Sources: http://www.cuyamaca.edu/eops/dsps/resourcesaud.asp, http://www.studytechniques.org/learning-styles-auditory.html, http://www.trcc.commnet.edu/Ed_Resources/TASC/Training/Auditory_Learning.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_learning.
Everyone learns in a different way, so the specific methods that an individual should use to study a particular subject can vary from person to person. However, there are three primary ways that an individual may learn information, which include hearing the information, learning about something by touching or using it, or by actually seeing the information or seeing the information applied. These three methods, also known as learning styles, are the three main ways that people learn information, but most people will usually learn more effectively using one method than they would using either of the other two methods. Individuals that learn more effectively by hearing the information are referred to as auditory learners.
Auditory learning is a learning style in which a person learns through listening. They may struggle to understand a chapter they've read, but then experience a full understanding as they listen to the class lecture. An auditory learner may benefit by using the speech recognition tool available on many PCs.
The best way to determine whether or not you or another individual is an auditory learner is to ask yourself or the other individual some simple questions. First, when you are checking over an essay that you have written, do you go back and read the sentences aloud to see if they sound right? Secondly, when you have to learn to use something new, do you like someone to explain how to do it? Finally, do you have difficulty reading or spelling certain words if you cannot sound them out aloud? If the answer to all three of these questions is "yes," or if you find that you use sound in similar ways, there is a very good chance that you are an auditory learner.
One should have in mind, however, that each one of us has the three learning styles within. The case is one of them is predominant. Nevertheless, it does not impair you from working out the other two and eventually achieve balance.
Auditory learners may have a knack for ascertaining the true meaning of someone's words by listening to audible signals like changes in tone. When memorizing a phone number, an auditory learner will say it out loud and then remember how it sounded to recall it.
Auditory learners tend to:
• Read to self out loud.
• Not be afraid to speak in class.
• Like oral reports.
• Be good at explaining.
• Remember names.
• Notice sound effects in movies.
• Enjoy music.
• Be good at grammar and foreign language.
• Read slowly.
• Follow spoken directions well.
• Have trouble keeping quiet for long periods.
• Enjoy acting, being on stage.
Auditory Learners Can Benefit from:
• Using word association to remember facts and lines.
• Recording lectures.
• Watching videos.
• Repeating facts with eyes closed.
• Participating in group discussions.
• Using audiotapes for language practice.
• Taping notes after writing them.
Worst test type: Reading passages and writing answers about them in a timed test.
Best test type:
Auditory Learners are good at writing responses to lectures they’ve heard. They’re also good at oral exams, effectively by listening to information delivered orally, in lectures, speeches, and oral sessions. Auditory learners make up about 20% of the population. Auditory learners use phrases such as "Sounds good to me" and "It's starting to ring a bell." When describing memories they will often focus on the sounds they heard, or what people were saying.
It is believed that when an auditory/verbal (i.e. listening to information delivered orally) learner reads, it is almost impossible for the learner to comprehend anything without sound in the background. In these situations, listening to music or having different sounds in the background (TV, people talking, etc) will help learners work better.
Auditory learning can also be considered a different style of learning. Some people are visual learners, some kinesthetic learners, some tactile learners, and some are auditory learners. This is explained as a person who depends on hearing and speaking as a main way of learning. Auditory learners must be able to hear what is being said in order to understand and may have difficulty with instructions that are written. They also use their listening and repeating skills to sort through the information that is sent to them.
Characteristics of auditory learners
• good at storytelling
• solves problems by talking them through
• speech patterns include “I hear you; that clicks”
• moving their lips or talking to themselves to help accomplish tasks.
Teaching auditory learners
• verbal direction
• group discussions
• verbal reinforcement
• group activities
• reading aloud
• putting information into a rhythmic pattern such as: rap, poem, or song.
Techniques for the Auditory Learner
In the article Learning Style Awareness by Annette Vincent and Dianne Ross they explain techniques that auditory learners can use to gain information more effectively. They state “Advice to auditory learners” should include:
• Make tapes of class notes and then listen to them.
• Remember details by trying to "hear" previous discussions.
• Participate in class discussions.
• Ask questions and volunteer in class.
• Read assignments out loud.
• Whisper new information when alone
• Chew gum and talk to yourself during class breaks like lectures and language classes.
Keep fighting. Keep dreaming. Keep loving.
quarta-feira, 24 de junho de 2009
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
Today we take yet another different turn in the series. Instead of thematic dissertations, I deliver to you the transcript of a speech given by none other than Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO and creative mind. The speech is indeed longuish and probably you will only have time for it at home or even on the weekend. Even so, I strongly recommend you watch the video and read the transcript, for indeed you will be talking about it for weeks. As usual, we are open for questioning and suggestions. Nice reading.
Transcript of the Commencement Speech at Stanford given by Steve Jobs
From: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1422863/posts
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
Thank you. I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation.
Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months but then stayed around as a drop-in for another eighteen months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife, except that when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got an unexpected baby boy. Do you want him?" They said, "Of course." My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college.
This was the start in my life. And seventeen years later, I did go to college, but I naïvely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and no idea of how college was going to help me figure it out, and here I was, spending all the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned Coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example.
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer was beautifully hand-calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me, and we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts, and since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them.
If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class and personals computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.
Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college, but it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever--because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.
My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was twenty. We worked hard and in ten years, Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We'd just released our finest creation, the Macintosh, a year earlier, and I'd just turned thirty, and then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew, we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so, things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge, and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our board of directors sided with him, and so at thirty, I was out, and very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down, that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure and I even thought about running away from the Valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me. I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I'd been rejected but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life. During the next five years I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, "Toy Story," and is now the most successful animation studio in the world.
In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT and I returned to Apple and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance, and Lorene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle.
My third story is about death. When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "no" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important thing I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctors' code for "prepare to die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next ten years to tell them, in just a few months. It means to make sure that everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope, the doctor started crying, because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and, thankfully, I am fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept. No one wants to die, even people who want to go to Heaven don't want to die to get there, and yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalogue, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stuart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late Sixties, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form thirty-five years before Google came along. I was idealistic, overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stuart and his team put out several issues of the The Whole Earth Catalogue, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-Seventies and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath were the words, "Stay hungry, stay foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. "Stay hungry, stay foolish." And I have always wished that for myself, and now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay hungry, stay foolish.
Thank you all, very much.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Transcript of the Commencement Speech at Stanford given by Steve Jobs
From: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1422863/posts
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
Thank you. I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation.
Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months but then stayed around as a drop-in for another eighteen months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife, except that when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got an unexpected baby boy. Do you want him?" They said, "Of course." My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college.
This was the start in my life. And seventeen years later, I did go to college, but I naïvely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and no idea of how college was going to help me figure it out, and here I was, spending all the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned Coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example.
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer was beautifully hand-calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me, and we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts, and since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them.
If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class and personals computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.
Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college, but it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever--because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.
My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was twenty. We worked hard and in ten years, Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We'd just released our finest creation, the Macintosh, a year earlier, and I'd just turned thirty, and then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew, we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so, things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge, and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our board of directors sided with him, and so at thirty, I was out, and very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down, that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure and I even thought about running away from the Valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me. I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I'd been rejected but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life. During the next five years I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, "Toy Story," and is now the most successful animation studio in the world.
In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT and I returned to Apple and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance, and Lorene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle.
My third story is about death. When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "no" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important thing I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctors' code for "prepare to die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next ten years to tell them, in just a few months. It means to make sure that everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope, the doctor started crying, because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and, thankfully, I am fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept. No one wants to die, even people who want to go to Heaven don't want to die to get there, and yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalogue, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stuart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late Sixties, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form thirty-five years before Google came along. I was idealistic, overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stuart and his team put out several issues of the The Whole Earth Catalogue, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-Seventies and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath were the words, "Stay hungry, stay foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. "Stay hungry, stay foolish." And I have always wished that for myself, and now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay hungry, stay foolish.
Thank you all, very much.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
segunda-feira, 22 de junho de 2009
The Visual Learner
Sources: http://www.cuyamaca.edu/eops/dsps/resourcesvis.asp, http://www.learning-styles-online.com/style/visual-spatial/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_learning, http://www.leadershipturn.com/the-visual-learner/, http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/learningstyle.htm, http://www.studytechniques.org/learning-styles-visual.html, http://www.studygs.net/visual.htm.
Learning, for visual-spatial learners, takes place all at once, with large chunks of information grasped in intuitive leaps, rather than in the gradual accretion of isolated facts, small steps or habit patterns gained through practice. For example, they can learn all of the multiplication facts as a related set in a chart much easier and faster than memorizing each fact independently. The best way to determine whether or not you or another individual is a visual learner is to ask yourself or the other individual some simple questions. First, when you are checking over an essay that you have written, do you find it easy to just read over the essay again quietly to yourself? Secondly, when you have to learn something new, would you like to read the instructions before you do anything? Finally, when you are attempting to spell a word or understand a concept do you try to visualize that word or visualize an example of that concept? If the answer to all three of these questions is "yes," or if you find that you use visual aids in similar ways, there is a very good chance that you are a visual learner. But remember, people are not same. What is described here is merely a general collection of similar patterns found in individuals of again similar learning behavior. Have also in mind that nobody is 100% visual and 0% the others or vice-versa. What we have is a predominant style. However, it is totally possible to work out the other non-predominant two to try to equalize the three and thus become a more powerful learner.
You will find below some practical lists to help you perform better at school, work, a seminar, etc.
Organizing:
• The visual/spatial perspective is the organizing principle
Perfectionism for visual/spatial learners is a well-ordered and -designed space with each object in its place and appealingly so.
They are uncomfortable, even restless, encountering incomplete or unsettled situations
• With an instinctive sense of balance and completeness
they can tell when something is out of alignment, or not truly horizontal or vertical.
They are adept at working with mirror images and rotating images in their minds, and strive to bring order by constructing, arranging, color coding, or fixing things
Observing/experiencing:
• Visual/spatial learners are good at seeing the “big picture”
of both simple and complex systems. Overviews or summaries are their specialty, often at the expense of remembering details or constructing sequences
• Personal presentation (dress, grooming, even gestures) is important
Their own presentation/dress is as important as what they notice about others. They establish eye contact when speaking, though can be distracted by their surroundings. So also background sounds can disrupt their listening skills, and they often doodle during lectures, at meetings, etc.
• They prefer to read and work under subdued or natural lighting
and in comfortable conditions, and are uncomofrtable with glare/harsh lighting, rough clothing, drafts, and temperature extremes
Learning strategies:
• Focus on the learning objectives of the class
Meet with the teacher to understand and apply these to your situation
• Request advanced organizers
to help you relate to new material with what you already know
• Look for opportunities to work with, manipulate and/or engage new material
o Hands-on approach manipulating forms or objects
o Using visual clues or landmarks rather than (verbal) sequential steps
• Look for visual/spatial dimensions in your study:
Example: geometry has more visual components than algebra in mathematics;
physics rather than chemistry in science;
graphic applications in computer science and technology fields;
studio arts in the creative arts, architecture, mechanics, aeronautics, engineering, urban planning
• Seek out independent and open-ended studies,
problem-based learning, case studies, or ways you can be more active with the material to be learned and have alternative strategies of assessment or demonstrating learning
Study habits
• Always have the "big picture" before you
especially when studying its parts or details
• When trying to remember things,
close your eyes to get a “picture” or image of the information to facilitate recall or use flash cards with limited information so that you can "picture" details and concepts
• Once a concept is grasped,
Practise applying the information to new situations or progressive stepped learning
in place of routine drill and practice that will challenge your attention span
• Use mind or concept maps (rather than outlines)
to organize writing assignments to visualize ideas, their connections, sequences, and conclusions
Brainstorm using illustrations, mind maps and models
• Look for alternative sources of visual material when you study
videos, overheads and PowerPoint demonstrations, graphs, maps, and media programs
Using technology:
• Take advantage of the visual elements
of the computer in studying or locating information
• Take advantage of stop/start/replay
in mediated programs
• Produce your own mediated programs
in place of written reports
• Develop and apply graphical and/or three dimensional models
to understand new material
For lectures
• Avoid visual distractions
in classroom seating (windows, open doorways, etc.)
• Look for opportunities to break up lectures
with reflective though active exercises (question-write-pair-share) and brain-storming sessions
• Illustrate your notes
with images and graphs
• Review and organize your notes after class
with concept maps
• Keep and organize a file of handouts
and summary documents after lectures for review
• Request "guided notes" or blanks in handouts
that provide you with cues for completion
Reading text books
• Look through titles, charts, graphs, and pictures
to get an overall idea of the content before reading a chapter
• Use color highlighers
to emphasize important material
• Write or illustrate in the margins
to emphasize important material
Test taking/assessment
• Write out/illustrate steps in a sequence
as a checklist to keep on task
• Think of visual cues and associations in remembering information
(You may also see the location of an answer rather than the answer itself!)
• If you are challenged by standardized and/or timed tests,
meet with your teacher to discuss alternatives for assessment
• Essay and/or short answer tests, or class presentations/demonstrations may be optional assessment techniques
Keep fighting. Keep dreaming. Keep loving.
Learning, for visual-spatial learners, takes place all at once, with large chunks of information grasped in intuitive leaps, rather than in the gradual accretion of isolated facts, small steps or habit patterns gained through practice. For example, they can learn all of the multiplication facts as a related set in a chart much easier and faster than memorizing each fact independently. The best way to determine whether or not you or another individual is a visual learner is to ask yourself or the other individual some simple questions. First, when you are checking over an essay that you have written, do you find it easy to just read over the essay again quietly to yourself? Secondly, when you have to learn something new, would you like to read the instructions before you do anything? Finally, when you are attempting to spell a word or understand a concept do you try to visualize that word or visualize an example of that concept? If the answer to all three of these questions is "yes," or if you find that you use visual aids in similar ways, there is a very good chance that you are a visual learner. But remember, people are not same. What is described here is merely a general collection of similar patterns found in individuals of again similar learning behavior. Have also in mind that nobody is 100% visual and 0% the others or vice-versa. What we have is a predominant style. However, it is totally possible to work out the other non-predominant two to try to equalize the three and thus become a more powerful learner.
You will find below some practical lists to help you perform better at school, work, a seminar, etc.
Organizing:
• The visual/spatial perspective is the organizing principle
Perfectionism for visual/spatial learners is a well-ordered and -designed space with each object in its place and appealingly so.
They are uncomfortable, even restless, encountering incomplete or unsettled situations
• With an instinctive sense of balance and completeness
they can tell when something is out of alignment, or not truly horizontal or vertical.
They are adept at working with mirror images and rotating images in their minds, and strive to bring order by constructing, arranging, color coding, or fixing things
Observing/experiencing:
• Visual/spatial learners are good at seeing the “big picture”
of both simple and complex systems. Overviews or summaries are their specialty, often at the expense of remembering details or constructing sequences
• Personal presentation (dress, grooming, even gestures) is important
Their own presentation/dress is as important as what they notice about others. They establish eye contact when speaking, though can be distracted by their surroundings. So also background sounds can disrupt their listening skills, and they often doodle during lectures, at meetings, etc.
