By David, From Language Learning Tips

1)Envision your goal, plan your strategy, and go for it!

There was man in Japan of about 60 years of age, who for many years had not engaged in much physical activity. Not only couldn’t he bend over and touch his toes, he could just barely reach down to his knees. He decided that he was going to gain the flexibility that had been lost since his youth, without putting undue stress on his body. He put together a stack of paper, thousands of sheets, that reached up to his knees. Then, he bent over and touched the top of the stack with his fingertips, holding the position for a little while, which wasn’t at all hard to do. The next day, he removed two sheets from the stack, and did the same thing.

Yes, you guessed it: every day from then on, he removed two more sheets of paper from the stack. The difference from one day to the next was so slight as to be practically imperceptible, so he never had any problem bending over, touching the top sheet, and holding the position for a minute or two. Of course, after many months of doing this, the stack was considerably lower, until eventually, there was no paper at all left, and he could easily touch his toes. He had achieved his goal, with no strain, no pain, no stress on his system. All it took was patience and perseverance.

Now perhaps you have no problem touching your toes, or if you can’t, maybe this doesn’t bother you in the least. But I’ll bet there is something you would like to achieve – for example, learning a foreign language – and haven’t yet.  So why not apply the same principles that the Japanese gentleman used?

   – Set yourself a clear goal

   – Develop a plan to go about reaching it.

   – Do a little something every single day that will move you a step further towards your goal.

To get by in a language in most situations, you need a vocabulary of about a thousand words. That sounds like a big number, doesn’t it? Well, what about three words? It can’t be so hard to learn a mere three words, can it? Why, you could easily do that in a few minutes, couldn’t you?

And if you learn three words today, another three tomorrow, and so on, in a year you will have acquired a vocabulary of almost 1,100 words, without stress or undue pressure. This approach is so simple that it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Countless people have no doubt thought of it before. The question is, then, why don’t so many people actually do it? The answer, of course, is that they do not persist. Let’s put it more plainly: they lack discipline.

Discipline. A word that doesn’t ring too pleasantly in the ears of many. Perhaps it reminds you of the military, or of an overly-strict parent. The truth is, most people tend to want to avoid doing those things that they know they "should" do. The majority of children find it easy to sit down and watch TV for an hour, or two, or even more. But if their father told them they must sit there for three hours, watching television without a break, no doubt many of them would rebel, and try to sneak away at the first opportunity they got!

As soon as something fun becomes an obligation, the fun evaporates almost at once, and the activity can soon turn to drudgery. As everyone knows, it isn’t possible to always escape from one’s "duties", and when we do, we often feel guilty about it. Thus it would seem reasonable to ask ourselves how we can transform this type of situation, so that we act with discipline, doing what we know we "ought to" do, with an absolute minimum of displeasure.

Let’s assume that you have set a language-related goal. You want to expand your vocabulary in a foreign language by 1,000 words within a year. You know this means learning only three words a day, a prospect that certainly wouldn’t terrify anyone. Sure, you’ll have to spend some time each week reviewing the words previously learned, but since your daily "quota" is only three words, you should readily be able to find the time to review several others within a day’s session. The big question is now simply "But will I really get around to learning three words every single day?"

The technique I am going to suggest to you will almost surely allow you to answer that question with a YES. And it’s quite simple, maybe even deceptively so. Let me tell you how I’ve been implementing it in my life.

One of the necessary daily routines for a musician is practice.  Being a musician as well as a language teacher, I love music, and I usually enjoy sitting down at the harpsichord and studying new works, or polishing up ones I have learned before. But let me assure you that there are days when I don’t have the least desire to play anything. After all, there are so many other things to do in life! This isn’t a problem if it’s only a matter of not practicing a day or two. But the danger is always that you simply lose the habit of regular practice: days turn into weeks, weeks into months, your instrumental technique goes downhill, you forget works you used to know rather well … you get the picture.

