November 2010
16 posts
4 tags
Work
I just saw this video about work and how and office, meetings and managers limit people’s ability to work. He proposes some interesting solutions too. It’s a funny video and probably a low to mid-intermediate level.
3 tags
Table Topic 4
What is Korea’s biggest challenge in the future?
Same format as before
Intro: my opinion + why
Body: examples & stories
Conclusion: my opinion
By this time the student should be comfortable with the format. I push them to expand the body section of their answer by either requiring them to cover all the WH questions (who, what, where, when, why, how) or citing one news story that...
3 tags
Table Topic 3
Describe a product that has made huge impact on your life.
Same format as before
Intro: my opinion + why
Body: examples & stories
Conclusion: my opinion
By this time the student should be comfortable with the format. I push them to expand the body section of their answer by either requiring them to cover all the WH questions (who, what, where, when, why, how) or citing one news story...
3 tags
Table Topic 2
What is better, working together or competing against each other?
Here’s the structure they use and an example:
Intro: My opinion + Why (because…)
Body: Examples from personal experience or news articles
Conclusion: restatement of opinion.
I think that working together is better because when people work together they are more efficient, they are happier, and they produce...
3 tags
Table Topic 1
1) At what age do people usually begin working in Korea?
2) What are your career/retirement plans?
With most table topic questions I start out with a set format and then ask furthur questions to either get more information from the student or lengthen the discussion. The format is usually like this,
Intro: My opinion + Why (because…)
Body: Examples from personal experience or news...
3 tags
WatchMalcolm Gladwell - famous ‘behavioral’ author explains how sometimes there is more than one “perfect product’ that consumers generally fall into certain categories with groups of preferences.
4 tags
WatchSeth Godin - marketing guru - explains that nowadays in business ‘safe is dangerous’ , brands need to do something special to stand out from the crowd. Vid is a bit dated, but still very relevant. Great companion piece to the article a posted earlier “Soft in the Middle”
NOTE: with the ted.com videos, the “interactive transcript” to the right of the video is a...
4 tags
As Populations Age, a Chance for Younger Nations →
A really great read about the aging population in many industrialized nations, and what impact this will have on economy, markets, etc. High level reading but really offers many interesting ‘jumping off’ points for discussion.
4 tags
The Golden Age of Innovation →
An interesting piece looking at age discrimination and stereotypes - specifically related to creativity and innovation. Basically most of the new businesses and structural improvements in organizations come from older workers - but they get significantly less attention for it.
4 tags
Forget Brainstorming →
An interesting article especially relevant for marketing or creative workers. It explains that brainstorming doesn’t really work, and offers a few alternative creativity boosting concepts.
One note that has been useful for me - I explain that brainstorming is a useful tool in fleshing out and combining ideas, but for 100% pure idea creation we are better off alone - the author...
5 tags
Why Morning People Rule the World →
A quick and easy comparison of the skills/characteristics of morning people. Article is really not that well written, and seems to have some poor logic, but it is a great conversation started about working styles.
A few ideas for this blog.
Hello again. Just a few ideas about using this blog effectively…..
I have been adding the link + title + small description so that we can quickly see if the article looks appropriate.
As well - i just went back and added some ‘tags’ (in the box on the right) - the tags will give us a method of sorting through the posts in the future as the materials pile up. If you want to tag...
4 tags
Your Brain On Computers →
NYTimes article about the impact of computers and the ‘deluge’ of data on our ability to multi-task and think in general.
4 tags
Soft In The Middle →
An article from the New Yorker discussing how the previously lucrative “big middle” of the market is no longer where most brands are targeting.
6 tags
WatchDan Pink explains new methodologies of workplace motivation, and why the “carrots and sticks” idea of the past no longer applies.
Welcome
Hello fellow coaches. Let’s all use this blog to share the articles + videos + information that is relevant to our program! Enjoy.