• They prefer to read and work under subdued or natural lighting
and in comfortable conditions, and are uncomofrtable with glare/harsh lighting, rough clothing, drafts, and temperature extremes
Learning strategies:
• Focus on the learning objectives of the class
Meet with the teacher to understand and apply these to your situation
• Request advanced organizers
to help you relate to new material with what you already know
• Look for opportunities to work with, manipulate and/or engage new material
o Hands-on approach manipulating forms or objects
o Using visual clues or landmarks rather than (verbal) sequential steps
• Look for visual/spatial dimensions in your study:
Example: geometry has more visual components than algebra in mathematics;
physics rather than chemistry in science;
graphic applications in computer science and technology fields;
studio arts in the creative arts, architecture, mechanics, aeronautics, engineering, urban planning
• Seek out independent and open-ended studies,
problem-based learning, case studies, or ways you can be more active with the material to be learned and have alternative strategies of assessment or demonstrating learning
Study habits
• Always have the "big picture" before you
especially when studying its parts or details
• When trying to remember things,
close your eyes to get a “picture” or image of the information to facilitate recall or use flash cards with limited information so that you can "picture" details and concepts
• Once a concept is grasped,
Practise applying the information to new situations or progressive stepped learning
in place of routine drill and practice that will challenge your attention span
• Use mind or concept maps (rather than outlines)
to organize writing assignments to visualize ideas, their connections, sequences, and conclusions
Brainstorm using illustrations, mind maps and models
• Look for alternative sources of visual material when you study
videos, overheads and PowerPoint demonstrations, graphs, maps, and media programs
Using technology:
• Take advantage of the visual elements
of the computer in studying or locating information
• Take advantage of stop/start/replay
in mediated programs
• Produce your own mediated programs
in place of written reports
• Develop and apply graphical and/or three dimensional models
to understand new material
For lectures
• Avoid visual distractions
in classroom seating (windows, open doorways, etc.)
• Look for opportunities to break up lectures
with reflective though active exercises (question-write-pair-share) and brain-storming sessions
• Illustrate your notes
with images and graphs
• Review and organize your notes after class
with concept maps
• Keep and organize a file of handouts
and summary documents after lectures for review
• Request "guided notes" or blanks in handouts
that provide you with cues for completion
Reading text books
• Look through titles, charts, graphs, and pictures
to get an overall idea of the content before reading a chapter
• Use color highlighers
to emphasize important material
• Write or illustrate in the margins
to emphasize important material
Test taking/assessment
• Write out/illustrate steps in a sequence
as a checklist to keep on task
• Think of visual cues and associations in remembering information
(You may also see the location of an answer rather than the answer itself!)
• If you are challenged by standardized and/or timed tests,
meet with your teacher to discuss alternatives for assessment
• Essay and/or short answer tests, or class presentations/demonstrations may be optional assessment techniques
Keep fighting. Keep dreaming. Keep loving.
quinta-feira, 18 de junho de 2009
Persuasion
Persuasion
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasion, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformity_(psychology), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance.
Persuasion is either the power for convincing people, the act of doing it or a set of beliefs, e.g.: The Catholic Persuasion, The Modernist Persuasion, etc. Anyway, as you can see, in the end it’s all about convincing other people that what you do or think is more appropriate to them. In other words, it is to “sell your mind” to another person or to many people. The price they pay is often respect, obedience, manpower and even money.
Now, persuasion is probably in our instincts and has attestedly been used ever since we keep record of History. The fine art of persuasion is called Rhetoric, which will be more properly addressed in a future article. In this one, we’ll take a look at certain tools that help us convince people. A finer analysis of such tools and some portions of History will come in the aforementioned article. Consider this one an introit.
Firstly, we need to know that we basically have two ‘fields’ in which persuasion takes place: reason and emotion. We also have the subconscious persuasion, which we will deal with later.
To be more straightforward about persuasion, let’s imagine you’re selling a product. Here you have two areas in which you can exert your persuasion: pragmatism and style. The first has to do with reason; the latter with emotions. If your product is both very usable and fashionable, your arguments should focus on whatever makes you listener more interested. Example: a car. If you’re selling a car which is both beautiful and economic, but your prospect client only ask questions regarding its engine, durability, fuel consumption, etc, forget the beauty and give him what he wants – it’s as simple as that.
Now, let’s imagine that your client opposes one or two things you say about the product. Here you have three options in two scenarios:
1) If your client doesn’t seem to trust or like you:
a. Agree with him/her openly but, as soon as you have a chance, say you will “present another perspective, which is very intelligent and surely will satisfy his level of intellectual sophistication”. Here you’re inflating the client’s ego. Remember this: the higher the ego, the lower the guard. However, never fawn. That doesn’t seem to work under such circumstances.
b. Back up your opinion with testimonials or insights from people whom your client probably likes. For example: the car dealer could convince you by making you imagine a weekend drive with all your beloved family members in this new comfortable car you’re about to buy or even by saying he had a talk with your manager (assuming he knows him), who highly praised the car’s “dependable stability”.
c. Give him a bonus which will make him feel special. For example: say he’s entitled to an extended test-drive. This will appease his discomfort and inflate his ego. And you remember the dynamics of ego: the higher it goes… Plus, you’re giving the client a tangible experience. People like this, especially Brazilians. Let him feel as if the car was his already. Let him choose the way, but always stay near, so that he associates this future pleasure with a couple of papers he has to sign.
2) If you client seems to trust you:
a. Put up an I-know-it-all face. People respect knowledge and expertise. If you don’t know much about the product or simply drew a blank, get a hold on whatever positive aspect which can impress your client in your opinion and apply the disguised redundancy technique: repeat it till exhaustion, but each time with a new facet exposed. For example: If the car is economic, say it clearly first, then the exact number of liters per kilometer it runs, then how much your uncle saved on a trip to the Northeast, then how much money will be left for different investments, then say it loud as if surprised, like: “My God, I think I’m gonna buy this car myself. It’s so economic!” Just remember to put some nice interval between the insertions to make sure it sounds natural.
b. Similarly to step number two in the previous scenario, use some testimonials or insights from people your client admires. People tend to rely on any external direction when in acute doubt.
c. Explore your client’s senses, namely, touch, taste, hearing, vision, smelling and intuition/imagination. In other words, have him start the car engine just to hear the roar, tell him to sit in the driver’s seat and feel the comfort of the wheel, let him smell the interior and, as soon as you have a chance, ask him whether he thinks he will be happier with the car (intuition) and to imagine a weekend drive with the family (imagination). The more senses you have working, the better.
Captatio Benevolentiae
Captatio Belevolentiae or, in English, “seizing of benevolence” is a rhetorical tool to ease you convincing. It consists of gaining the sympathy of your listening by using some psychological tools. Naturally, this tool is a complex one and would need a whole article to bring it to light more properly. However, it is possible to underline some techniques it supplies us with:
• Humor: Tell a joke or try to make the person laugh. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
• Pity: Tell him/her something sad about your life. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
• Be the friend: approach the person with warm informal language and a believe-me-I-am-your-friend look. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
• Swell his ego: before you do anything tell him how intelligent and sophisticated the people who have bought the product before were and extol the profile in which he will unconsciously fit himself in. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
These were just some outlines of the dense and complex topic persuasion is. In the future we’ll be developing parts of this article more thoroughly.
Fight the Good Fight.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasion, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformity_(psychology), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance.
Persuasion is either the power for convincing people, the act of doing it or a set of beliefs, e.g.: The Catholic Persuasion, The Modernist Persuasion, etc. Anyway, as you can see, in the end it’s all about convincing other people that what you do or think is more appropriate to them. In other words, it is to “sell your mind” to another person or to many people. The price they pay is often respect, obedience, manpower and even money.
Now, persuasion is probably in our instincts and has attestedly been used ever since we keep record of History. The fine art of persuasion is called Rhetoric, which will be more properly addressed in a future article. In this one, we’ll take a look at certain tools that help us convince people. A finer analysis of such tools and some portions of History will come in the aforementioned article. Consider this one an introit.
Firstly, we need to know that we basically have two ‘fields’ in which persuasion takes place: reason and emotion. We also have the subconscious persuasion, which we will deal with later.
To be more straightforward about persuasion, let’s imagine you’re selling a product. Here you have two areas in which you can exert your persuasion: pragmatism and style. The first has to do with reason; the latter with emotions. If your product is both very usable and fashionable, your arguments should focus on whatever makes you listener more interested. Example: a car. If you’re selling a car which is both beautiful and economic, but your prospect client only ask questions regarding its engine, durability, fuel consumption, etc, forget the beauty and give him what he wants – it’s as simple as that.
Now, let’s imagine that your client opposes one or two things you say about the product. Here you have three options in two scenarios:
1) If your client doesn’t seem to trust or like you:
a. Agree with him/her openly but, as soon as you have a chance, say you will “present another perspective, which is very intelligent and surely will satisfy his level of intellectual sophistication”. Here you’re inflating the client’s ego. Remember this: the higher the ego, the lower the guard. However, never fawn. That doesn’t seem to work under such circumstances.
b. Back up your opinion with testimonials or insights from people whom your client probably likes. For example: the car dealer could convince you by making you imagine a weekend drive with all your beloved family members in this new comfortable car you’re about to buy or even by saying he had a talk with your manager (assuming he knows him), who highly praised the car’s “dependable stability”.
c. Give him a bonus which will make him feel special. For example: say he’s entitled to an extended test-drive. This will appease his discomfort and inflate his ego. And you remember the dynamics of ego: the higher it goes… Plus, you’re giving the client a tangible experience. People like this, especially Brazilians. Let him feel as if the car was his already. Let him choose the way, but always stay near, so that he associates this future pleasure with a couple of papers he has to sign.
2) If you client seems to trust you:
a. Put up an I-know-it-all face. People respect knowledge and expertise. If you don’t know much about the product or simply drew a blank, get a hold on whatever positive aspect which can impress your client in your opinion and apply the disguised redundancy technique: repeat it till exhaustion, but each time with a new facet exposed. For example: If the car is economic, say it clearly first, then the exact number of liters per kilometer it runs, then how much your uncle saved on a trip to the Northeast, then how much money will be left for different investments, then say it loud as if surprised, like: “My God, I think I’m gonna buy this car myself. It’s so economic!” Just remember to put some nice interval between the insertions to make sure it sounds natural.
b. Similarly to step number two in the previous scenario, use some testimonials or insights from people your client admires. People tend to rely on any external direction when in acute doubt.
c. Explore your client’s senses, namely, touch, taste, hearing, vision, smelling and intuition/imagination. In other words, have him start the car engine just to hear the roar, tell him to sit in the driver’s seat and feel the comfort of the wheel, let him smell the interior and, as soon as you have a chance, ask him whether he thinks he will be happier with the car (intuition) and to imagine a weekend drive with the family (imagination). The more senses you have working, the better.
Captatio Benevolentiae
Captatio Belevolentiae or, in English, “seizing of benevolence” is a rhetorical tool to ease you convincing. It consists of gaining the sympathy of your listening by using some psychological tools. Naturally, this tool is a complex one and would need a whole article to bring it to light more properly. However, it is possible to underline some techniques it supplies us with:
• Humor: Tell a joke or try to make the person laugh. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
• Pity: Tell him/her something sad about your life. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
• Be the friend: approach the person with warm informal language and a believe-me-I-am-your-friend look. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
• Swell his ego: before you do anything tell him how intelligent and sophisticated the people who have bought the product before were and extol the profile in which he will unconsciously fit himself in. Do it naturally and the person’s guard is guaranteed to lower.
These were just some outlines of the dense and complex topic persuasion is. In the future we’ll be developing parts of this article more thoroughly.
Fight the Good Fight.
terça-feira, 16 de junho de 2009
Kinesthetic Learning
Kinesthetic Learning
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesthetic_learning, http://www.learning-styles-online.com/style/physical-bodily-kinesthetic/, http://712educators.about.com/od/learningstyles/p/kinesthetic.htm, http://www.businessballs.com/vaklearningstylestest.htm, http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/tactile.htm, http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm, http://unsnews.com.br/unsteachers/post/25/learning-styles/, http://www.vaknlp.com/.
Being kinesthetic has to do with learning styles, namely, auditory, visual or kinesthetic.
Much has been said about issue and the roars grow higher as the topic goes capitalistic, i.e., money-yielding. However, what you need to know is that they offspring from years of serious researches on how people actually learn.
Before you read the rest of this article, which is faulty as many others due to the fact that it will make you think you are a little kinesthetic yourself, you need to know we are all kinesthetic, auditory and visual, I mean, we have the three styles, the difference is that each of us has a natural inclination towards one of them. This article will deal with the kinesthetic way.
Kinesthetic learning is when someone learns things from doing or being part of them. They make up about 15% of the population and struggle to pick things up by reading/ listening to things. Many people mistake themselves for kinesthetic/ tactile learners because they have not used the full variety of learning options, which means they cannot find the right learning state for them. The kinesthetic learner usually does well in things such as chemistry experiments, sporting activities, and acting. They also may listen to music while learning or studying. It is common for kinesthetic learners to focus on two different things at the same time. They will remember things by going back in their minds to what their body was doing. They also have very high hand-eye co-ordination and very quick receptors. They use phrases such as "I can see myself doing that" and "It's starting to come alive". You will find below some characteristics of the kinesthetic learner:
A Kinesthetic Learner Learns Best By:
• Doing, hands-on approach (manipulation, objects, simulations, live events)
• Physical involvement in learning
• Field trips to gain knowledge
• Small group discussion (2-3 in a group)
THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER LEARNS BEST BY DOING.
• Study in short blocks of time rather than extended periods.
• Take frequent breaks when studying.
• Change locations each time you take a break to help stretch your legs and give you a chance to move about when studying.
• Have as many experimental learning opportunities as possible, such as lab and studio courses, as opposed to straight lecture classes - if you have a choice.
• Consider building models or giving demonstrations to the class as opposed to more traditional written reports or term projects.
• When writing, jot down words whose spelling you're unsure of, to see if it "looks" correct.
• Utilize study groups.
• Role play/simulation
• Engage in field trips.
• Use memory techniques requiring movement - hand gestures.
• Engage in body demonstrations where a motion means a concept.
• Use flash cards.
• Make colored strips of paper that represent different concepts - link those papers together.
FACTS ABOUT THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER
Is A Natural At:
• Sports, dance
• Adventure, competition, challenge
• Running, jumping, leaping, rolling, swimming
• Action using large motor muscles
Studying/Reading Characteristics:
• Reads "how-to" books, such as carpentry
• Reads action-oriented books and plays
• Reads books, plays, articles that are brief
• Studies for short periods interspersed with moving around
• Lays on floor or bed to study
Difficulties in School:
• Having good interpersonal skills
• Having legible cursive handwriting - better with printing or keyboarding
• Sitting still; tend to fidget and need to move
• Listening to lectures more than four minutes
• Spelling
• Communicating without getting physically close to another person
• Recalling what is seen or heard - better at recalling what is done
• Expressing emotions without physical movement and gestures
• Sticking with one activity for a long period of time - best to enroll in courses that meet in one-hour blocks.
If the physical style is more like you, it’s likely that you use your body and sense of touch to learn about the world around you. It’s likely you like sports and exercise, and other physical activities such as gardening or woodworking. You like to think out issues, ideas and problems while you exercise. You would rather go for a run or walk if something is bothering you, rather than sitting at home.
You are more sensitive to the physical world around you. You notice and appreciate textures, for example in clothes or furniture. You like “getting your hands dirty,” or making models, or working out jigsaws.
You typically use larger hand gestures and other body language to communicate. You probably don’t mind getting up and dancing either, at least when the time is right. You either love the physical action of theme park rides, or they upset your inner body sense too much and so you avoid them altogether.
When you are learning a new skill or topic, you would prefer to “jump in” and play with the physical parts as soon as possible. You would prefer to pull an engine apart and put it back together, rather than reading or looking at diagrams about how it works.
The thought of sitting in a lecture listening to someone else talk is repulsive. In those circumstances, you fidget or can’t sit still for long. You want to get up and move around.
Common Pursuits and Phrases
Pursuits that involve the physical style include general physical work, mechanical, construction and repair work, sports and athletics, drama and dancing.
You may use phrases like these:
• That feels right to me.
• I can’t get a grip on this…
• Stay in touch.
• Get in touch with… • That doesn’t sit right with me.
• I have good feelings about this.
• My gut is telling me…
• I follow your drift.
Key Learning Methods for Kinesthetic Learners
Kinesthetic learners learn best through doing, including manipulating items, simulations, role plays and other methods that physically involve them in the learning process. They enjoy and learn well from experimenting and firsthand experience. Further, they learn best when activities are varied during a class period.