Another thing that I determined many years ago to do regularly was run. Back in my school days, I was one of the worst runners in the class. I had suffered from asthma and bronchitis as a child, and my lungs had always been weak. When I was in my early thirties, I told myself that that situation had to change. I knew I would never be a really good runner, but at least I should be able to run a couple of miles without collapsing after the first three blocks!

Of course, if it isn’t always a pleasure to play your favorite instrument, running can be said to be a real torture by comparison. Yet for some 18 years now, I have been running religiously every two days, all year, rain or shine (health permitting).

Where did I get the discipline? By using that simple technique I mentioned earlier, and which I will now reveal…

I have a notebook in which I always write down the time I spend practicing every day, and also the times I go running.

Maybe you’re disappointed, since you may have been expecting some quasi-metaphysical, earth-shaking revelation. But don’t let the simplicity of this habit fool you:

By taking note of a certain regular activity, you will soon constantly be aware of whether or not you’ve done what you wanted to do that day. If I don’t practice on a certain day, I still list that day’s date, and fill in a big ZERO next to it. Doing so is, to be sure, frustrating, but that’s the effect I want: if I get somewhat frustrated because I was lazy that day, it’s all the more likely that I will not be lazy the next day!

When I do practice, I write down how long I did so. For example, if I practice an hour in the morning, and another hour and five minutes in the afternoon, I’ll note: "60 + 65 = 125 minutes". (I like to be precise). True, it really doesn’t matter much whether I practice two hours and five minutes, or just an even two hours, but by writing down exactly how much time I spend practicing, it’s easier to note trends: for example when, during the course of a week or so, my rehearsal time slowly declines. Seeing this in writing gives me the motivation to put in some more time over the next few days to " make up for the loss".

On my "Running" page, I’ll note the date, the total time I ran, along with other data such as the route I took, and my heart rate upon finishing. Thus, this list not only motivates me to continue running, but also shows me whether my physical condition is improving.

Compared to practicing an instrument for a few hours, or running a few miles, the goal of learning three new words a day should seem like child’s play – and it is! But your daily list will make sure you never skip a day – and if you do, looking at that blank entry in your list on the following day will motivate you to learn six new words instead of three, to make up for lost time.

Your list could be as simple as this:

Nov 1 X
Nov 2 X
Nov 3 X… etc., with each "X" meaning that you learned your three words for the day. But why not write down the three words themselves in this list (I’ll assume you’re learning Spanish)?

Nov 1 el perro=dog; el gato=cat; trabajar= to work
Nov 2 hacer= to do; bajo= low; alto = high
Nov 3 la cara= face; tonto= silly; el edificio= building
Nov 4 ———————— oops! I visited Great Aunt Maude today, and just didn’t get around to learning any new words! But just wait till tomorrow…

Nov 5 La mesa= table; La silla=chair; el suelo= floor; volar=to fly,
el bolígrafo= pen; el lápiz=pencil; el papel=paper; la lámpara=lamp

There! I did SEVEN today!

The power of such a notebook is not to be underestimated. There are many things I like to do: read about any number of subjects, work on various computer/Internet-related projects, do astrological research, and so on. But the two things I almost never fail to consistently do on a regular basis are – that’s right, practice the harpsichord, and run. Precisely those two activities that I also never fail to take note of! (Hmm… I think I’ll start a notebook for some other activities as well…)

After you have been adding to your list for a few months, it will be growing automatically, since you will be learning those words every day without even thinking about it too much. But until then – that is, until your daily word-learning routine has become a habit -  you’ll have to be on the lookout for any sort of distraction that threatens to make you forget to learn the words of the day.

Are you determined to start towards your goal of a thousand new words? Then go get a notebook now, or if you don’t have one at hand, a piece of paper will do (you can always copy the first few days’ results into the notebook when you get one). The idea is to start now, lest you simply decide to "put it off" till another day… all to often, that "other day" never arrives, and we haven’t progressed at all!

