Canny Minds Blog » Canny Tips http://www.cannyminds.com/blog Brain stimulating articles and news Tue, 06 Jul 2010 08:57:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Canny tip #8: Get Yourself Heard http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-8-get-yourself-heard/ http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-8-get-yourself-heard/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:29:45 +0000 Jenny http://cannyminds.com/blog/?p=1013 A series of eight tips produced by The University of Warwick, are offered as quick reference guides to the simple application of general best practice techniques. Whilst originally developed for students, they could be used by anyone.

Why?

  • Your voice is a valuable and powerful tool.
  • Use it to tell others your views and discuss your ideas during lectures, seminars, presentations, speeches, interviews and everyday life.

How?

  • Your posture is very important! Stand with you legs a little apart, to create a strong base. Straighten your back, drop your shoulders and lower your chin.
  • Let you chest expand freely; your voice is powered by your air supply.
  • Make sure you open your mouth, to let the sound out!

Nervous?

  • Don’t underestimate the importance of how you say what you say; a strong voice and good posture signal a confident person.
  • Looking and sounding confident when you speak will help your nerves disappear.
  • You may even begin to ENJOY yourself!

Keep going!

  • Be sure to practice, until the voice techniques you’ve learnt become part of your daily routine.

Interested in this topic? Click here for more related content.

Visit the University of Warwick website

Photo courtesy of db*photography

]]> http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-8-get-yourself-heard/feed/ 0 Canny tip #7: Personal & Academic Development http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-7-personal-academic-development/ http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-7-personal-academic-development/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:19:40 +0000 Jenny http://cannyminds.com/blog/?p=1005 A series of eight tips produced by The University of Warwick, are offered as quick reference guides to the simple application of general best practice techniques. Whilst originally developed for students, they could be used by anyone.

Assess your experience!

  • What attributes, skills and qualifications do you have?
  • What are your ‘unique selling points’ and strengths?
  • What are your weaknesses; how do you compensate?

Examine your successes and setbacks!

  • Think of a recent success or setback: what happened?
  • How did it happen?
  • What will you do about it now, and in the future?

Do a current SWOT analysis!

  • What are your current Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats?
  • What is your objective?
  • What are your long-term goals?

Make a plan!

  • What is your aim?
  • What things do you need to do to achieve your aim?
  • How long will each one take?

Keep Going!

  • Review regularly
  • Explore options
  • TAKE ACTION!

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Photo courtesy of Piero Sierra

]]> http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-7-personal-academic-development/feed/ 0 Canny tip #6: Brilliant Academic Research http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-6-brilliant-academic-research/ http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-6-brilliant-academic-research/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:55:33 +0000 Jenny http://cannyminds.com/blog/?p=999 A series of eight tips produced by The University of Warwick, are offered as quick reference guides to the simple application of general best practice techniques. Whilst originally developed for students, they could be used by anyone.

What are you researching and why?

  • What questions are you trying to answer?
  • What do you already know and where are your knowledge gaps?
  • How long does your piece of work need to be? Have you planned to do enough (or too much) research?

Don’t just stick to textbooks!

  • Remember to look at secondary sources. These include academic journals, books, newspapers, magazines, electronic articles, websites and government statistics, but be sure to…

Evaluate your secondary sources!

  • Date published: is the source still current and relevant?
  • Author: how reputable is the author? What point is s/he trying to prove and why?
  • Relevance: does the source help you to argue your case?

Carry out primary research!

  • Gather and analyse your own data by carrying out experiments, surveys and questionnaires.

You must know about:

  • avoiding plagiarism
  • Intellectual Property Rights…check this out!

Visit the University of Warwick website

Photo courtesy of m00by

]]> http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-6-brilliant-academic-research/feed/ 0 Canny Tip #5: Mastering Revision http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-5-mastering-revision/ http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-5-mastering-revision/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:42:20 +0000 Jenny http://cannyminds.com/blog/?p=994 A series of eight tips produced by The University of Warwick, are offered as quick reference guides to the simple application of general best practice techniques. Whilst originally developed for students, they could be used by anyone.

Don’t panic! Remember…

  • You don’t need to know everything
  • You already know more than you think

Plan!

  • Plan your time: put together a revision schedule and stick to it, giving yourself time for breaks.
  • Pay more attention to your weaker subjects.
  • Be realistic: shot but frequent revision sessions are the most effective.

How?

  • Make it interesting! Summarise key points using lists, mind maps, key words, images, mnemonics, colours and shapes.
  • Write down everything you know. Then check course texts and lecture notes for any missing information before starting the process again.
  • Write your final revision notes on a postcard and then take it with you wherever you go.
  • Ensure you can work to the clock when you have to by taking past papers.

Hints!

  • Remember that your ability to argue, discuss and persuade is just as important as the facts you know.
  • Examiners like to see their own name on paper…properly quoted and referenced of course!
  • Some revision topics can be used for more than one exam. Keep this in mind when selecting revision topics.

Interested in this topic? Click here for other related content. Also see our Revision Guide section.

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]]> http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-5-mastering-revision/feed/ 0 Canny Tip #4: Speed Reading Skills http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-4-speed-reading-skills/ http://www.cannyminds.com/blog/2009/10/07/canny-tip-4-speed-reading-skills/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:25:09 +0000 Jenny http://cannyminds.com/blog/?p=984 Why?

  • Speed reading allows you to read a large amount of text very quickly.
  • Most adults read text in blocks rather than word by word, skipping back to the beginning of the block when they are unsure.

How?

  • To give yourself an idea of a paragraph’s main topic, read the first and last sentence.
  • Use a finger, pen or pencil to point to words as you read them. Your eyes will follow, helping to reduce the skip back.
  • Time yourself reading an article and then calculate words per minute read. Aim to increase your speed.

Tips?

  • Don’t skip the difficult bits!
  • Don’t say the words out loud; this decreases reading speed.
  • You will need to spend more time reading complex text, so vary what you read.
  • Most people find it difficult to read text on a computer screen, so print the material out.
  • Increase your vocabulary to improveyuor reading speed and level of understanding.

Keep going!

  • Be sure to practice. Speed read something everyday to build on the skills you have developed.

Interested in this topic? Click here for other useful content related to this topic.

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Photo courtesy of Margolove

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