Ways to adapt your lecture or presentation
As mentioned above, people are not exclusively auditory, visual or kinesthetic – they have a learning bias towards at least one of these. So, when preparing a presentation or a lecture, make sure to vary activities or moments as much as possible. Variation and surprise do well with the kinesthetic learner and will ensure his attention for greater stretches of time. If possible, plan some “handwork” or “do-it-yourself” moment and be sure it will be the climax of your presentation.
Fight the good fight.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesthetic_learning, http://www.learning-styles-online.com/style/physical-bodily-kinesthetic/, http://712educators.about.com/od/learningstyles/p/kinesthetic.htm, http://www.businessballs.com/vaklearningstylestest.htm, http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/tactile.htm, http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm, http://unsnews.com.br/unsteachers/post/25/learning-styles/, http://www.vaknlp.com/.
Being kinesthetic has to do with learning styles, namely, auditory, visual or kinesthetic.
Much has been said about issue and the roars grow higher as the topic goes capitalistic, i.e., money-yielding. However, what you need to know is that they offspring from years of serious researches on how people actually learn.
Before you read the rest of this article, which is faulty as many others due to the fact that it will make you think you are a little kinesthetic yourself, you need to know we are all kinesthetic, auditory and visual, I mean, we have the three styles, the difference is that each of us has a natural inclination towards one of them. This article will deal with the kinesthetic way.
Kinesthetic learning is when someone learns things from doing or being part of them. They make up about 15% of the population and struggle to pick things up by reading/ listening to things. Many people mistake themselves for kinesthetic/ tactile learners because they have not used the full variety of learning options, which means they cannot find the right learning state for them. The kinesthetic learner usually does well in things such as chemistry experiments, sporting activities, and acting. They also may listen to music while learning or studying. It is common for kinesthetic learners to focus on two different things at the same time. They will remember things by going back in their minds to what their body was doing. They also have very high hand-eye co-ordination and very quick receptors. They use phrases such as "I can see myself doing that" and "It's starting to come alive". You will find below some characteristics of the kinesthetic learner:
A Kinesthetic Learner Learns Best By:
• Doing, hands-on approach (manipulation, objects, simulations, live events)
• Physical involvement in learning
• Field trips to gain knowledge
• Small group discussion (2-3 in a group)
THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER LEARNS BEST BY DOING.
• Study in short blocks of time rather than extended periods.
• Take frequent breaks when studying.
• Change locations each time you take a break to help stretch your legs and give you a chance to move about when studying.
• Have as many experimental learning opportunities as possible, such as lab and studio courses, as opposed to straight lecture classes - if you have a choice.
• Consider building models or giving demonstrations to the class as opposed to more traditional written reports or term projects.
• When writing, jot down words whose spelling you're unsure of, to see if it "looks" correct.
• Utilize study groups.
• Role play/simulation
• Engage in field trips.
• Use memory techniques requiring movement - hand gestures.
• Engage in body demonstrations where a motion means a concept.
• Use flash cards.
• Make colored strips of paper that represent different concepts - link those papers together.
FACTS ABOUT THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER
Is A Natural At:
• Sports, dance
• Adventure, competition, challenge
• Running, jumping, leaping, rolling, swimming
• Action using large motor muscles
Studying/Reading Characteristics:
• Reads "how-to" books, such as carpentry
• Reads action-oriented books and plays
• Reads books, plays, articles that are brief
• Studies for short periods interspersed with moving around
• Lays on floor or bed to study
Difficulties in School:
• Having good interpersonal skills
• Having legible cursive handwriting - better with printing or keyboarding
• Sitting still; tend to fidget and need to move
• Listening to lectures more than four minutes
• Spelling
• Communicating without getting physically close to another person
• Recalling what is seen or heard - better at recalling what is done
• Expressing emotions without physical movement and gestures
• Sticking with one activity for a long period of time - best to enroll in courses that meet in one-hour blocks.
If the physical style is more like you, it’s likely that you use your body and sense of touch to learn about the world around you. It’s likely you like sports and exercise, and other physical activities such as gardening or woodworking. You like to think out issues, ideas and problems while you exercise. You would rather go for a run or walk if something is bothering you, rather than sitting at home.
You are more sensitive to the physical world around you. You notice and appreciate textures, for example in clothes or furniture. You like “getting your hands dirty,” or making models, or working out jigsaws.
You typically use larger hand gestures and other body language to communicate. You probably don’t mind getting up and dancing either, at least when the time is right. You either love the physical action of theme park rides, or they upset your inner body sense too much and so you avoid them altogether.
When you are learning a new skill or topic, you would prefer to “jump in” and play with the physical parts as soon as possible. You would prefer to pull an engine apart and put it back together, rather than reading or looking at diagrams about how it works.
The thought of sitting in a lecture listening to someone else talk is repulsive. In those circumstances, you fidget or can’t sit still for long. You want to get up and move around.
Common Pursuits and Phrases
Pursuits that involve the physical style include general physical work, mechanical, construction and repair work, sports and athletics, drama and dancing.
You may use phrases like these:
• That feels right to me.
• I can’t get a grip on this…
• Stay in touch.
• Get in touch with… • That doesn’t sit right with me.
• I have good feelings about this.
• My gut is telling me…
• I follow your drift.
Key Learning Methods for Kinesthetic Learners
Kinesthetic learners learn best through doing, including manipulating items, simulations, role plays and other methods that physically involve them in the learning process. They enjoy and learn well from experimenting and firsthand experience. Further, they learn best when activities are varied during a class period.
Ways to adapt your lecture or presentation
As mentioned above, people are not exclusively auditory, visual or kinesthetic – they have a learning bias towards at least one of these. So, when preparing a presentation or a lecture, make sure to vary activities or moments as much as possible. Variation and surprise do well with the kinesthetic learner and will ensure his attention for greater stretches of time. If possible, plan some “handwork” or “do-it-yourself” moment and be sure it will be the climax of your presentation.
Fight the good fight.
Telephone Coaching
Telephone Coaching
Adapted and revised from: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4198/Telephone-Coaching-Be-honest-to-yourself-and-your-client-What-do-you-need-to-do-and-know-about-telephone-coaching.html.
Telephone Coaching: Be honest to yourself and your client. What do you need to do and know about telephone coaching?
Contrary to The United States, telephone coaching is a rather new phenomenon in Europe. Most coaches still conduct only face-to-face sessions.
During mentor coaching and other coach services, one can encounter that most coaches do not really know how to prepare themselves or their clients for phone coaching. This article is based on training material.
What is coaching?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as: a partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
A PCC certified coach’s approach to coaching is based on the International Coach Federation (ICF) guidelines. His work with his clients is to support them in developing their leadership potential, starting from where they are now to where they want to be.
Why and when Telephone coaching?
Telephone coaching is coaching sessions carried out by phone. Usually it involves the coach and one client, but team phone coaching happens. However, one loses a lot of interaction and information.
Telephone coaching is a practical and cost effective way of coaching. It also allows the coach to build a coaching practice across borders, offering more coaching slots throughout the day and be more pro-client.
Problems:
• Lack of time;
• Fully booked agendas;
• Not knowing your client’s way of learning (auditive, kinesthetic or visual);
• Missing the face-to-face interaction;
• Not being able to look in your client’s eyes;
• Interruptions by third parties or surroundings;
Benefits:
• Any time during the day;
• Cost effective in: travelling, traffic and time;
• Choice of environment and make yourself at home, safe, comfortable;
• Shorter coaching sessions, once they consist of discussed points applicable immediately;
Coach: How to get ready?
The coach is in charge of managing the process and making sure the client is ready for the coaching session. The coach needs to understand how telephone coaching works and educate the client to take the time to get ready for each session.
Before you start the telephone coaching session:
• Make sure your surroundings know you are not to be disturbed;
• Switch the telephones off you are not using;
• Your coaching space (office) should be comfortable and calm;
• Clear your mind before you start getting ready;
• Take 5 to 10 minutes to look through your notes and plan the coaching session and be ready for your client;
• Block your time: 10 to 15 minutes before the call and about another 10 after the call (to make the notes);
• Be honest to yourself and your client: Take the time to prepare your space and your mind;
• Make sure your client has the telephone number he needs to dial in;
• Send a remainder of the call with needed information, including telephone number.
During the call:
• Greet your client in a calm way and ask how he/she has been doing;
• Exchange information like how has it been since last session, new things and find out what are the things the client wants to work on during this session;
• Ask your client to take a couple of deep breaths;
• Make sure the introduction is not longer than 10 minutes;
• Remind the client that everything said during the session is confidential;
Tell the client how much time you have for the session and check the client’s goals;
• Ask your client to draw you a picture of where they are: sitting place, computers, music, etc;
• If you have a feeling the client’s place is not adequate, see how you can change this: opening a window, switching telephones/computers off, turning the chair around, etc;
• Ask the client if his/her surroundings know: NO interruptions;
• Learn to “see” your client by visualizing him/her and listening to the words and intonation. Listening and powerful questioning are great tools to “see” your client;
• Develop empathy - reflective questioning and mirroring are tools you should master;
• Understand how YOU communicate;
• Know what kind of learner your client is: visual, kinesthetic or auditive;
• Adapt language to your client’s communication style;
• Keep building trust throughout the session;
• Check the agreements and goals the client wants to achieve. Remember that a common goal in mind will assure a good outcome;
• Stick to the agreed times. Preparation and wrapping up time should not be forgotten;
• If you can, record the call;
• Write phrases down and check with the client.
After the telephone session:
• Create a system to keep in touch: email, SMS, chat, etc;
• Share track performance with the client;
• Record successes;
• Spend some time in writing the important things of the session;
• Ask the client to send you an email with the agreements and goals.
Client: How to get ready?
Before the call:
•
Make sure your surroundings know you are not to be disturbed;
• Switch off telephones you are not using;
• Your coaching space should be comfortable and calm with a good and comfortable chair;
• Clear your mind before you start getting ready;
• Be honest to yourself and your coach: Make the time to prepare your space and your mind;
• Look at your notes, achievements and prepare question you want to ask;
• Think at the issues you want to discuss during the session.
During the call:
• Tell your coach how you are really feeling, only then can the coach support your needs;
• Trust your coach and keep building on your relationship;
• Keep agreed times. Call in on time;
• Commit yourself only to the things you are going to do;
• Do not drink any alcohol before or during the coaching session;
• Demand your coach to be ready and in a good coaching environment.
After the call:
•
Take some minutes to ground yourself and reflect on the session;
• Take notes if necessary;
• Plan your actions and how best apply them.
Tools you can use to improve your (telephone) coaching services:
Learning styles:
People use different ways to learn and communicate. As a coach you need to know as much as you can about learning styles. The internet is full of tests, assessments you can use to help your clients understand how they learn, communicate and how they can improve their communication skills.
When working with your clients through the telephone you lose part of your visual support. When knowing how your client communicates you will be able to understand how he/she concentrates and learns, then you can adapt your communication skills to better support them.
There are three basic ways people learn and communicate:
1) Visual people need to see pictures or "see it in writing". You often see these people frantically taking notes or mind mapping in meetings and seminars. They generally use words and phrases such as, "This is how I see it," "look at it this way," or "I think I'm getting the picture."
2) Auditory people learn by hearing. They often listen to entire lectures or presentations without taking any notes. They generally like to ask, "How does this sound?" "Can we discuss this?" or "Are you hearing me?"
3) Kinesthetic people think in terms of sensations or feeling. They often move their hands as they talk, and respond physically as well as verbally. They like phrases such as, "How does this feel to you?" "I'm comfortable with that idea," or "Are you aware of this?"
Technology
When telephone coaching, make sure the technology you are using is reliable and that you get acquainted with the system before you start coaching. Otherwise, things can go terribly wrong.
Nowadays technology gives you a range of choices:
• Telephone;
• Videophone;
• Skype;
• MSN;
• E-coaching services.
Telephone:
There is a range of telephones you can choose from. Make sure you buy something that feels good to you. If you are good with technology, complicated systems might be the thing for you, but do not give in to the temptation of buying them if you think a simple telephone with a hands-free is right for you. The internet is full with information about telephones and how to use them.
Try not to call using mobiles (cell phones) for coaching sessions as you might have a lot of interference.
Videophone:
You can use this system to interact with your clients seeing them. Both of you will need the same device.
Skype and MSN:
The internet is full of chat systems where you can see, write and talk to clients. Some will allow the recording of the sessions. These systems need to be used with a computer and a headset (or speakers and a microphone, which is not recommended because of the possibility of echo). Both parties need the same program and each of them a user id.
E-coaching services:
There are some companies which have developed IT programs where the coach can communicate with the client through a coaching platform. This system is quite new and offers many new possibilities. Be careful when purchasing the system as people have complained that they are not 100% secure.
Fight the good fight.
Adapted and revised from: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4198/Telephone-Coaching-Be-honest-to-yourself-and-your-client-What-do-you-need-to-do-and-know-about-telephone-coaching.html.
Telephone Coaching: Be honest to yourself and your client. What do you need to do and know about telephone coaching?
Contrary to The United States, telephone coaching is a rather new phenomenon in Europe. Most coaches still conduct only face-to-face sessions.
During mentor coaching and other coach services, one can encounter that most coaches do not really know how to prepare themselves or their clients for phone coaching. This article is based on training material.
What is coaching?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as: a partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
A PCC certified coach’s approach to coaching is based on the International Coach Federation (ICF) guidelines. His work with his clients is to support them in developing their leadership potential, starting from where they are now to where they want to be.
Why and when Telephone coaching?
Telephone coaching is coaching sessions carried out by phone. Usually it involves the coach and one client, but team phone coaching happens. However, one loses a lot of interaction and information.
Telephone coaching is a practical and cost effective way of coaching. It also allows the coach to build a coaching practice across borders, offering more coaching slots throughout the day and be more pro-client.
Problems:
• Lack of time;
• Fully booked agendas;
• Not knowing your client’s way of learning (auditive, kinesthetic or visual);
• Missing the face-to-face interaction;
• Not being able to look in your client’s eyes;
• Interruptions by third parties or surroundings;
Benefits:
• Any time during the day;
• Cost effective in: travelling, traffic and time;
• Choice of environment and make yourself at home, safe, comfortable;
• Shorter coaching sessions, once they consist of discussed points applicable immediately;
Coach: How to get ready?
The coach is in charge of managing the process and making sure the client is ready for the coaching session. The coach needs to understand how telephone coaching works and educate the client to take the time to get ready for each session.
Before you start the telephone coaching session:
• Make sure your surroundings know you are not to be disturbed;
• Switch the telephones off you are not using;
• Your coaching space (office) should be comfortable and calm;
• Clear your mind before you start getting ready;
• Take 5 to 10 minutes to look through your notes and plan the coaching session and be ready for your client;
• Block your time: 10 to 15 minutes before the call and about another 10 after the call (to make the notes);
• Be honest to yourself and your client: Take the time to prepare your space and your mind;
• Make sure your client has the telephone number he needs to dial in;
• Send a remainder of the call with needed information, including telephone number.
During the call:
• Greet your client in a calm way and ask how he/she has been doing;
• Exchange information like how has it been since last session, new things and find out what are the things the client wants to work on during this session;
• Ask your client to take a couple of deep breaths;
• Make sure the introduction is not longer than 10 minutes;
• Remind the client that everything said during the session is confidential;
Tell the client how much time you have for the session and check the client’s goals;
• Ask your client to draw you a picture of where they are: sitting place, computers, music, etc;
• If you have a feeling the client’s place is not adequate, see how you can change this: opening a window, switching telephones/computers off, turning the chair around, etc;
• Ask the client if his/her surroundings know: NO interruptions;
• Learn to “see” your client by visualizing him/her and listening to the words and intonation. Listening and powerful questioning are great tools to “see” your client;
• Develop empathy - reflective questioning and mirroring are tools you should master;
• Understand how YOU communicate;
• Know what kind of learner your client is: visual, kinesthetic or auditive;
• Adapt language to your client’s communication style;
• Keep building trust throughout the session;
• Check the agreements and goals the client wants to achieve. Remember that a common goal in mind will assure a good outcome;
• Stick to the agreed times. Preparation and wrapping up time should not be forgotten;
• If you can, record the call;
• Write phrases down and check with the client.