May I assume you have learned your words for the day, and have duly taken note of this first step? Fine! So now we can move on to our next, oh-so-crucial subject…

from Stepcase Lifehack by Craig Harper

Carnage in the Toy Store

This morning I went to a local shopping centre (mall) to buy a birthday present for my two year-old pseudo-niece (my business partner’s daughter. Happy Birthday little Jessie!)  It proved to be quite the eye-opening experience for the childless (and somewhat clueless) alpha-male. While the shopping part of the trip turned out to be something of an enjoyable adventure for Yours Truly (who knew toy stores could be such fun?), the same couldn’t be said for the six (or so) year-old who was test driving trucks in the next aisle. As the excited young truck driver lifted the object of his desire above his head to show the Chief Financial Officer what he needed for his next birthday, his chubby little fingers somehow lost their grip and the rather-costly toy (over a hundred bucks) came crashing down on to the concrete floor, transforming it instantly into a jigsaw puzzle. Which, of course, is a euphemism for… an expensive pile of crap.

For a nanosecond there was silence.

I knew it wouldn’t last. I looked at the little boy. I saw terror. I looked at the mother. I saw wild rage. I felt a bit nervous for the little fella. I think I had some kind of deja vu moment. Sympathy pains. Or something.

For a moment I thought she might actually kill him with what remained of the truck. Simultaneously it started: his crying and her screaming. For what seemed like an eternity, the mother bellowed at the distraught child. Oblivious to her own disgraceful behaviour, the out-of-control woman ranted and raved like a lunatic.

If not for the ever-growing audience, I am sure she would have hit the boy. Leaving the broken toy on the floor, the woman dragged the screaming child out of the store and left us spectators stunned. I said something to the shop assistant who informed me that such scenes are a regular occurrence in the store.

Life: A Never-Ending Series of Reactions

In many ways, our lives are a series of reactions. It’s unavoidable. And while we do our best to create our own destiny and to live proactive and productive lives, the reality is that we all live in a dynamic and unpredictable world. Reacting is a fundamental and necessary part of the human experience. It’s a required skill. It’s what we do hundreds of times a day. Consciously or not. Positively or negatively.

We hear the weather forecast, we react. The guy in the Mazda hits his brakes, we react. Our partner says something, we react. Our child spills milk, we react. The boss walks in, we react. We hear good or bad news, we react. One way or the other. Somebody lets us down, we react. The lights change, we react. Somebody gives us feedback, we react. A song comes on the radio, we react. An opportunity presents itself, we react. We’re confronted with a challenge, we react.

Today you will react hundreds of times and many of those reactions will happen on auto-pilot. Some reactions will be incidental and for the most part, meaningless (scratching an itch, stepping over a puddle, swaying to some music). Some will impact on others (reacting to the woman who cuts you off in the car park). Some will affect your personal relationships (an argument with a friend). Some will be life-impacting (dealing with a tragedy). Some will create positive outcomes. Some negative. One reaction could even involve a child who has accidentally broken a toy.

In reacting the way she did in the toy store, the mother created numerous (undesirable and unnecessary) outcomes. She:

1. Terrified a child that (I assume) she loves.
2. Humiliated him (by dragging him through the store by his shirt).
3. Taught him that mistakes are not okay.
4. Drew unnecessary attention to herself and made everyone within fifty feet feel uncomfortable.
5. Put herself into a negative and destructive emotional state. And no, the demise of the truck wasn’t the problem: her reaction was.
6. Made herself look like a complete idiot!

In this life there are many things (most things, in fact) which will happen despite you and me. They will happen to us and around us. Some good. Some bad. However, there is one thing that will always be in our control – unless we choose to hand over that power –  and that is, how we react. Life is not fair or unfair my friends; life just is.

A long time ago I made a conscious decision that situations, circumstances and events wouldn’t define me or determine my emotional and psychological states; I will do that myself. Consciously and intentionally. I will choose my mood, my attitude, my behaviours, my reactions and therefore, my outcomes. And therefore my reality. I will be influenced by – but not determined by – the events of my world. To the best of my ability, I will consciously and thoughtfully choose my reactions. Will it always be easy? No. Will I do my best anyway? Yep. I will be ever-mindful of the likely consequences and potential impact of my reactions – on my life and the lives of others. Consciousness and awareness (of how I react and the likely consequences of my reactions) are things that need to be worked on. Forever.

