengths are all over the map some of them are you know like a little six minute YouTube tutorial some of them are you know um a 40-minut minute course on LinkedIn learning and some of them are a one-hour webinar that I've recorded. So most of them are videos so just get them out there and the other part is um blog posts and and just tutorials with some screenshots on them. And most of the time those are just things that I'm like hey people need to know about this or hey I think this is really cool. Did you know you could do this? you know, like one of them was um right right when Copilot first came out, like I found out that you can use co-pilot to make icons. So, I was like, I'm just going to make all these really cool like neon icon an icon set for my stream deck. >> And it was like cuz I know nothing about graphic arts. Like, I don't know how to do this. I'm like, but co-pilot does. And I was like, oh, it can do that. So, I created a blog post about that. So, it's almost just keep like keep your phone handy and just like keep a a notepad handy of just the things that as you go about your daily life, you're like, "Oh, this is really helpful to me. I bet this would help other people." And then just kind of write it down and then figure out if you want to make a video about it or just a blog post about it. But it's just it's just getting it out there, you know? Find find the way that works for you. Like don't just do it for the sake of doing it. Do something that do a method that you really connect with. >> Right. That's >> No, I love that. It's a Well, we there there's never a a wrong reason to share content and ideas out there with the community and the the the community will benefit from having more voices uh out there. So, uh yeah, don't we are our own greatest barrier to uh sharing content like we we selfedit. I've talked myself out of so many posts because I was like, I'm probably wrong or like everybody probably already knows about this. Like insert, you know, insert any one of many little voices that come, but just do it. It doesn't matter. Like I've gotten to the point now where I'm like, I'm just going to get it out there. And it's always been the right choice. >> You heard it here. Jess says just do it. >> Yes. >> Just need to go trademark that or something. Yes. >> So, Jess, really appreciate your time. >> Yeah, no problem. This was fun. Thank you for having me.