After the telephone session:
• Create a system to keep in touch: email, SMS, chat, etc;
• Share track performance with the client;
• Record successes;
• Spend some time in writing the important things of the session;
• Ask the client to send you an email with the agreements and goals.
Client: How to get ready?
Before the call:
•
Make sure your surroundings know you are not to be disturbed;
• Switch off telephones you are not using;
• Your coaching space should be comfortable and calm with a good and comfortable chair;
• Clear your mind before you start getting ready;
• Be honest to yourself and your coach: Make the time to prepare your space and your mind;
• Look at your notes, achievements and prepare question you want to ask;
• Think at the issues you want to discuss during the session.
During the call:
• Tell your coach how you are really feeling, only then can the coach support your needs;
• Trust your coach and keep building on your relationship;
• Keep agreed times. Call in on time;
• Commit yourself only to the things you are going to do;
• Do not drink any alcohol before or during the coaching session;
• Demand your coach to be ready and in a good coaching environment.
After the call:
•
Take some minutes to ground yourself and reflect on the session;
• Take notes if necessary;
• Plan your actions and how best apply them.
Tools you can use to improve your (telephone) coaching services:
Learning styles:
People use different ways to learn and communicate. As a coach you need to know as much as you can about learning styles. The internet is full of tests, assessments you can use to help your clients understand how they learn, communicate and how they can improve their communication skills.
When working with your clients through the telephone you lose part of your visual support. When knowing how your client communicates you will be able to understand how he/she concentrates and learns, then you can adapt your communication skills to better support them.
There are three basic ways people learn and communicate:
1) Visual people need to see pictures or "see it in writing". You often see these people frantically taking notes or mind mapping in meetings and seminars. They generally use words and phrases such as, "This is how I see it," "look at it this way," or "I think I'm getting the picture."
2) Auditory people learn by hearing. They often listen to entire lectures or presentations without taking any notes. They generally like to ask, "How does this sound?" "Can we discuss this?" or "Are you hearing me?"
3) Kinesthetic people think in terms of sensations or feeling. They often move their hands as they talk, and respond physically as well as verbally. They like phrases such as, "How does this feel to you?" "I'm comfortable with that idea," or "Are you aware of this?"
Technology
When telephone coaching, make sure the technology you are using is reliable and that you get acquainted with the system before you start coaching. Otherwise, things can go terribly wrong.
Nowadays technology gives you a range of choices:
• Telephone;
• Videophone;
• Skype;
• MSN;
• E-coaching services.
Telephone:
There is a range of telephones you can choose from. Make sure you buy something that feels good to you. If you are good with technology, complicated systems might be the thing for you, but do not give in to the temptation of buying them if you think a simple telephone with a hands-free is right for you. The internet is full with information about telephones and how to use them.
Try not to call using mobiles (cell phones) for coaching sessions as you might have a lot of interference.
Videophone:
You can use this system to interact with your clients seeing them. Both of you will need the same device.
Skype and MSN:
The internet is full of chat systems where you can see, write and talk to clients. Some will allow the recording of the sessions. These systems need to be used with a computer and a headset (or speakers and a microphone, which is not recommended because of the possibility of echo). Both parties need the same program and each of them a user id.
E-coaching services:
There are some companies which have developed IT programs where the coach can communicate with the client through a coaching platform. This system is quite new and offers many new possibilities. Be careful when purchasing the system as people have complained that they are not 100% secure.
Fight the good fight.
quarta-feira, 10 de junho de 2009
Business, Sales and Marketing Jargon
Sources: http://www.pqinternet.com/163.htm, http://www.buzzwhack.com/, http://www.urbandictionary.com/, http://www.cnet.com/1990-11136_1-6275610-1.html, http://wordspy.com/, http://www.investopedia.com/?viewed=1, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page, http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/.
• Ballpark Figure = a guess (allusion to the size of baseball stadiums).
• Bandwidth = the resources needed to complete a task or project.
• Baste the Turkey = meaning to attend to a task that has been ignored for some time.
• Business-to-Business (B2B) = commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer.
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C) = businesses serving end consumers with products and/or services.
• Business-to-employee (B2E) = electronic commerce which uses an intrabusiness network which allows companies to provide products and/or services to their employees. Typically, companies use B2E networks to automate employee-related corporate processes.
• Business-to-Government (B2G) = a derivative of B2B marketing and often referred to as a market definition of "public sector marketing" which encompasses marketing products and services to government agencies through integrated marketing communications techniques such as strategic public relations, branding, marcom, advertising, and web-based communications.
• Best of Breed = One of the top honors at Westminster, but in the tech world it’s supposedly the top software or hardware in its class.
• Best Practices = the belief that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. Best practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.
• Bizmeth = shortening of "business method".
• Boil the Ocean = meaning to take on a task with an overwhelming and impossible scope.
• Brand = a. A trademark or distinctive name identifying a product or a manufacturer. b. A product line so identified. c. A distinctive category; a particular kind
• Brick-and-mortar = a brick-and-mortar business is a real, physical business, in contrast with an online company.
• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) = a form of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider.
• Buzzword compliant = In the technology industry, being buzzword compliant means that a particular product supports features that are currently in vogue.
• Client-centric = Marketing-speak for anything that focuses on the needs of the customer.
• Circle back = Middle-management buzzword for the need to discuss an issue at a later time.
• Co-opetition (Coopetition) = a neologism coined to describe cooperative competition. Co-opetition occurs when companies work together for parts of their business where they do not believe they have competitive advantage, and where they believe they can share common costs.
• Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) (or citizen-to-citizen) = electronic commerce involves the electronically-facilitated transactions between consumers through some third party. A common example is the online auction, in which a consumer posts an item for sale and other consumers bid to purchase it; the third party generally charges a flat fee or commission. The sites are only intermediaries, just there to match consumers. They do not have to check quality of the products being offered.
• Core competency = it is a specific factor that a business sees as being central to the way it, or its employees work. It fulfils three key criteria: 1) It provides consumer benefits; 2) It is not easy for competitors to imitate; 3) It can be leveraged widely to many products and markets.
• Customer-centric = same as Client-centric.
• Downsizing = the same as sacking employees; firing staff.
• Drinking the Kool-Aid = refers to the cyanide-laced Flavor Aid used by the Jim Jones cult. It means trusting in things offered by authority figures.
• e-Business = the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) in support of all the activities of business.
• Eat their own dog food = also known simply as "dog food", meaning to use a product yourself which you sell to others.
• Enterprise = A business, company, or comparable organization.
• Event horizon = As the Event Horizon of a black hole, which is the limit of the attraction of the dead start magnetism and after you cross it, no return is possible, so is the Event Horizon of failure. It’s that limit that, if you cross, there’s no return and failure is guaranteed.
• Eyeballs = the amount of traffic to a Web site. Since any site depends on traffic, the more eyeballs it has the better.
• Fulfillment issues = final details or problems in the fulfillment of a project.
• Going forward = in the future.
• Granular = It’s the finite details or specific fine points of a proposal or deal.
• Herding cats = any frustrating or near impossible task.
• Holistic (approach/integration) = in its entirety; any system, structure or organism considered as a whole composed of many parts. A holistic approach considers something as a whole as opposed to considering it divided in parts.
• Infrastructure = the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function.
• Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) = it is a form of outsourcing, in which knowledge-related and information-related work is carried out by workers in a different company or by a subsidiary of the same organization, which may be in the same country or in an offshore location to save cost. Unlike the outsourcing of manufacturing, this typically involves high-value work carried out by highly skilled staff. KPO firms, in addition to providing expertise in the processes themselves, often make many low level business decisions—typically those that are easily undone if they conflict with higher-level business plans.
• Leverage = in negotiation, leverage is a measure of which side, at any given moment, has a greater ability to influence the other side. Types of leverage include positive leverage, negative leverage, and normative leverage.
• Logistics = refers to shipping and shipping companies.
• Logistically = to act in the Logistics style (i.e. "speaking logistically", "thinking logistically").
• Long Tail = The phrase the Long Tail (as a proper noun) was first coined by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article to describe the niche strategy of businesses, such as Amazon.com or Netflix, that sell a large number of unique items, each in relatively small quantities. Anderson elaborated the Long Tail concept in his book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.
• Low Hanging Fruit = the easy sales to get.
• Make it Pop = make it popular.
• Metrics = A metric is a measure for quantitatively assessing, controlling or selecting a person, process, event, or institution, along with the procedures to carry out measurements and the procedures for the interpretation of the assessment in the light of previous or comparable assessments.
• Mindshare = Mindshare represents a company's ability to retain a piece of the public's consciousness. So in other words, if Pets.com had mindshare, a person shopping for dog food would think of the company before any other source.
• Mission Critical = essential.
• New economy = as the U.S. economy took off in the late 1990s, it was said we were witnessing the transition of a manufacturing-based economy to one centered on the exchange of ideas and information. Some believed the tech boom would create permanent steady growth, low unemployment, and immunity to boom-and-bust cycles--thus, a new economy. Yet something was lost in this entire theory making, as some decidedly old-economy concepts were forgotten. A company still had to be competitive and earn money, it still had to attract--and retain--customers, and it still had to justify its stock price. In short, new was not improved.
• Next generation = an immediate more advanced level of a service, product or process yet to come.
• Next level = a more advanced and refined level.
• Offline = to continue a conversation privately.
• Offshoring = also known as Offshore Outsourcing, or something being offshorable, i.e., on another continent.
• Open Kimono = to be open and transparent in discussions.
• Outsourcing = the subcontracting a process, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company.
• Paperless Office = the paperless office was a publicist's slogan, meant to describe the office of the future. The basic idea was that office automation would make paper redundant for routine tasks such as record-keeping and bookkeeping. The idea came to prominence with the introduction of the personal computer.
• Private Electronic Market (PEM) = the use of the Internet to connect a limited number or pre-qualified buyers or sellers in one market. PEMs are a hybrid between perfectly open markets (e.g. exchanges where there is no pre-existing relationship between buyer and seller - similar to eBay) and closed contract negotiations (such as a sealed bid tender, where there is no visibility between competitors and hence no response to competition). The core idea of PEMs is to create competition among buyers/sellers while allowing buyers/sellers to adjust all those aspects of the deal that are typically only dealt with in a negotiation. This creates a problem of "comparing apples and oranges": bids may be quite different in many dimensions and therefore cannot easily be compared. Apart from the dimension of price these could include pre-negotiated discounts (e.g. for loyalty), specific qualities, combinations of goods and services with conditional pricing, freight differentials, contract fulfillment timing, payment terms, or deliberate constraints such as market share limits.
• Return on Investment (ROI) = is the ratio of money gained or lost (whether realized or unrealized) on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. The amount of money gained or lost may be referred to as interest, profit/loss, gain/loss, or net income/loss. The money invested may be referred to as the asset, capital, principal, or the cost basis of the investment. ROI is usually expressed as a percentage rather than a fraction.
• Rich Media = also known as Interactive media, it is a type of collaborative one and refers to media that allows for active participation by the recipient, hence interactivity.
• Rightshoring = Restructuring a company's workforce to find the optimum mix of jobs performed locally and jobs moved to foreign countries. Also: right-shoring.
• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX; Sarbox) = The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Pub.L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, enacted July 30, 2002), also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 and commonly called Sarbanes-Oxley, Sarbox or SOX, is a United States federal law enacted on July 30, 2002, as a reaction to a number of major corporate and accounting scandals including those affecting Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Peregrine Systems and WorldCom. Normally when a foreign company wants to go public in the U.S, it needs to comply with the regulations and practices this law imposes.
• Seamless = it is a system quality attribute, often applied to converging or merged technologies, that refers to the degree to which these technologies present a consistent structure and paradigm in interfaces and operations, so that the transition from one technology to another is not disruptive or confusing either in usage or integration. Synonymous with perfect and undisruptive.
• Shave the Baby = it means to streamline as much as possible.
• Siloed = meaning completely separated with no communication between.
• Solution = an optimum service.
• SOX = abbreviation of Sarbanes-Oxley.
• State-of-the-Art = the most technologically advanced of its time.
• Streamline = to organize, modernize or simplify a product, service or process.
• Tail Risk = A form of portfolio risk that arises when the possibility that an investment will move more than three standard deviations from the mean is greater than what is shown by a normal distribution.
• Touch Base = to talk to someone; to confer with someone briefly.
• Value-added = Value added is the risk adjusted return generated by an investment strategy: the return of the investment strategy minus the return of the benchmark. Simply stated, a company tacks on extra features (service, warranties, additional products, etc.) to its product so the customer has difficulty comparing prices with the competition.
• Visibility = the exposition of a company to the general public.
Keep Dreaming,
• Ballpark Figure = a guess (allusion to the size of baseball stadiums).
• Bandwidth = the resources needed to complete a task or project.
• Baste the Turkey = meaning to attend to a task that has been ignored for some time.
• Business-to-Business (B2B) = commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer.
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C) = businesses serving end consumers with products and/or services.
• Business-to-employee (B2E) = electronic commerce which uses an intrabusiness network which allows companies to provide products and/or services to their employees. Typically, companies use B2E networks to automate employee-related corporate processes.
• Business-to-Government (B2G) = a derivative of B2B marketing and often referred to as a market definition of "public sector marketing" which encompasses marketing products and services to government agencies through integrated marketing communications techniques such as strategic public relations, branding, marcom, advertising, and web-based communications.
• Best of Breed = One of the top honors at Westminster, but in the tech world it’s supposedly the top software or hardware in its class.
• Best Practices = the belief that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. Best practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.
• Bizmeth = shortening of "business method".
• Boil the Ocean = meaning to take on a task with an overwhelming and impossible scope.
• Brand = a. A trademark or distinctive name identifying a product or a manufacturer. b. A product line so identified. c. A distinctive category; a particular kind
• Brick-and-mortar = a brick-and-mortar business is a real, physical business, in contrast with an online company.
• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) = a form of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider.
• Buzzword compliant = In the technology industry, being buzzword compliant means that a particular product supports features that are currently in vogue.
• Client-centric = Marketing-speak for anything that focuses on the needs of the customer.
• Circle back = Middle-management buzzword for the need to discuss an issue at a later time.
• Co-opetition (Coopetition) = a neologism coined to describe cooperative competition. Co-opetition occurs when companies work together for parts of their business where they do not believe they have competitive advantage, and where they believe they can share common costs.
• Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) (or citizen-to-citizen) = electronic commerce involves the electronically-facilitated transactions between consumers through some third party. A common example is the online auction, in which a consumer posts an item for sale and other consumers bid to purchase it; the third party generally charges a flat fee or commission. The sites are only intermediaries, just there to match consumers. They do not have to check quality of the products being offered.
• Core competency = it is a specific factor that a business sees as being central to the way it, or its employees work. It fulfils three key criteria: 1) It provides consumer benefits; 2) It is not easy for competitors to imitate; 3) It can be leveraged widely to many products and markets.
• Customer-centric = same as Client-centric.
• Downsizing = the same as sacking employees; firing staff.
• Drinking the Kool-Aid = refers to the cyanide-laced Flavor Aid used by the Jim Jones cult. It means trusting in things offered by authority figures.
• e-Business = the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) in support of all the activities of business.
• Eat their own dog food = also known simply as "dog food", meaning to use a product yourself which you sell to others.
• Enterprise = A business, company, or comparable organization.
• Event horizon = As the Event Horizon of a black hole, which is the limit of the attraction of the dead start magnetism and after you cross it, no return is possible, so is the Event Horizon of failure. It’s that limit that, if you cross, there’s no return and failure is guaranteed.
• Eyeballs = the amount of traffic to a Web site. Since any site depends on traffic, the more eyeballs it has the better.
• Fulfillment issues = final details or problems in the fulfillment of a project.
• Going forward = in the future.
• Granular = It’s the finite details or specific fine points of a proposal or deal.
• Herding cats = any frustrating or near impossible task.
• Holistic (approach/integration) = in its entirety; any system, structure or organism considered as a whole composed of many parts. A holistic approach considers something as a whole as opposed to considering it divided in parts.