Our reactions can be relationship-enhancing, or relationship-destroying. They can put us in a solution-focused headspace, or a problem-obsessed pity-party. They can make people laugh or fill a room with tension. They can empower people or discourage them. They can make people feel safe and secure or terrified and confused. They can lead to learning and personal growth or bitterness and anger.

Someone much smarter than me once said:

In the context of life, it’s not what happens that matters, but how we react (to what happens) that matters.

I tend to agree.

Today I’m encouraging you to be more mindful, more conscious and more aware of your reactions (big and small) – and the likely outcomes of those reactions – on your life, and the lives of the people in your world. Sometimes, a better life is the by-product of better reactions. So choose to react consciously and responsibly.

As always, love to hear your ideas, thoughts, feedback and stories.

Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer. For the past 25 years he has been a leading presenter, educator, motivator and commentator in the areas of personal and professional development. You can visit Craig’s blog at Motivational Speaker.FREE eBook – So… You’ve Decided to Get in Shape (Again) Craig’s FREE eBook takes 20 – 30 minutes to read, and addresses the REAL getting-in-shape issues based on his 25 years of experience. To get Craig’s FREE eBook click here, weight loss books.

from Stepcase Lifehack by Steve Errey

I have to tell you that I’m not great at handling conflict.  I’d much rather have things run smoothly and make sure that everyone gets along, works together, has fun and delivers great results, so when conflict happens I feel awkward and uncomfortable.

I tend to do what I can to set things up ahead of time for smooth sailing, and I’ve really had to work hard at dealing with conflict when and if it arises.  Here’s what I’ve found has worked for me.

1. Don’t make it personal

Sometimes it’s easy to let your emotions get tangled up in things, especially if someone’s disagreeing or even attacking your position.  Anger, blame, hurt and a bunch of other provocative emotions can be at play, and before you know it you’ve got a bigger problem than you ever thought.

Don’t make it personal – people are allowed to disagree with your position, just as you’re allowed to disagree with others.

By all means be passionate, but that’s not the same as being defensive or coming out on the offensive with all guns blazing.  The moment you start taking differences of opinion as personal criticism and judgement (even if that’s exactly what’s being thrown at you) you’ll be on the defensive or offensive, so balance that passion with the facts and a healthy sprinkling of common sense and perspective.

2. Get the facts

There could be facts you need to know about or areas you need to explore before taking action.  Make sure you go deep enough into those areas to figure out the facts of what’s happening, but don’t dwell on detail after detail after detail.

This is often a tricky balance between doing enough due diligence to be informed, checking in with your instincts and leveraging your experience to anticipate the different paths, and it means you have to put a hold on resolving the conflict until all parties can do their due diligence.

Be clear on what do you need to know and the most effective ways to get those answers.  Work that out with an open mind and you’ll be in a stronger position to move forwards.

3. Listen

If you do one thing, make sure you hear everyone and respect their point of view.  This is not the same as understanding everyone’s perspective (that can take a lifetime), but it’s important to have a healthy respect for their position even if you strongly disagree.

Listening demonstrates the value of the relationships you have and that you’re willing to listen and engage with others.  That can speak louder than any amount of yelling.

Also, it might just mean that you discover a way through that hadn’t occurred to you before, giving you the opportunity to use nuggets of gold from different people to create a way forward that’s a workable and effective compromise.

4. Simple assertion

You have the right to be treated with respect and consideration, and coolly asserting that right is a powerful strategy.

To do that you need to watch that things don’t get overly complex – the more complicated you make things the more complex it’ll be for people to unravel and the more complex it’ll be to communicate clearly.  Keep things simple (jot down bullet points if it helps) and figure out the simplest, most effective way to move forwards.

If you’re in a leadership position there’s often a point where the debate needs to be over, and you need to communicate that in a way that engages rather alienates.  You might not have all the answers, but you need to be confident enough to be able to make a good decision.  Then your job is to let people know coolly, simply and unambiguously what the facts are, the way forwards and what’s expected.

