Forget Powerpoint, Sing and Dance for Your A+
What I wouldn’t give to see my students singing, dancing, and grinning about trying to get good grades!
The standard Dutch goal is to get a 6 out of 10 to pass, no better. It is a shame that too few Dutch students show an interest in achieving higher grades. (In the US, you flunk out of school for getting 6 out of 10!) With widespread access to extremely affordable education, it is definitely a missed opportunity.
Check out this great parody of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”; “Scholar Ladies” performed by student from Milwaukee’s HOPE Christian Schools. To compete with these students in the future, a mediocre 6 will never do!
Maybe my students will choreograph a few moves of their own for class on Tuesday morning? But Guys, please skip the Justin Timberlake “Single Ladies” black leotards and the “Scholar Ladies” school girl outfits too!
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Resolution Inspiration from a 92 Year-Old Diva
Are you struggling through the early days of your resolution to lose weight, hit the gym, or “fill in the blank” with any other healthy habit? Experts say that your odds of succeeding are greater when you make long-term lifestyle changes instead of trying crash diets or other fads. Sure, that’s obvious, but how long- term are we talking about here? This 92 year-old woman(not pictured above) sets an example for all of us to follow in thinking long past January!
As the clock ticked toward midnight on New Year’s Eve, the topic of conversation inevitably turned to resolutions. Mae, a young Filipino Au-Pair, shared diet tips that recently helped her lose a few kilos, but Mae has the look of a skinny fourteen year old girl that couldn’t gain weight if she tried, so none of us reached for a pen or (insert your favorite smart phone here) to take notes. Mae then mentioned that she was not the Au-Pair for a brood of small children, but one little old lady. Mae caught our attention when she said she was dieting with the old woman, who asks Mae to bring in the scale each week. When the needle is moving in the wrong direction, she requests salads and fruit to drop the extra kilo(s). Maybe you’ve been clinging to the excuse that it gets too difficult to lose weight after 30, 35, 40, etc., but obviously this woman doesn’t buy into it. Continue reading »
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Where Do You Draw the Line on Sharing?
A few “helpful suggestions” for my co-worker recommending “minor changes” to one of her web sites, and instantly I am invited to take immediate corrective action. I find myself sitting at her desk, behind her computer, with full access to edit away.
She swaps and starts working from my laptop across the room. This is business as usual for us because we work so closely together. It is only when she starts commenting on my incoming emails, that I mention that the dividing line between us and our personal space has become very thin, an almost invisible dotted- line.
I tease her to grant me full access and passwords to all her sites for my own convenience, because she already has access to my sites (she designed them). Where do you draw the line on all this sharing?
Still sitting at my desk, she reaches for her coffee and catches herself. It is my coffee mug, and that is where I draw the line!
Jargon as a Deadly Weapon
Conversations between colleagues can be more difficult for an industry outsider to decode than an obscure foreign language. Jargon and acronyms should be avoided in Business Communications, but for many people it is a hard habit to break.
Here’s an example of jargon gone wrong that might get a belly laugh out of you, and at the very least, remind you not to assume that “everyone” knows what you mean when use jargon.
B2B is a common abbreviation for Business to Business sales or marketing. Imagine the comedy and horror that could ensue when a Business Owner, in industrial sales no less, comes across the acronym in a trade journal and misinterprets B2B to mean Belly to Belly!
The cringe factor escalates when the Boss adopts this trendy new buzz phrase and spreads his newly found wisdom throughout his organization! The puzzled looks from the sales team as they are urged to get Belly to Belly with their clients can only be imagined if you have ever seen an episode of The Office.
Technology and Social Media are both jargon traps, increasingly difficult to avoid as the tools and terms rapidly evolve. It may be comfortable or refreshing to encounter people “who speak your language”, but make sure your lingo isn’t putting too many people off, or even worse, making them look (or feel) like a fool.
People want to do business with you if you know your stuff and they like you, making them feel stupid won’t necessarily help. Explaining industry terminology without sounding condescending can be a fine line. How do you avoid the jargon traps?
Photo Credit ijiwaru jimbo
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