• Infrastructure = the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function.
• Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) = it is a form of outsourcing, in which knowledge-related and information-related work is carried out by workers in a different company or by a subsidiary of the same organization, which may be in the same country or in an offshore location to save cost. Unlike the outsourcing of manufacturing, this typically involves high-value work carried out by highly skilled staff. KPO firms, in addition to providing expertise in the processes themselves, often make many low level business decisions—typically those that are easily undone if they conflict with higher-level business plans.
• Leverage = in negotiation, leverage is a measure of which side, at any given moment, has a greater ability to influence the other side. Types of leverage include positive leverage, negative leverage, and normative leverage.
• Logistics = refers to shipping and shipping companies.
• Logistically = to act in the Logistics style (i.e. "speaking logistically", "thinking logistically").
• Long Tail = The phrase the Long Tail (as a proper noun) was first coined by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article to describe the niche strategy of businesses, such as Amazon.com or Netflix, that sell a large number of unique items, each in relatively small quantities. Anderson elaborated the Long Tail concept in his book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.
• Low Hanging Fruit = the easy sales to get.
• Make it Pop = make it popular.
• Metrics = A metric is a measure for quantitatively assessing, controlling or selecting a person, process, event, or institution, along with the procedures to carry out measurements and the procedures for the interpretation of the assessment in the light of previous or comparable assessments.
• Mindshare = Mindshare represents a company's ability to retain a piece of the public's consciousness. So in other words, if Pets.com had mindshare, a person shopping for dog food would think of the company before any other source.
• Mission Critical = essential.
• New economy = as the U.S. economy took off in the late 1990s, it was said we were witnessing the transition of a manufacturing-based economy to one centered on the exchange of ideas and information. Some believed the tech boom would create permanent steady growth, low unemployment, and immunity to boom-and-bust cycles--thus, a new economy. Yet something was lost in this entire theory making, as some decidedly old-economy concepts were forgotten. A company still had to be competitive and earn money, it still had to attract--and retain--customers, and it still had to justify its stock price. In short, new was not improved.
• Next generation = an immediate more advanced level of a service, product or process yet to come.
• Next level = a more advanced and refined level.
• Offline = to continue a conversation privately.
• Offshoring = also known as Offshore Outsourcing, or something being offshorable, i.e., on another continent.
• Open Kimono = to be open and transparent in discussions.
• Outsourcing = the subcontracting a process, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company.
• Paperless Office = the paperless office was a publicist's slogan, meant to describe the office of the future. The basic idea was that office automation would make paper redundant for routine tasks such as record-keeping and bookkeeping. The idea came to prominence with the introduction of the personal computer.
• Private Electronic Market (PEM) = the use of the Internet to connect a limited number or pre-qualified buyers or sellers in one market. PEMs are a hybrid between perfectly open markets (e.g. exchanges where there is no pre-existing relationship between buyer and seller - similar to eBay) and closed contract negotiations (such as a sealed bid tender, where there is no visibility between competitors and hence no response to competition). The core idea of PEMs is to create competition among buyers/sellers while allowing buyers/sellers to adjust all those aspects of the deal that are typically only dealt with in a negotiation. This creates a problem of "comparing apples and oranges": bids may be quite different in many dimensions and therefore cannot easily be compared. Apart from the dimension of price these could include pre-negotiated discounts (e.g. for loyalty), specific qualities, combinations of goods and services with conditional pricing, freight differentials, contract fulfillment timing, payment terms, or deliberate constraints such as market share limits.
• Return on Investment (ROI) = is the ratio of money gained or lost (whether realized or unrealized) on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. The amount of money gained or lost may be referred to as interest, profit/loss, gain/loss, or net income/loss. The money invested may be referred to as the asset, capital, principal, or the cost basis of the investment. ROI is usually expressed as a percentage rather than a fraction.
• Rich Media = also known as Interactive media, it is a type of collaborative one and refers to media that allows for active participation by the recipient, hence interactivity.
• Rightshoring = Restructuring a company's workforce to find the optimum mix of jobs performed locally and jobs moved to foreign countries. Also: right-shoring.
• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX; Sarbox) = The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Pub.L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, enacted July 30, 2002), also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 and commonly called Sarbanes-Oxley, Sarbox or SOX, is a United States federal law enacted on July 30, 2002, as a reaction to a number of major corporate and accounting scandals including those affecting Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Peregrine Systems and WorldCom. Normally when a foreign company wants to go public in the U.S, it needs to comply with the regulations and practices this law imposes.
• Seamless = it is a system quality attribute, often applied to converging or merged technologies, that refers to the degree to which these technologies present a consistent structure and paradigm in interfaces and operations, so that the transition from one technology to another is not disruptive or confusing either in usage or integration. Synonymous with perfect and undisruptive.
• Shave the Baby = it means to streamline as much as possible.
• Siloed = meaning completely separated with no communication between.
• Solution = an optimum service.
• SOX = abbreviation of Sarbanes-Oxley.
• State-of-the-Art = the most technologically advanced of its time.
• Streamline = to organize, modernize or simplify a product, service or process.
• Tail Risk = A form of portfolio risk that arises when the possibility that an investment will move more than three standard deviations from the mean is greater than what is shown by a normal distribution.
• Touch Base = to talk to someone; to confer with someone briefly.
• Value-added = Value added is the risk adjusted return generated by an investment strategy: the return of the investment strategy minus the return of the benchmark. Simply stated, a company tacks on extra features (service, warranties, additional products, etc.) to its product so the customer has difficulty comparing prices with the competition.
• Visibility = the exposition of a company to the general public.
Keep Dreaming,
quinta-feira, 4 de junho de 2009
Project Management
!E-mail me for the pictures!
Project Management
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management, http://www.pmi.org/Pages/default.aspx, http://www.projectmanagement.com/, http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm, http://books.google.com.br/books?id=d4-zmyD4BL8C&dq=project+management&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=p2i_QVmfQS&sig=0KKSjoNsem3X4U-apisx2ASZInQ&hl=pt-BR&ei=sxgoStr8H6Cxtgeqv62kAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#PPP1,M1
We all know what a project is. However, in a company, things get a little more serious than that new car you dream about. Still, in the end, all projects are the same: a finite endeavor, that is, a task, with an objective, which can be the creation of a product or service, for example.
When you have a very big and complex project, you will need a team to get the job done. Now, knowing people are different, we can assume they WORK differently and take different time to do things. In order to have this big and heterogeneous group do the job, you will need a manager, who needs to have experience and information on Project Management.
Project Management, or simply PM, is the subject that deals with standards and practices regarding the execution of a project. Now, what seems to be a simple idea, will take this manager hours of reading and preparation, for PM provides us with both a vast collection of models to help implement projects in various segments of business and industry and practical steps in case you get lost around the way.
Whether your project at work is big and complex and will take more than three years or if it’s just, say, the optimization of the routine in a small office, you will need to coordinate the various different tasks performed by the people in your team – remember: these tasks will all contribute to a common goal. One of the most common ways to do so is to write all the processes on the Gantt’s chart. If you never heard about it, the picture in this page will give you some north of what it is. This chart is a great tool because it not only shows us the dependence of processes and how their coordinated, but it also tells us how much of each task has been done. Consider it the PMO’s best friend. By the way, PMO stands for Project Management Office, which explained means a department in your company responsible for the whole management of a project, since allocating processes, to defining them and monitoring their progress.
Another very important issue in Project Management is time. Projects have a deadline. If yours don’t, simply call them dreams. The manager or the PMO needs to know exactly how much extra time a team will need to finish their task. This issue is, of course, not simple at all. Many things can happen and affect the timing of your project. In the worst scenario, you fail to meet the deadline and deliver the product or service to the public or to your CEO, which is not funny. In order to avoid such a headache, you can write down the minimum and the maximum estimated time using the Critical Path Method, illustrated by the chart on the left. The critical path is the longest amount of time a process can take to be done. If it takes longer than that you will have what we call a critical delay and will need to have some critical solutions up the sleeve.
Anyway, Project Management is a very complex subject, but it is a powerful tool when necessary. If you look at it from this angle, it is like Henry Ford’s assembly line applied to anything. So, going to your company’s project, it does not matter how complex it is, if you use this tool, it is manageable.
Never stop pursuing.
Project Management
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management, http://www.pmi.org/Pages/default.aspx, http://www.projectmanagement.com/, http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm, http://books.google.com.br/books?id=d4-zmyD4BL8C&dq=project+management&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=p2i_QVmfQS&sig=0KKSjoNsem3X4U-apisx2ASZInQ&hl=pt-BR&ei=sxgoStr8H6Cxtgeqv62kAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#PPP1,M1
We all know what a project is. However, in a company, things get a little more serious than that new car you dream about. Still, in the end, all projects are the same: a finite endeavor, that is, a task, with an objective, which can be the creation of a product or service, for example.
When you have a very big and complex project, you will need a team to get the job done. Now, knowing people are different, we can assume they WORK differently and take different time to do things. In order to have this big and heterogeneous group do the job, you will need a manager, who needs to have experience and information on Project Management.
Project Management, or simply PM, is the subject that deals with standards and practices regarding the execution of a project. Now, what seems to be a simple idea, will take this manager hours of reading and preparation, for PM provides us with both a vast collection of models to help implement projects in various segments of business and industry and practical steps in case you get lost around the way.
Whether your project at work is big and complex and will take more than three years or if it’s just, say, the optimization of the routine in a small office, you will need to coordinate the various different tasks performed by the people in your team – remember: these tasks will all contribute to a common goal. One of the most common ways to do so is to write all the processes on the Gantt’s chart. If you never heard about it, the picture in this page will give you some north of what it is. This chart is a great tool because it not only shows us the dependence of processes and how their coordinated, but it also tells us how much of each task has been done. Consider it the PMO’s best friend. By the way, PMO stands for Project Management Office, which explained means a department in your company responsible for the whole management of a project, since allocating processes, to defining them and monitoring their progress.
Another very important issue in Project Management is time. Projects have a deadline. If yours don’t, simply call them dreams. The manager or the PMO needs to know exactly how much extra time a team will need to finish their task. This issue is, of course, not simple at all. Many things can happen and affect the timing of your project. In the worst scenario, you fail to meet the deadline and deliver the product or service to the public or to your CEO, which is not funny. In order to avoid such a headache, you can write down the minimum and the maximum estimated time using the Critical Path Method, illustrated by the chart on the left. The critical path is the longest amount of time a process can take to be done. If it takes longer than that you will have what we call a critical delay and will need to have some critical solutions up the sleeve.
Anyway, Project Management is a very complex subject, but it is a powerful tool when necessary. If you look at it from this angle, it is like Henry Ford’s assembly line applied to anything. So, going to your company’s project, it does not matter how complex it is, if you use this tool, it is manageable.
Never stop pursuing.
segunda-feira, 1 de junho de 2009
Work-related Abbreviations and Vocabulary
Hi,
Taken and adapted from: http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/employment-vocabulary.html
Assessment: (n) Evaluation of one's abilities.
Apply: (v) Submit an application for a job or position.
Attrition: (n) The elimination of positions as workers quit or retire.
Background Education: (n) Same as qualifications; experience.
Bonus: (n) Additional payment to an employee as an incentive
or reward.
Curriculum Vitae: (n) Summary of one's education and experience to date; résumé.
Dismiss: (v) Discharge from employment; same as to fire, to sack, to let go.
Employee: (n) Person who works for a firm or company.
Employer: (n) Person or firm who employs people.
Fire: (v) To dismiss from a job.
Fringe benefits: (n) Advantages offered in addition to salary (life insurance, retirement scheme, company car, etc; also called "perks", abbreviation for perquisites).
Interview: (n) Oral examination of an applicant for employment.
Layoff: (n) Dismissal or employees for economic reasons. Same as redundancy.
Lay off: (v) Dismiss for economic reasons.
Make redundant: (v) Dismiss for economic reasons.
Maternity leave: (n) Period of absence for a female employee when having a baby.
Notice: (n) Advance warning of intention to leave one's job. (v)
To give or hand in one's resignation.
Personnel: (n) People who work for a firm or company (employees).
Personnel officer: (n) Manager responsible for recruitment, training and welfare of personnel (employees). Same as Human Resources Manager.
Promotion: (n) Advancement in rank or position in the company.
Prospects: (n) Opportunities for success or promotion in a career.
Recruit: (v) Look for and hire personnel.
Resign: (v) Leave a job voluntarily.
Retire: (v) Leave employment after some years of service to receive a monthly pension from the Government.
Sick leave: (n) Absence because of illness. Usage: to be on sick leave.
Staff: (n) People who work for a firm or department; employees.
Strength: (n) Strong characteristic or particular ability.
Strike: (n) A stop in work in protest against something. Usage: to go on strike.
Take on: (v) Employ or hire.
Trainee: (n) Person being trained for a job e.g. a trainee salesman.
Training course: (n) A course of study to prepare for a job. Ex.: a computer course.
Unemployment benefits: (n) Payments made by the State to an unemployed person.
Vacancy: (n) A position to be filled. Same as opportunity or opening.
Weakness: (n) A lack of ability or a shortcoming in character.
Reduction in force common abbreviations
Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layoff.
• RIF - A generic reduction in force, of undetermined method.
• IRIF - An Involuntary Reduction in Force - The employee(s) didn't voluntarily choose to leave the company. This usually implies that the method of reduction involved either layoffs, firings, or both, but wouldn't usually imply resignations or retirements. If the employee is fired rather than laid off, the term "with cause" may be appended to indicate that the separation was due to this employee's performance and/or behavior, rather than being financially motivated.
• VRIF - A Voluntary Reduction in Force - The employee(s) did play a role in choosing to leave the company, most likely through resignation or retirement. In some instances, a company may exert pressure on an employee to make this choice, perhaps by implying that a layoff or termination would otherwise be imminent, or by offering an attractive severance or early retirement package.
• eRIF – Layoff notice by email.
• WFR - Work Force Reduction.
Never stop pursuing.
Taken and adapted from: http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/employment-vocabulary.html
Assessment: (n) Evaluation of one's abilities.
Apply: (v) Submit an application for a job or position.
Attrition: (n) The elimination of positions as workers quit or retire.
Background Education: (n) Same as qualifications; experience.
Bonus: (n) Additional payment to an employee as an incentive
or reward.
Curriculum Vitae: (n) Summary of one's education and experience to date; résumé.
Dismiss: (v) Discharge from employment; same as to fire, to sack, to let go.
Employee: (n) Person who works for a firm or company.
Employer: (n) Person or firm who employs people.
Fire: (v) To dismiss from a job.
Fringe benefits: (n) Advantages offered in addition to salary (life insurance, retirement scheme, company car, etc; also called "perks", abbreviation for perquisites).
Interview: (n) Oral examination of an applicant for employment.
Layoff: (n) Dismissal or employees for economic reasons. Same as redundancy.
Lay off: (v) Dismiss for economic reasons.
Make redundant: (v) Dismiss for economic reasons.
Maternity leave: (n) Period of absence for a female employee when having a baby.
Notice: (n) Advance warning of intention to leave one's job. (v)
To give or hand in one's resignation.
Personnel: (n) People who work for a firm or company (employees).
Personnel officer: (n) Manager responsible for recruitment, training and welfare of personnel (employees). Same as Human Resources Manager.
Promotion: (n) Advancement in rank or position in the company.
Prospects: (n) Opportunities for success or promotion in a career.
Recruit: (v) Look for and hire personnel.
Resign: (v) Leave a job voluntarily.
Retire: (v) Leave employment after some years of service to receive a monthly pension from the Government.
Sick leave: (n) Absence because of illness. Usage: to be on sick leave.
Staff: (n) People who work for a firm or department; employees.
Strength: (n) Strong characteristic or particular ability.
Strike: (n) A stop in work in protest against something. Usage: to go on strike.
Take on: (v) Employ or hire.
Trainee: (n) Person being trained for a job e.g. a trainee salesman.
Training course: (n) A course of study to prepare for a job. Ex.: a computer course.