5. Be ready to be wrong

If you’re wrong, admit it.  Don’t hang on to your position just for the sake of wanting to be right – that’ll just get you into more hot water, is sure to waste everyone’s time and will probably end up with you looking or feeling silly.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking being wrong is undesirable, it isn’t.  Allowing yourself to be wrong shows that you’re switched on enough to do the best thing for all concerned and find the best route through.  It demonstrates that you’re lead by integrity and are willing to take on new ideas if they work better, even if that flies in the face of what you were thinking previously.

Be ready to be wrong – that’s how you grow.

Steve Errey almost died at age 9 as he choked on a grape. Today, Steve is still feeling the effects of some extravagant spending but remains remarkably upbeat and positive. As a leading confidence coach with clients right around the world, Steve has a reputation for talking sense and getting results. Read more at The Confidence Guy

From www.WhiteSmoke.com

Today I’d like to sum up our series on vocabulary learning, by providing you with some useful tips to learning vocabulary:
1. Come join the (word) family
Use your knowledge of word grammar to enlarge your working vocabulary.
Knowledge of the different parts of speech and the suffixes that are used to create them will have you boosting up your word bank.
For example, if you encounter the word evasive and look it up in the dictionary, you can benefit from the opportunity and look up its derivatives (other parts of speech and related words from the same root, comprising its “word family”), thus resulting in the following word set:
evasion – noun evade – verb evasive – adjective evasively – adverb
2. The put-it-in-the-sentence routine
If you need to remember a word like reluctant and cannot come up with a crazy story, why not invent a crazy sentence? You can even think of a sentence in your native language and simply stick reluctant in it where it fits you.
Let’s see, what about:
“My aunt Stella made her famous cheese cake and made me taste it forgetting I am lactose intolerant. I was completely reluctant to cooperate due to my lactose issue.”
We will leave it to you to come up with sentences in your native tongue.
Try to create something funny and light-headed and it will do the job!
3. Group it up with theme-related vocabulary
Another great way to pick up more vocabulary is using themed vocabulary resources, especially for basic concrete concepts, such as “colors,” “the human body,” “vegetables,” “farm animals,” “kitchen activities,” or “at the bank.” These are usually presented accompanied by a big illustrative picture visualizing all the word items.
When it comes to more abstract themes, such as “values” or “crime and punishment”, you can find specially written texts that include many related words and expressions, followed by vocabulary activities.
Again, it is the context of the larger picture that is the main channel helping your word memory.
4. Listen to the sound!
Music is a great way for learning new vocabulary.
You may be having a hard time reading an article from the New York Times’ Literary supplement, but you will memorize and understand every word from Bob Dylan or Britney Spears (depending on your musical inclinations) in no time, because you love the music. This is why using song lyrics, movies, TV series etc. is very much conducive to English learning.
Another thing you can do to help you memorize specific word lists is to record them on an audio file, or better yet, re-listen to the texts from which you extracted the words in the first place.. Some scientists say that you can even listen and learn while you sleep; I listen to my language learning audio CDs while doing the dishes…
5. Give me a visual!
The sense of sight uses up to a third of the brain, therefore making visualizing a prime channel to aid us in remembering words.
Some people are very visual and relish on anything that stimulates their eyes.
Therefore, the following may help:
1. Big signs with target words hung around your house to be encountered at all times, with optional related pictures.
2. Small stickers on objects around the house will help you associate word and image.
3. Visual dictionaries are great, as mentioned before, together with English learning software with online vocabulary games.

From WhiteSomke, Original Link

Who doesn’t use e-mail these days?
Electronic mail is an integral part of the 21st century communication.
Believe it or not, the average office worker receives 60-200 e-mail messages per day, and it is estimated that over 7 trillion e-mails were sent last year!
Between this high volume of e-mail communication and the faster pace we work at these days, it’s worthwhile to learn how to have effective e-mail communication.
For successful e-mail writing, consider following the guidelines in the list below.
These tips are suitable for all types of effective e-mail writing, including effective e-mail marketing:
1. Send brief, clear messages. No one has the time or energy to scroll through and read a dozen pages.
The shorter the e-mail you write, the higher the chance it will be read, so your message will get across.
Using bulleted points is an efficient way of presenting information.
2. Send multiple messages for more than a few topics. If you have many topics to address through e-mail communication, send each one in a separate message.
This will ensure that the recipients will read your messages.
Also, you’ll get faster responses that you can more easily keep track of; instead of searching through massive e-mails for buried information, find the details quickly in the shorter, more organized messages you’ll have.
3. Include relevant information from past e-mails. Because we read so many e-mails each day, it’s hard to remember all of the details.
When you are responding to communication, an effective e-mail will contain relevant details from previous messages so the reader can quickly recall what’s important.
4. Write specific subject line descriptions. Let your readers know exactly what they’re about to see by including accurate, concise information in the subject line. Receiving and reading e-mails shouldn’t be a guessing game!
5. Don’t use abbr. in ur biz msgs (=Don’t use abbreviations in your business messages).
Sometimes it takes longer to decode abbreviations in your business messages than it does to read the whole words. Save your readers time by writing out what you need to say.
6. Proofread your e-mail messages before you send them. Don’t risk your readers misunderstanding your important messages.
Hope you find these tips useful when writing e-mails.

By Lifehack , Original Link

Some people like to cooperate with others to achieve their goals, while others prefer to chase their dreams on their own.  I find that involving mutually committed partners in my pursuits is intensely rewarding – especially mastermind groups.  I’ve strengthened my friendships, made measurable progress towards my goals, and continue to grow thanks to the support I’ve received in my mastermind groups over the years.

In this article I’ll lay out what a mastermind group is, the benefits of having a mastermind group, and concrete strategies and actions you can take to start your own mastermind group today.

What Is A Mastermind Group?

The first place I came across the concept of a mastermind was in Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.  In it, Hill describes a mastermind group as:

The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.

In my experience, my mastermind groups have formed around multiple people striving for a common purpose – from goals as small as college admissions and improving fitness, to as large as your entire life.

What Are The Benefits of a Mastermind Group?

• Mutual support. I like to form groups around a specific activity, but even with differing goals you’ll be able to lean on each other for support.  Many times when my progress has slowed on a specific goal, the members of my mastermind are the only people who really understand what has been going on behind the scenes, and give me support in spite of my failed efforts.
• Differing perspectives.  Hearing the different views my fellow mastermind participants have allows me to see issues I wouldn’t otherwise become aware of – in my life, and in my approach to my goals.  Whether I agree with their assessment or not, it always gives me a better understanding of how I can better improve my approach.
• Resources.  Everyone in your group will have access to a different skillset and network of people. I’ve often found that when I ask for help in my mastermind groups, these resources help me make progress in ways I never could by myself.
• Accountability.  My fellow group members hold me accountable to goals I set.  In addition, just knowing that I have a regularly scheduled meeting internally drives me to make progress – because I don’t want to be the only person reporting back that I haven’t made an effort to move my projects forward.

How Do I Start a Mastermind Group?

Starting a mastermind group is deceptively simple in its steps:

• Pick a Topic.  This may be as narrow as you like, or as broad as you like (such as your entire life).  If you are new to mastermind groups, I would recommend picking one specific aspect of your life to start out with.  Perhaps fitness, your career, school, or some other broad area that you would like improvement with.
• Pick your Partners.  I’ll discuss this in detail below.  A mastermind group is only as good as the people in it – pick your partners with care.
• Agree On Ground Rules. I’ll provide some guidance below, but keep in mind the purpose of setting rules is not to stifle anyone – the purpose of the rules is to ensure everyone benefits from the mastermind group. I like to keep a loose set of rules and count on mutual respect of the individuals to keep everyone in line, but you may choose to have strict ground rules if you like.
• Meet!

Who Should I Invite Into My Mastermind Group?