Unemployment benefits: (n) Payments made by the State to an unemployed person.
Vacancy: (n) A position to be filled. Same as opportunity or opening.
Weakness: (n) A lack of ability or a shortcoming in character.
Reduction in force common abbreviations
Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layoff.
• RIF - A generic reduction in force, of undetermined method.
• IRIF - An Involuntary Reduction in Force - The employee(s) didn't voluntarily choose to leave the company. This usually implies that the method of reduction involved either layoffs, firings, or both, but wouldn't usually imply resignations or retirements. If the employee is fired rather than laid off, the term "with cause" may be appended to indicate that the separation was due to this employee's performance and/or behavior, rather than being financially motivated.
• VRIF - A Voluntary Reduction in Force - The employee(s) did play a role in choosing to leave the company, most likely through resignation or retirement. In some instances, a company may exert pressure on an employee to make this choice, perhaps by implying that a layoff or termination would otherwise be imminent, or by offering an attractive severance or early retirement package.
• eRIF – Layoff notice by email.
• WFR - Work Force Reduction.
Never stop pursuing.
quarta-feira, 27 de maio de 2009
English abbreviations & acronyms
Hi,
@ at
a/c account
AGM annual general meeting
a.m. ante meridiem (before noon)
a/o account of (on behalf of)
AOB any other business
ASAP as soon as possible
ATM automated teller machine (cash dispenser)
attn for the attention of
approx. approximately
cc copy to
CEO chief executive officer
c/o care of (on letters: at the address of)
Co company
cm centimeter
COD cash on delivery
dept department
e.g. exempli gratia (for example)
EGM extraordinary general meeting
ETA estimated time of arrival
etc et caetera (and so on)
GDP gross domestic product
GNP gross national product
GMT Greenwich mean time (time in London)
i.e. id est (meaning: 'that is')
Inc incorporated
IOU I owe you
IPO initial public offer
Jr junior
K thousand
lb pound (weight)
£ pound (money)
Ltd limited company
mo. month
N/A not applicable
NB Nota Bene (it is important to note)
no. number
PA personal assistant
p.a. per annum (per year)
Plc public limited company
pls please
p.m. post meridiem (after noon)
p.p. per pro (used before signing in a person's absence)
PR public relations
p.s. post scriptum
pto please turn over
p.w. per week
qty quantity
R & D research and development
re with reference to
ROI return on investment
RSVP repondez s'il vous plait (please reply)
s.a.e. stamped addressed envelope
VAT value added tax
VIP very important person
Taken from: http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/abbreviations.html
Chin up!
@ at
a/c account
AGM annual general meeting
a.m. ante meridiem (before noon)
a/o account of (on behalf of)
AOB any other business
ASAP as soon as possible
ATM automated teller machine (cash dispenser)
attn for the attention of
approx. approximately
cc copy to
CEO chief executive officer
c/o care of (on letters: at the address of)
Co company
cm centimeter
COD cash on delivery
dept department
e.g. exempli gratia (for example)
EGM extraordinary general meeting
ETA estimated time of arrival
etc et caetera (and so on)
GDP gross domestic product
GNP gross national product
GMT Greenwich mean time (time in London)
i.e. id est (meaning: 'that is')
Inc incorporated
IOU I owe you
IPO initial public offer
Jr junior
K thousand
lb pound (weight)
£ pound (money)
Ltd limited company
mo. month
N/A not applicable
NB Nota Bene (it is important to note)
no. number
PA personal assistant
p.a. per annum (per year)
Plc public limited company
pls please
p.m. post meridiem (after noon)
p.p. per pro (used before signing in a person's absence)
PR public relations
p.s. post scriptum
pto please turn over
p.w. per week
qty quantity
R & D research and development
re with reference to
ROI return on investment
RSVP repondez s'il vous plait (please reply)
s.a.e. stamped addressed envelope
VAT value added tax
VIP very important person
Taken from: http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/abbreviations.html
Chin up!
terça-feira, 26 de maio de 2009
MARKETING-SALES Vocabulary
Hi,
Today we’ll deal with vocabulary - another article of this new series.
You’ll find below some expressions used in the Marketing and Sales area, taken and adapted from http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/marketing-sales-vocabulary.html. I hope they will help you.
MARKETING-SALES
Vocabulary
After-sales service: Service that continues after the sale of a product (maintenance, etc.)
Agent: Person or company that acts for another and provides a specified service.
B2B e-commerce: Business to business e-commerce: use of commercial networks, online product catalogues and other online resources to obtain better prices and reach new customers.
B2C e-commerce: Business to consumer e-commerce: online sale of goods and services directly to consumers.
Benchmarking: Comparing one's products to those of competitors in order to improve quality and performance.
Buyer: 1) Any person who makes a purchase. 2) A person employed to choose and buy stock for a company.
Cash refund offer: Offer to pay back part of the purchase price of a product to customers who send a "proof of purchase" to the manufacturer.
Chain store: Two or more shops or outlets that have the same owner and sell similar lines of merchandise.
Client: A person who buys services or advice from a lawyer, an accountant or other professional.
Close: Finalize a deal or sale.
Convenience store: Small shop located near a residential area that opens long hours, seven days a week.
Customer: A person who buys something from a shop or business.
Coupon: A certificate that gives customers a saving when they purchase
a specific product.
Deal: A business transaction.
Department store: A large shop or store that carries a wide variety of product lines.
Direct investment: Entering a foreign market by setting up assembly or manufacturing facilities in that country.
Discount: A reduction in price.
E-commerce: Buying and selling by electronic means, primarily on the Internet.
E-marketing: Promotion of products and services over the Internet.
Extranet: A network that connects a company with its suppliers and distributors.
Fair: Any event whose objective is to divulge or sell at least one product.
Follow-up: To maintain contact after the sale to ensure customer satisfaction.
Franchise: Association between a manufacturer or wholesaler (franchiser) and an independent business person (franchisee) who buys the right to own and operate a unit in the franchise system.
Guarantee: A promise that a product will be repaired or replaced if faulty.
Intranet: A network that connects people within a company to each other.
Joint Venture: 1) A way of entering a foreign market by joining with a foreign company to manufacture or market a product or service. 2) Any association between at least two companies which does not constitute a merger.
Market leader: The company with the largest market share in an industry.
Mark up: The percentage of the price of a product added to cost to reach a selling price.
Merger: A fusion of at least two companies into a new one, with a new name.
Opinion leader: Person within a reference who, because of competence, knowledge, or other characteristics, exerts influence on others.
Packaging: Designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product.
Product: Anything that can be offered on the market, usually for sale.
Product line: A group of products that are closely related.
Prospect: A potential customer.
Representative: A sales representative is a person who represents and sells for a company.
Retail: To sell in small quantities, as in a shop, directly to the consumers.
Shopping center: Group of shops or retail businesses developed and managed as a unit.
Take-over: A purchase of a company by another.
Telephone marketing: Using the telephone to sell directly to customers.
Trade fair: An exhibition at which companies in a specific industry can show or demonstrate their products.
Viral marketing: The Internet version of word-of-mouth marketing - email messages that customers pass on to friends.
Wholesale: To sell goods and services to those buying for resale (e.g. a shop) or for business use.
Chin up!
Today we’ll deal with vocabulary - another article of this new series.
You’ll find below some expressions used in the Marketing and Sales area, taken and adapted from http://www.learn-english-today.com/business-english/marketing-sales-vocabulary.html. I hope they will help you.
MARKETING-SALES
Vocabulary
After-sales service: Service that continues after the sale of a product (maintenance, etc.)
Agent: Person or company that acts for another and provides a specified service.
B2B e-commerce: Business to business e-commerce: use of commercial networks, online product catalogues and other online resources to obtain better prices and reach new customers.
B2C e-commerce: Business to consumer e-commerce: online sale of goods and services directly to consumers.
Benchmarking: Comparing one's products to those of competitors in order to improve quality and performance.
Buyer: 1) Any person who makes a purchase. 2) A person employed to choose and buy stock for a company.
Cash refund offer: Offer to pay back part of the purchase price of a product to customers who send a "proof of purchase" to the manufacturer.
Chain store: Two or more shops or outlets that have the same owner and sell similar lines of merchandise.
Client: A person who buys services or advice from a lawyer, an accountant or other professional.
Close: Finalize a deal or sale.
Convenience store: Small shop located near a residential area that opens long hours, seven days a week.
Customer: A person who buys something from a shop or business.
Coupon: A certificate that gives customers a saving when they purchase
a specific product.
Deal: A business transaction.
Department store: A large shop or store that carries a wide variety of product lines.
Direct investment: Entering a foreign market by setting up assembly or manufacturing facilities in that country.
Discount: A reduction in price.
E-commerce: Buying and selling by electronic means, primarily on the Internet.
E-marketing: Promotion of products and services over the Internet.
Extranet: A network that connects a company with its suppliers and distributors.
Fair: Any event whose objective is to divulge or sell at least one product.
Follow-up: To maintain contact after the sale to ensure customer satisfaction.
Franchise: Association between a manufacturer or wholesaler (franchiser) and an independent business person (franchisee) who buys the right to own and operate a unit in the franchise system.
Guarantee: A promise that a product will be repaired or replaced if faulty.
Intranet: A network that connects people within a company to each other.
Joint Venture: 1) A way of entering a foreign market by joining with a foreign company to manufacture or market a product or service. 2) Any association between at least two companies which does not constitute a merger.
Market leader: The company with the largest market share in an industry.
Mark up: The percentage of the price of a product added to cost to reach a selling price.
Merger: A fusion of at least two companies into a new one, with a new name.
Opinion leader: Person within a reference who, because of competence, knowledge, or other characteristics, exerts influence on others.
Packaging: Designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product.
Product: Anything that can be offered on the market, usually for sale.
Product line: A group of products that are closely related.
Prospect: A potential customer.
Representative: A sales representative is a person who represents and sells for a company.
Retail: To sell in small quantities, as in a shop, directly to the consumers.
Shopping center: Group of shops or retail businesses developed and managed as a unit.
Take-over: A purchase of a company by another.
Telephone marketing: Using the telephone to sell directly to customers.
Trade fair: An exhibition at which companies in a specific industry can show or demonstrate their products.
Viral marketing: The Internet version of word-of-mouth marketing - email messages that customers pass on to friends.
Wholesale: To sell goods and services to those buying for resale (e.g. a shop) or for business use.
Chin up!
segunda-feira, 25 de maio de 2009
Job Interviews in English
Today we’ll take about something more different: Interviews in English.
You’ll find below 30 of the most asked questions in job interviews and their variants. Select five and paste on a reply-mail to me, which I’ll gladly give you feedback of. (Don’t forget to copy the questions you select!) Send to eder.pereira@gmail.com
1 Tell me about yourself.
2 How would you describe yourself? (character/personality)
3 What are your strengths/weaknesses?
4 Are you married? Single? Do you have a partner?
5 What do you do in your free time?
What are your hobbies? / Do you have any hobbies?
6 Why are you interested in working for our company?
Why do you want to work for this company?
7 What type of position do you think you are suited for / would suit you?
8 How would you describe the position we have to offer?
9 What aspects of the position are you most / least interested in?
10 What would you like to find in this job that you didn't have in your previous job?
11 How do you think you could develop the position?
What would be your strategy to develop the position?
12 What have you got to offer us?
What could you contribute to our company?
13 Why do you want to leave your present job?
Why do you want to change jobs?
14 What were you responsible for?
What did your job involve?
15 What do you think you gained by working in your last job?
16 What do you think of your (last) boss?
17 What are your salary requirements?
How much would you hope to earn in this position?
How much do you think you should be offered for this position?
What salary would you expect (to be offered) for this position?
18 Have you received any offers of a job?
19 Why have you had to look for a job for so long?
Why have you been looking for a job for so long?
Why did it take you so long to find a new job?
20 How do you feel about your future in the profession?
21 Have you had any failures? / What failures have you had?
Have you had any negative experiences?
22 What sort of obstacles have you come across/encountered in your work?
23 If you had to recruit colleagues, what qualities would you look for?
24 Would you be willing to relocate/to move to another part of the country/
to work abroad?
Did you have to travel abroad in your last job?
25 Don't you think you have too much experience/you are over-qualified for this job?
26 How long do you think you would stay with us?
If we offered you the job, how long would you expect to stay with us? 27 Which do you prefer: to work alone or in a team?
Do you prefer working alone or with other people as part of a team?
28 Do you know how to manage a team?
Are you capable of leading a team?
Do you think you have the ability to be a team leader?
29 Why should I recruit you?
How could you persuade me to recruit you?
30 Do you have any comments to make, or questions to ask?
Chin up!
You’ll find below 30 of the most asked questions in job interviews and their variants. Select five and paste on a reply-mail to me, which I’ll gladly give you feedback of. (Don’t forget to copy the questions you select!) Send to eder.pereira@gmail.com
1 Tell me about yourself.
2 How would you describe yourself? (character/personality)
3 What are your strengths/weaknesses?
4 Are you married? Single? Do you have a partner?
5 What do you do in your free time?
What are your hobbies? / Do you have any hobbies?
6 Why are you interested in working for our company?
Why do you want to work for this company?
7 What type of position do you think you are suited for / would suit you?
8 How would you describe the position we have to offer?
9 What aspects of the position are you most / least interested in?
10 What would you like to find in this job that you didn't have in your previous job?
11 How do you think you could develop the position?
What would be your strategy to develop the position?
12 What have you got to offer us?
What could you contribute to our company?
13 Why do you want to leave your present job?
Why do you want to change jobs?
14 What were you responsible for?
What did your job involve?
15 What do you think you gained by working in your last job?
16 What do you think of your (last) boss?
17 What are your salary requirements?
How much would you hope to earn in this position?
How much do you think you should be offered for this position?
What salary would you expect (to be offered) for this position?
18 Have you received any offers of a job?
19 Why have you had to look for a job for so long?
Why have you been looking for a job for so long?
Why did it take you so long to find a new job?
20 How do you feel about your future in the profession?
21 Have you had any failures? / What failures have you had?
Have you had any negative experiences?
22 What sort of obstacles have you come across/encountered in your work?
23 If you had to recruit colleagues, what qualities would you look for?
24 Would you be willing to relocate/to move to another part of the country/
to work abroad?
Did you have to travel abroad in your last job?
25 Don't you think you have too much experience/you are over-qualified for this job?
26 How long do you think you would stay with us?
If we offered you the job, how long would you expect to stay with us? 27 Which do you prefer: to work alone or in a team?
Do you prefer working alone or with other people as part of a team?
28 Do you know how to manage a team?
Are you capable of leading a team?
Do you think you have the ability to be a team leader?
29 Why should I recruit you?
How could you persuade me to recruit you?
30 Do you have any comments to make, or questions to ask?
Chin up!
sexta-feira, 22 de maio de 2009
Describing yourself
Some adjectives you can use to describe yourself:
articulate (can express clearly; can speak very well), coherent, eloquent, fluent, focused, hesitant, inhibited (reserved), lucid, persuasive, rambling (untidy, disorganized), responsive (with a quick reaction), sensitive (can feel things quickly), sensible (with reasonable ideas), succinct (can express himself with few words), tongue-tied (incoherent; difficult to understand; speechless), considerate (takes into consideration what other people feel or have to say), creative, decisive, diplomatic, efficient, flexible, inspiring, interested, logical, organized, rational, responsible, dependable (that you can trust; trusty, trustworthy, honest, reliable), sociable, supportive (who gives support, helpful), hard-working (who works hard), hands-on (who does all jobs when necessary), slow, boring (not funny; dull), calm, funny, nervous, stupid, fast, leading (who is a leader), planning (who plans), clumsy (who has no dexterity; no control of the hands), perceptive, helpful, goofy (silly; ridiculous), resilient (can recover quickly), resistant, stoic (resistant to the changes of emotions).
articulate (can express clearly; can speak very well), coherent, eloquent, fluent, focused, hesitant, inhibited (reserved), lucid, persuasive, rambling (untidy, disorganized), responsive (with a quick reaction), sensitive (can feel things quickly), sensible (with reasonable ideas), succinct (can express himself with few words), tongue-tied (incoherent; difficult to understand; speechless), considerate (takes into consideration what other people feel or have to say), creative, decisive, diplomatic, efficient, flexible, inspiring, interested, logical, organized, rational, responsible, dependable (that you can trust; trusty, trustworthy, honest, reliable), sociable, supportive (who gives support, helpful), hard-working (who works hard), hands-on (who does all jobs when necessary), slow, boring (not funny; dull), calm, funny, nervous, stupid, fast, leading (who is a leader), planning (who plans), clumsy (who has no dexterity; no control of the hands), perceptive, helpful, goofy (silly; ridiculous), resilient (can recover quickly), resistant, stoic (resistant to the changes of emotions).