Two words:  mutual beneficiaries.  Any member in your mastermind group should not only be able to provide you with sound feedback and advice, but should be able to receive some benefit from your feedback as well. Some qualities I look for in a participant include:

• Similar Drive and Commitment.  You want everyone in the group to be similarly committed. If one person is striving to compete in a bodybuilding competition, while you’re just trying to cut the sugar out of your diet, you may not be compatible for a mastermind group.
• Diverse Skill Sets.  For me personally, I am very analytical and approach things from a scientific, engineering perspective.  I enjoy mastermind groups where some people share this perspective, but also gain valuable feedback from people who are perhaps more abstract and in touch with their emotions (as opposed to a “cold” analytical approach).
• Problem Solvers.  This is my personal preference, I like partners who are active problem solvers.  My purpose in a mastermind group is to get feedback, solutions to my issues and move forward.

I like to limit mastermind groups to between 3 and 5 people.  This keeps meeting short, in depth and on point.  You can experiment with more or less, but I recommend starting with 2 or 3 if this is your first time with a mastermind group.

How Do I Run A Mastermind Group?

1. Meet Regularly And Precisely. I call this the “nuts and bolts.” Keep to a regularly scheduled time, ensure all members are punctual – and end on time. I typically meet for 60 minutes once a week. You may require more or less time, but ensure that you have adequate time because you want to…
2. Give each member equal time. We don’t use a timer, but for larger groups that may be necessary.  I keep most of my groups to only three people, and generally we are all aware that we have approximately 20 minutes per person, and try to keep it in that time frame.
3. Don’t Interrupt. One person at a time, and keep in mind the purpose of the meeting is to give everyone a chance – it’s not always about you. Hold all comments until the person speaking has a chance to speak. We generally do not jump in at all unless someone has a specific question.
4. Decide if you need an agenda. My mastermind groups typically have a conversation topic (often decided at the meeting prior), but no explicit agenda.  I previously have run groups that had more explicit items on the agenda for accountability and progress reports – try it out and decide what works best for you.
5. Decide on whether to have a facilitator. In my groups, I start the calls, and act as a very loose facilitator – I point out who is going to go first. That’s it – everyone polices themselves. Perhaps your group will need a facilitator who is more active – keeping people on target for time, and moving you from one items on the agenda to the next.
6. Capture.  Make sure you capture what happened at each meeting – lessons and triumphs, goals, and items you want to keep each other accountable to.  I like to use Google Documents and Mindmeister.  When I conduct groups online using Skype I use MP3 Skype Recorder (free) to record mp3s of my calls.

Three Question To Kick Start Your Mastermind Group

If you’re ready to start a mastermind group, you may want some very basic structure help you in the beginning.  These three questions never fail to get my mastermind groups off to a great start.  As your group evolves, you’ll come up with your own agenda and questions that you’d like each member to answer – but if you don’t know where to begin, this is a great place to start:

• What Are You Working On? Nice and broad, and each member can answer with whatever they feel comfortable sharing.
• What Did You Learn? Very often my groups are focused on similar goals, and lessons learnt by one member benefit all of us.
• What Do You Need Help With? By having a specific question on the agenda, this helps take pressure of members who want to reach out to the group for help.

Your Thoughts and Strategies?

What do you think?  Have you run a mastermind group before?  Do you have additional tips to share, or perhaps pitfalls to avoid?

By English Town

It’s important to always open your email with a greeting, such as "Dear Lillian,". Depending on the formality of your relationship, you may want to use their family name as opposed to their given name, i.e. "Dear Mrs. Price,". If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, "Hi Kelly," If you’re contacting a company, not an individual, you may write "To Whom It May Concern:"

If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, "Thank you for contacting ABC Company." If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, "Thank you for your prompt reply." or "Thanks for getting back to me." If you can find any way to thank the reader, then do. It will put him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more courteous.

If, however, you are initiating the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, "I am writing to enquire about …" or "I am writing in reference to …" It’s important to make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation, and to avoid run-on sentences by keeping your sentences short and clear.

Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time as well as add some courteous closing remarks. You might start with "Thank you for your patience and cooperation." or "Thank you for your consideration." and then follow up with, "If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know." and "I look forward to hearing from you."