Selling your product
Hi,
This will help you when you need.
Some adjectives you can use to describe a product:
• It is made of: glass, plastic, metal, wood, leather, rubber (as the sole of your shoes).
• It is: square, rectangular, round, cylindrical, oval, conical.
• It is: green, blue, yellow, white, grey, red, multi-colored, dark, bright.
• It’s big, small, heavy, light (opposite of heavy), long, short, thick, thin.
• It is: expensive, cheap, a bargain (very cheap), a steal (like bargain).
• It is: important, cheesy (not serious), unimportant, useful.
• It smells: nice, bad, sweet, delicious, funny.
• It tastes: nice, bad, sweet, delicious, funny, sour (like vinegar).
• It is: fashion, old-fashion, cutting-edge (most modern at the moment), state-of-art (like cutting-edge).
Words and phrases that can help you sell your product:
• Tool; best tool; mechanism; apparatus; device.
• Implement; implementation.
• It’s conducive (gives all the conditions) to…; It aids (helps) in the development of…
• It facilitates; it revolutionizes; it changes; (you can use these in the future if you want to impress more).
• It’s unique; it’s special; it’s one and only.
• Its unique design is…; its state-of-the-art design is…; its tremendously impressive design is…
• Its impressive functionality will…; its state-of-the-art technology will…
• Not only will it revolutionize your…, but it will also give you a larger market share.
This will help you when you need.
Some adjectives you can use to describe a product:
• It is made of: glass, plastic, metal, wood, leather, rubber (as the sole of your shoes).
• It is: square, rectangular, round, cylindrical, oval, conical.
• It is: green, blue, yellow, white, grey, red, multi-colored, dark, bright.
• It’s big, small, heavy, light (opposite of heavy), long, short, thick, thin.
• It is: expensive, cheap, a bargain (very cheap), a steal (like bargain).
• It is: important, cheesy (not serious), unimportant, useful.
• It smells: nice, bad, sweet, delicious, funny.
• It tastes: nice, bad, sweet, delicious, funny, sour (like vinegar).
• It is: fashion, old-fashion, cutting-edge (most modern at the moment), state-of-art (like cutting-edge).
Words and phrases that can help you sell your product:
• Tool; best tool; mechanism; apparatus; device.
• Implement; implementation.
• It’s conducive (gives all the conditions) to…; It aids (helps) in the development of…
• It facilitates; it revolutionizes; it changes; (you can use these in the future if you want to impress more).
• It’s unique; it’s special; it’s one and only.
• Its unique design is…; its state-of-the-art design is…; its tremendously impressive design is…
• Its impressive functionality will…; its state-of-the-art technology will…
• Not only will it revolutionize your…, but it will also give you a larger market share.
Correlative Conjunctions II – A closer look on syntax.
As you read in a previous article, the correlative conjunctions, as the name suggests, establish a relation between two terms, may they be clauses, phrases or simply words. Below you’ll find them again in more details:
Both…and --- not only…but also.
Either…or ---- neither…nor --- whether…or --- if…or.
Below you will find the syntax for all the sets:
X + term1 + y + term 2.
Where X stands for the first element of the conjunction set and Y the second.
Both…and --- not only…but also.
Some examples follow:
1) Jessica is beautiful and intelligent.
2) Jessica is both beautiful and intelligent.
3) Jessica is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
Term 1 is: Jessica is beautiful.
Term 2 is: Jessica is intelligent.
Note that similar parts in both elements stay out of the syntax.
Jessica = Jessica; is = is.
Thus: Jessica is X beautiful Y intelligent.
Remember this: Similarities stay out of the syntax.
More examples:
Term 1 = Jessica has two little brothers.
Term 2 = Jessica takes care of them.
Syntax: Jessica X has two little brothers, Y takes care of them.
Thus:
Jessica both has two little brothers, and takes care of them.
Jessica not only has two little brothers, but also takes care of them.
Either…or
As mentioned above, this conjunction set establishes two options: you can have only one of them, not both.
The syntax is the same: X+term1+Y+term2
And remember this: Similarities stay out of the syntax.
Examples:
Term 1: go to the movies. Term 2: go to the park.
Thus: You can go to either the park or the movies.
* either to the park or to the movies is very common too.
** don’t separate the from the noun it determines.
Term 1: have breakfast. Term 2: read a book.
Thus: She can either have breakfast or read a book.
neither…nor
This conjunction set is simply the negative counterpart of either…or.
If the latter says you have two options, this one says you have two prohibitions or inabilities:
Term 1: I can’t dance Salsa. Term 2: I can’t cook Cuban food.
Thus: I can neither dance salsa nor cook Cuban food.
NB: since the set is negative, the verb stays in the affirmative mode.
whether…or --- if…or.
As for these sets, they’re synonyms and they establish conditions:
Examples:
I need to know if you want to stay or not.
Whether she likes me or not, I like her.
So, that’s it. Study these sets well and e-mail me if you need more help.
Practice Makes Perfect
Both…and --- not only…but also.
Either…or ---- neither…nor --- whether…or --- if…or.
Below you will find the syntax for all the sets:
X + term1 + y + term 2.
Where X stands for the first element of the conjunction set and Y the second.
Both…and --- not only…but also.
Some examples follow:
1) Jessica is beautiful and intelligent.
2) Jessica is both beautiful and intelligent.
3) Jessica is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
Term 1 is: Jessica is beautiful.
Term 2 is: Jessica is intelligent.
Note that similar parts in both elements stay out of the syntax.
Jessica = Jessica; is = is.
Thus: Jessica is X beautiful Y intelligent.
Remember this: Similarities stay out of the syntax.
More examples:
Term 1 = Jessica has two little brothers.
Term 2 = Jessica takes care of them.
Syntax: Jessica X has two little brothers, Y takes care of them.
Thus:
Jessica both has two little brothers, and takes care of them.
Jessica not only has two little brothers, but also takes care of them.
Either…or
As mentioned above, this conjunction set establishes two options: you can have only one of them, not both.
The syntax is the same: X+term1+Y+term2
And remember this: Similarities stay out of the syntax.
Examples:
Term 1: go to the movies. Term 2: go to the park.
Thus: You can go to either the park or the movies.
* either to the park or to the movies is very common too.
** don’t separate the from the noun it determines.
Term 1: have breakfast. Term 2: read a book.
Thus: She can either have breakfast or read a book.
neither…nor
This conjunction set is simply the negative counterpart of either…or.
If the latter says you have two options, this one says you have two prohibitions or inabilities:
Term 1: I can’t dance Salsa. Term 2: I can’t cook Cuban food.
Thus: I can neither dance salsa nor cook Cuban food.
NB: since the set is negative, the verb stays in the affirmative mode.
whether…or --- if…or.
As for these sets, they’re synonyms and they establish conditions:
Examples:
I need to know if you want to stay or not.
Whether she likes me or not, I like her.
So, that’s it. Study these sets well and e-mail me if you need more help.
Practice Makes Perfect
quinta-feira, 21 de maio de 2009
Suffixes II
Today we’ll talk about suffixes again. Just now, we’ll play closer attention to some details.
The –ly Suffix
You saw in the last article that the –ly suffix forms an adverb when attatched to a word. Ex.: Happy (adj) + -ly = Happily (adv).
The -ly suffix forms manner adverbs, that is, they tell you how things happen. Happily means ‘with happiness’.
You can also add –ly to a participle of a verb. Ex: Tiredly – She did the exercise tiredly (she was tired when she did it). Normally in this case, the adverb tells you how the subject did it or how he felt at the moment.
Here follows a list of words I suggest you study. You can quickly look them up in www.thefreedictionary.com. Great online dictionary and thesaurus.
The list:
Abashedly, ably, abnormally, absurdly, abusively, contrarily, continently, contortedly, cordially, costly, ghastly, girlishly, normally, quickly, rapidly.
Note that when a word finished with an L, we still attach the suffix to it nonetheless: natural +ly = naturally.
The –ish Suffix
This suffix bears a meaning of “similar” or “around” when added to a noun.
Ex: Stop being girlish! (girlish means “to behave in a way that resembles a very young and spoiled girl”);
Ex: We’ll meet there at eightish. (it means “around eight o’clock).
Here follows a list of words (some with examples) for you to study:
Seventyish – I like my seventyish shirt.
Boyish – boyish manners.
Doggish – your doggish style.
Teacherish, nursish, doctorish, dentistish, crazyish, Carla Brunish, Brad Pittish, etc.
Virtually any noun will take –ish.
Knowledge is Power.
The –ly Suffix
You saw in the last article that the –ly suffix forms an adverb when attatched to a word. Ex.: Happy (adj) + -ly = Happily (adv).
The -ly suffix forms manner adverbs, that is, they tell you how things happen. Happily means ‘with happiness’.
You can also add –ly to a participle of a verb. Ex: Tiredly – She did the exercise tiredly (she was tired when she did it). Normally in this case, the adverb tells you how the subject did it or how he felt at the moment.
Here follows a list of words I suggest you study. You can quickly look them up in www.thefreedictionary.com. Great online dictionary and thesaurus.
The list:
Abashedly, ably, abnormally, absurdly, abusively, contrarily, continently, contortedly, cordially, costly, ghastly, girlishly, normally, quickly, rapidly.
Note that when a word finished with an L, we still attach the suffix to it nonetheless: natural +ly = naturally.
The –ish Suffix
This suffix bears a meaning of “similar” or “around” when added to a noun.
Ex: Stop being girlish! (girlish means “to behave in a way that resembles a very young and spoiled girl”);
Ex: We’ll meet there at eightish. (it means “around eight o’clock).
Here follows a list of words (some with examples) for you to study:
Seventyish – I like my seventyish shirt.
Boyish – boyish manners.
Doggish – your doggish style.
Teacherish, nursish, doctorish, dentistish, crazyish, Carla Brunish, Brad Pittish, etc.
Virtually any noun will take –ish.
Knowledge is Power.
sexta-feira, 15 de maio de 2009
Prefixes I
Hi,
Today we’re going to talk about prefixes. The thing in which they differ from suffixes is the fact that most of what we have comes from Latin or Greek, in other words, they’re pretty much very similar to Portuguese. Because of this, let’s focus on the more, say, complicating ones.
For a good list of prefixes, check the websites below:
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prefixtext.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/prefixes.htm
Take a look at these words: inflammable, impossible, infallible, irrelevant and invaluable. You could say: “All right, teacher, I get these words. “I” and all its combinations mean “no”, just like Portuguese”.
Clever, furthermore, that’s the attitude. Prefixes, as I said before, are very similar to their Portuguese counterparts due to the fact they all descend from Latin and Greek.
However, inflammable is different, isn’t it? It means “fire-catchable”. Something that doesn’t catch fire, like water, for instance, we call non-flammable. By the way, non is a prefix too. A very easy one, though.
In the same way, invaluable means something so important and so valuable that you can’t put a price on it – your family, for example. Something that has no value we call worthless – do you remember this suffix?
Anyway, don’t worry. We don’t have many false cognates. Most of the words, suffixes and prefixes which resemble their Portuguese counterparts are indeed synonymous.
Thus, impossible, irrelevant and infallible mean exactly what you think they do – “not”.
To cap it all, let me just say that we have two ways of adding prefixes: juxtaposition and hyphenation. Let me explain them:
1) Juxtaposition: It’s when you simply put them together: ab+normal = abnormal.
2) Hyphenation: It’s when a hyphen (-) makes the ligature of the prefix and the root: ex + wife = ex-wife.
Just like all the vocabulary lessons we had – and those we will have too, there’s no “rule” to know them all infallibly. What we have is a “strategy”: read, listen, talk and write English, in other words, use the language everyday and you’ll eventually feel very comfortable with all this.
Now that you were briefed, go check those two websites above. You’ll be surprised at the amount of similarities and, maybe, even think of studying Latin and Greek a little…
Knowledge is Power.
Today we’re going to talk about prefixes. The thing in which they differ from suffixes is the fact that most of what we have comes from Latin or Greek, in other words, they’re pretty much very similar to Portuguese. Because of this, let’s focus on the more, say, complicating ones.
For a good list of prefixes, check the websites below:
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prefixtext.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/prefixes.htm
Take a look at these words: inflammable, impossible, infallible, irrelevant and invaluable. You could say: “All right, teacher, I get these words. “I” and all its combinations mean “no”, just like Portuguese”.
Clever, furthermore, that’s the attitude. Prefixes, as I said before, are very similar to their Portuguese counterparts due to the fact they all descend from Latin and Greek.
However, inflammable is different, isn’t it? It means “fire-catchable”. Something that doesn’t catch fire, like water, for instance, we call non-flammable. By the way, non is a prefix too. A very easy one, though.
In the same way, invaluable means something so important and so valuable that you can’t put a price on it – your family, for example. Something that has no value we call worthless – do you remember this suffix?
Anyway, don’t worry. We don’t have many false cognates. Most of the words, suffixes and prefixes which resemble their Portuguese counterparts are indeed synonymous.
Thus, impossible, irrelevant and infallible mean exactly what you think they do – “not”.
To cap it all, let me just say that we have two ways of adding prefixes: juxtaposition and hyphenation. Let me explain them:
1) Juxtaposition: It’s when you simply put them together: ab+normal = abnormal.
2) Hyphenation: It’s when a hyphen (-) makes the ligature of the prefix and the root: ex + wife = ex-wife.
Just like all the vocabulary lessons we had – and those we will have too, there’s no “rule” to know them all infallibly. What we have is a “strategy”: read, listen, talk and write English, in other words, use the language everyday and you’ll eventually feel very comfortable with all this.
Now that you were briefed, go check those two websites above. You’ll be surprised at the amount of similarities and, maybe, even think of studying Latin and Greek a little…
Knowledge is Power.
quinta-feira, 14 de maio de 2009
Suffixes I
Hi,
Today we’re going to study a little about suffixes. A little Morphology doesn’t hurt.
SUFFIXES
Suffixes are ‘parts’ that can be attached to words that greatly alter their syntactical function. Let’s see an example:
PLAY – this is the verb. Let’s call it ROOT.
-ER – this is the suffix for the agent, that is, the doer of a verb.
When we get both together we have PLAYER – the person who plays.
You can add this suffix to most verbs and you will get the same result:
DOER, FLIER, CRIER, FIGHTER, TEACHER, PREACHER, SKATER, SINGER, etc.
The exceptions we have are for reasons of eulogy and etymology:
LIAR, VENDOR, DEBTOR, RECTOR, etc.
Anyway, -OR and –AR are considered variations of –ER, the agent suffix.
You’ll find below a list with more suffixes and examples with them:
-ANT (-ENT) – another agent suffix. Ex: student, defiant, consultant, etc.
-EE – the passive suffix for some words with –ER. Ex: interviewee, trainee, etc.
-ESS – female version of the agent suffix -ER. Note that it does not apply to all the cases. Ex: actress, waitress, stewardess
-FUL – full of, having some or much. Ex: hopeful, useful
-IST – believer, professional, or adherent to a certain political view. Ex: dentist, communist, Baptist, capitalist, etc.
-LESS – lack of. Ex: homeless, useless, motionless, etc.
-LY – like, having the attributes of; in modern English, it primarily changes adjectives to adverbs; also changes some nouns to adjectives and some (past-tense) verbs to adverbs. Ex: quick (adj) > quickly (adv), state (n) > stately (adj), abashed (v) > abashedly (adv), etc.
-WARD(S) – direction. Ex: southwards, homewards, etc.
-WISE – direction. Ex: clockwise, schoolwise, homewise, etc.
You can check the webpage below for more suffixes:
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/reading/suffixes.html
Knowledge is Power.
Today we’re going to study a little about suffixes. A little Morphology doesn’t hurt.
SUFFIXES
Suffixes are ‘parts’ that can be attached to words that greatly alter their syntactical function. Let’s see an example:
PLAY – this is the verb. Let’s call it ROOT.
-ER – this is the suffix for the agent, that is, the doer of a verb.
When we get both together we have PLAYER – the person who plays.
You can add this suffix to most verbs and you will get the same result:
DOER, FLIER, CRIER, FIGHTER, TEACHER, PREACHER, SKATER, SINGER, etc.
The exceptions we have are for reasons of eulogy and etymology:
LIAR, VENDOR, DEBTOR, RECTOR, etc.
Anyway, -OR and –AR are considered variations of –ER, the agent suffix.
You’ll find below a list with more suffixes and examples with them:
-ANT (-ENT) – another agent suffix. Ex: student, defiant, consultant, etc.
-EE – the passive suffix for some words with –ER. Ex: interviewee, trainee, etc.
-ESS – female version of the agent suffix -ER. Note that it does not apply to all the cases. Ex: actress, waitress, stewardess
-FUL – full of, having some or much. Ex: hopeful, useful
-IST – believer, professional, or adherent to a certain political view. Ex: dentist, communist, Baptist, capitalist, etc.
-LESS – lack of. Ex: homeless, useless, motionless, etc.
-LY – like, having the attributes of; in modern English, it primarily changes adjectives to adverbs; also changes some nouns to adjectives and some (past-tense) verbs to adverbs. Ex: quick (adj) > quickly (adv), state (n) > stately (adj), abashed (v) > abashedly (adv), etc.
-WARD(S) – direction. Ex: southwards, homewards, etc.
-WISE – direction. Ex: clockwise, schoolwise, homewise, etc.
You can check the webpage below for more suffixes:
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/reading/suffixes.html
Knowledge is Power.
quarta-feira, 13 de maio de 2009
Expressions with GET
Hi,
Today we’ll see some expressions with GET taken from http://www.sk.com.br/sk-make.html and adapted by myself.
EXPRESSIONS WITH GET
Meaning to become
It’s getting dark.
We got tired yesterday.
I’m getting confused.
I’m getting accustomed/used to working hard.
Meaning to receive
She got a nice present for her birthday.
Teachers get about R$15 an hour in Brazil.
I hope to get better news tomorrow.
I got a postcard from Germany.
Meaning to obtain/buy
He’s going to get a job after college.
I got a promotion.
He got $800 for his old car.
You can get cheap things in Hong Kong.
I'm planning to get a new car soon.
Meaning to fetch/pick up
Go and get the newspaper.
Shall I get you a book from the library?
Stay here. I’ll get you some slippers.
Meaning to arrive at/reach
I got home late last night.
We got to the airport by taxi.
Can you get to the roof of the house?
Meaning to have (possession)
I haven’t got much time.
Have you got enough money?
Meaning to have to (obligation, same as need and must)
I’ve got to go now.
You’ve got to study harder.
Meaning to catch (illness, vehicle, thief)
I don’t want to get a cold.
I hope you get on a train before midnight.
The thief ran away but the police got him.
Meaning to prepare/make
I’ll get some coffee.
She’s getting dinner for her family.
Meaning to be (as passive auxiliary)
She got hit by a car.
The robber got killed by the police.
He got robbed last night.
Meaning to persuade/convince
He got his father to buy him a car.
I got him to help me.
Meaning to have something done, to order something
He got his car fixed.
I got my hair cut.
Meaning to understand
I got you.
Did you get the idea?
Don't get me wrong.
Other meanings and in combination with prepositions
Get across – a) [to transpass; to cross] We need to get across this field. b) [to communicate; to explain] I’ll get this message across.
Get along (with) – [to have a good relationship] I get along with my father very well.
Get away – [to escape] The criminal got away.
Get back – [retrieve] I need to get my stolen car back.
Get back from – [to return] When will you get back from Europe?
Get by – [to improvise to have a good performance when in a difficult situation] How do you get by with only R$ 500, 00 a month?
Get a chance – [to have an opportunity] I never got a chance with her!
Get a cramp – [when a muscle becomes stiff and hurts] I was swimming and suddenly I got a cramp in my left leg!
Get somebody down – [to depress somebody] Stop getting him down!
Get down to – [to concentrate] Let’s get down to work.
Get even – [to equalize by doing something good or bad as retribution] She robbed me of my boyfriend and now she’s got a new one. It’s the perfect time to get even.
Get a flat tire – [when one of your car tires has a puncture] I got a flat tire this morning.
Get a haircut – [to pay somebody to cut your hair] I want to get a haircut today.
Get ...ing! – [for the imperative] Get going now! i.e. Go!
Get in – [to enter] Get in the car.
Get into – [to enter or to get involved] You don’t want to get into this problem.
Get in touch (with) – [to communicate after an absence of it] Can you get in touch with Greg? It’s been a year I haven’t seen him.
Get in trouble – [to find problems of oneself] Don’t get into trouble in Paris.
Get laid – [to have a sexual intercourse] Are you getting laid tonight?
Get lost! – [go away]
Get married – Linda and James got married at a beautiful church.
Get something off – [to remove] Can you get this stain off my shirt?
Get off – [to leave a means of transportation] Mr. Driver, I need to get off this bus now!
Get on – [to enter a means of transportation] Let’s get on that bus.
Get on with someone – [to have a relationship with a person] How do you and your father get on?
Get out – [to leave] Get out of my car!
Get over – [to recover] Did you get over Linda? No, I still think of her every day.
Get ready – [to prepare oneself; to stay prompt] Get ready to rumble!
Get rid of – [to discard; to eliminate] Get rid of this tiresome job of yours!
Get there – [to arrive] What time did you get there?
Get through with something – [to finish something] Get through with your homework.
Get to someone – [to annoy/irritate somebody] Stop getting to me!
Get together (with) – [to rendezvous; to reunite] Let’s get together with Mike for a beer?
Get something under way – [to prepare something; to start working on something] I need to get these documents under way.
Get up – [to wake up]
Get upset – [to get nervous or sad] Don’t get upset.
Knowledge is Power.
Today we’ll see some expressions with GET taken from http://www.sk.com.br/sk-make.html and adapted by myself.
EXPRESSIONS WITH GET
Meaning to become
It’s getting dark.
We got tired yesterday.
I’m getting confused.
I’m getting accustomed/used to working hard.
Meaning to receive
She got a nice present for her birthday.
Teachers get about R$15 an hour in Brazil.
I hope to get better news tomorrow.
I got a postcard from Germany.
Meaning to obtain/buy
He’s going to get a job after college.
I got a promotion.
He got $800 for his old car.
You can get cheap things in Hong Kong.
I'm planning to get a new car soon.
Meaning to fetch/pick up
Go and get the newspaper.
Shall I get you a book from the library?
Stay here. I’ll get you some slippers.
Meaning to arrive at/reach
I got home late last night.
We got to the airport by taxi.
Can you get to the roof of the house?
Meaning to have (possession)
I haven’t got much time.
Have you got enough money?
Meaning to have to (obligation, same as need and must)
I’ve got to go now.
You’ve got to study harder.
Meaning to catch (illness, vehicle, thief)
I don’t want to get a cold.
I hope you get on a train before midnight.
The thief ran away but the police got him.
Meaning to prepare/make
I’ll get some coffee.
She’s getting dinner for her family.
Meaning to be (as passive auxiliary)
She got hit by a car.
The robber got killed by the police.
He got robbed last night.
Meaning to persuade/convince
He got his father to buy him a car.
I got him to help me.
Meaning to have something done, to order something
He got his car fixed.
I got my hair cut.
Meaning to understand
I got you.
Did you get the idea?
Don't get me wrong.
Other meanings and in combination with prepositions
Get across – a) [to transpass; to cross] We need to get across this field. b) [to communicate; to explain] I’ll get this message across.
Get along (with) – [to have a good relationship] I get along with my father very well.
Get away – [to escape] The criminal got away.
Get back – [retrieve] I need to get my stolen car back.
Get back from – [to return] When will you get back from Europe?
Get by – [to improvise to have a good performance when in a difficult situation] How do you get by with only R$ 500, 00 a month?
Get a chance – [to have an opportunity] I never got a chance with her!
Get a cramp – [when a muscle becomes stiff and hurts] I was swimming and suddenly I got a cramp in my left leg!
Get somebody down – [to depress somebody] Stop getting him down!
Get down to – [to concentrate] Let’s get down to work.
Get even – [to equalize by doing something good or bad as retribution] She robbed me of my boyfriend and now she’s got a new one. It’s the perfect time to get even.
Get a flat tire – [when one of your car tires has a puncture] I got a flat tire this morning.
Get a haircut – [to pay somebody to cut your hair] I want to get a haircut today.
Get ...ing! – [for the imperative] Get going now! i.e. Go!
Get in – [to enter] Get in the car.
Get into – [to enter or to get involved] You don’t want to get into this problem.
Get in touch (with) – [to communicate after an absence of it] Can you get in touch with Greg? It’s been a year I haven’t seen him.
Get in trouble – [to find problems of oneself] Don’t get into trouble in Paris.
Get laid – [to have a sexual intercourse] Are you getting laid tonight?
Get lost! – [go away]
Get married – Linda and James got married at a beautiful church.
Get something off – [to remove] Can you get this stain off my shirt?
Get off – [to leave a means of transportation] Mr. Driver, I need to get off this bus now!
Get on – [to enter a means of transportation] Let’s get on that bus.
Get on with someone – [to have a relationship with a person] How do you and your father get on?
Get out – [to leave] Get out of my car!
Get over – [to recover] Did you get over Linda? No, I still think of her every day.
Get ready – [to prepare oneself; to stay prompt] Get ready to rumble!
Get rid of – [to discard; to eliminate] Get rid of this tiresome job of yours!
Get there – [to arrive] What time did you get there?
Get through with something – [to finish something] Get through with your homework.
Get to someone – [to annoy/irritate somebody] Stop getting to me!
Get together (with) – [to rendezvous; to reunite] Let’s get together with Mike for a beer?
Get something under way – [to prepare something; to start working on something] I need to get these documents under way.
Get up – [to wake up]
Get upset – [to get nervous or sad] Don’t get upset.
Knowledge is Power.
terça-feira, 12 de maio de 2009
Expressions with TAKE
Hi,
Today we’ll see some expressions with TAKE taken from http://www.sk.com.br/sk-make.html and adapted by myself.
EXPRESSIONS WITH TAKE
• take advantage – She’s taking advantage on this situation. Wake up!
• take advice – Take my advice: stop now.
• take (something) apart – the mechanic took my whole car apart in hundreds of pieces.
• take back – Don’t worry, I’ll take it back to you.
• take the blame – I took the blame for the problem.
• take a break – You’re working too much. Take a break!
• take care – You need to take care of yourself.
• take a chance – We can be happy. Take a chance on me!
• take a course (lessons) – I’m taking a nice English course.
• take it easy – Relax. Take it easy.
• take effect – The medication has started taking effect.
• take an injection – I hate taking injections.
• take into consideration – Take your family into consideration before you do it.
• take it as ... – I too your joke as true.
• take it or leave it – 8 hours a day, 6days a week, lunch, 30-day paid vacation and R$ 2000,00 as salary. It’s take it or leave it.
• take a leak – I drank a lot of beer. I’ll go to the men’s room to take a leak.
• take lessons – She takes lessons from a great teacher.
• take liberties – Take you liberties!
• take a look (at, on) – Doctor, take a look on my arm.
• take medicine – Are you taking your medicine properly?
• take a nap – You’re tired! Take a little nap in your bedroom.
• take notes – Are you taking notes of this lesson?
• take off – She’s not here anymore. The plane just took off.
• take (something) off – Take of your shoes in a Japanese home.
• take the opportunity – Take the opportunity and be happy!
• take (somebody/something) out - I’ll take you out for dinner on Friday.
• take over – She took over the responsibility.
• take part – Do you want to take part in this lesson?
• take a piss – I drank a lot of beer. I need to go to the men’s room and take a piss.
• take it personal– Don’t take it personal. I didn’t want to offend anybody.
• take place – The English immersion lessons will take place in our office.
• take pride – Take pride in your family! They’re the best thing you have.
• take a poll – Ibope will take a poll to know how many classic cars we have in this city.
• take the responsibility – Take the responsibility for the things you do.
• take a rest – You’re tired. Take a rest.
• take a shower – You’re stinking! Take a shower!
• take steps – We need to take the steps to the party. The preparation will be long!
• take a taxi (bus, plane) – I need to take a taxi to the airport.
• take the temperature – Take his temperature, doctor.
• take a test – I will take a test tomorrow morning at school.
• It takes time – I takes time to learn another language.
• take one's time – I don’t want to take you time. It’s going to be quick.
• take a trip – I’ll take a trip to Bahia to relax a little.
• take up something – I’ll take up English lessons next semester.
• take a walk – Let’s take a walk in the park together.
• take your time – There is no hurry. Take your time.
Knowledge is Power.
Today we’ll see some expressions with TAKE taken from http://www.sk.com.br/sk-make.html and adapted by myself.
EXPRESSIONS WITH TAKE
• take advantage – She’s taking advantage on this situation. Wake up!
• take advice – Take my advice: stop now.
• take (something) apart – the mechanic took my whole car apart in hundreds of pieces.
• take back – Don’t worry, I’ll take it back to you.
• take the blame – I took the blame for the problem.
• take a break – You’re working too much. Take a break!
• take care – You need to take care of yourself.
• take a chance – We can be happy. Take a chance on me!
• take a course (lessons) – I’m taking a nice English course.
• take it easy – Relax. Take it easy.
• take effect – The medication has started taking effect.
• take an injection – I hate taking injections.
• take into consideration – Take your family into consideration before you do it.
• take it as ... – I too your joke as true.
• take it or leave it – 8 hours a day, 6days a week, lunch, 30-day paid vacation and R$ 2000,00 as salary. It’s take it or leave it.
• take a leak – I drank a lot of beer. I’ll go to the men’s room to take a leak.
• take lessons – She takes lessons from a great teacher.
• take liberties – Take you liberties!
• take a look (at, on) – Doctor, take a look on my arm.
• take medicine – Are you taking your medicine properly?
• take a nap – You’re tired! Take a little nap in your bedroom.
• take notes – Are you taking notes of this lesson?
• take off – She’s not here anymore. The plane just took off.
• take (something) off – Take of your shoes in a Japanese home.
• take the opportunity – Take the opportunity and be happy!
• take (somebody/something) out - I’ll take you out for dinner on Friday.
• take over – She took over the responsibility.
• take part – Do you want to take part in this lesson?
• take a piss – I drank a lot of beer. I need to go to the men’s room and take a piss.
• take it personal– Don’t take it personal. I didn’t want to offend anybody.
• take place – The English immersion lessons will take place in our office.
• take pride – Take pride in your family! They’re the best thing you have.
• take a poll – Ibope will take a poll to know how many classic cars we have in this city.
• take the responsibility – Take the responsibility for the things you do.
• take a rest – You’re tired. Take a rest.
• take a shower – You’re stinking! Take a shower!
• take steps – We need to take the steps to the party. The preparation will be long!
• take a taxi (bus, plane) – I need to take a taxi to the airport.
• take the temperature – Take his temperature, doctor.
• take a test – I will take a test tomorrow morning at school.
• It takes time – I takes time to learn another language.
• take one's time – I don’t want to take you time. It’s going to be quick.
• take a trip – I’ll take a trip to Bahia to relax a little.
• take up something – I’ll take up English lessons next semester.
• take a walk – Let’s take a walk in the park together.
• take your time – There is no hurry. Take your time.
Knowledge is Power.
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