The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. "Best regards," "Sincerely," and "Thank you," are all professional. It’s a good idea to avoid closings such as "Best wishes," or "Cheers," as these are best used in casual, personal emails. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!

By Kenneth Beare, Original Link

Writing well constructed paragraphs is the corner-stone of good English written style. Paragraphs should contain sentences that convey ideas concisely and directly. This lesson focuses on helping students develop a strategy for combining various ideas into well formed sentences which then combine to produce effective descriptive paragraphs.

Aim: Developing descriptive paragraph writing skills

Activity: Idea grouping and consolidation at the sentence level leading to descriptive paragraphs

Level: Intermediate to upper-intermediate

Outline:

• Introduce the topic of writing paragraphs by asking students what they consider a well formed paragraph. Introduce the idea of concise sentences as being integral to good English written style.
• Have students take a look at the example sentences and paragraph.
• Ask students to group the sentences in the example based on the ideas that go together as shown in the following paragraph (i.e., person and describing adjectives, etc.)
• Individually or in pairs, ask students to group sentences in the first exercise.
• Based on this grouping, ask students to write descriptive paragraph.
• Ask students to complete creative writing exercise by following similar steps. (i.e., choose subject, create idea sentences, group sentences, write paragraph)
• Choose some of the compositions to be read aloud in class. Ask students to comment on the examples.

Descriptive Paragraphs

Example: New York City

New York City is in the United States.
New York City is located in New York State.
It borders on the Atlantic Ocean.
It was founded in 1625 as "New Amsterdam".
It was first settled by the Dutch.
It is important for commerce.
Wall Street is located in New York City.
It has many national and international banks.
It has many important skyscrapers.
The World Trade Center is located in New York City.
The Empire State Building is in New York City.
New York City is an important city for immigration.
Ellis Island used to be the entry point for many immigrants at the turn of the century.
There is an interesting immigration museum on Ellis Island.

New York, New York is located on the Atlantic Coast of the United States of America. It was first settled as "New Amsterdam" in 1625 by the Dutch. Today, New York City is an important commercial and banking center which includes Wall Street. Among its many important skyscrapers are the World Trade Center and The Empire State Building. One of the most interesting museums is on Ellis Island which served as the entry point for many immigrants who passed through New York City at the turn of the century.

Exercise 1: Elvis Presley

• Arrange the sentences about Elvis Presley into idea groups.
• Write a paragraph about Elvis Presley using the idea groups to create concise sentences.

Elvis Presley was an American.
He was a singer and actor
He was famous for rock-and-roll.
He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
He was born on January 8, 1935
He started singing in church.
He taught himself to play the guitar.
He first became popular on the local touring circuit for country-and-western music.
He sang romantic songs.
He danced erotically.
Teens loved him for his new style.
He had many hits.
He sang "Love Me Tender", "All Shook Up", and "Don’t Be Cruel".
He died on August 16, 1977.
He died in Memphis, Tennessee.
He might have died of drug and alcohol abuse.

Exercise 2: Creative Writing

• Choose a famous place or person.
• Write down a number of important facts about that place or person.
• Arrange the sentences into idea groups.
• Write a paragraph using the idea groups to create concise sentences.

By Kenneth Beare, Original Link

Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes the person who is writing the introductory paragraph.

Hello, my name is James. I’m a programmer and I come from Chicago. I live in Seattle with my wife Jennifer. We have two children and a dog. The dog is very funny. I work at a computer company in the city. The company is very famous and successful. Our daughter is named Anna and our Son is named Peter. She is four years old and he is five. We like living and working in Seattle.

Tips for Writing a Personal Description about Yourself

• Use ‘come from’ for the city or country where you were born. Use ‘live’ for the city where you currently live.
• Use the present simple tense to explain what you do every day.
• Use ‘have’ or ‘have got’ to speak about your children, pets, etc.
• Use ‘a’ the first time you mention something. For example, I live in a house. Then use ‘the’ after the first time you write about it. For example, I live in a house. The house is in Seattle.
• Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women. Use ‘our’ when speaking about the whole family.
• Use ‘like doing’ when speaking about hobbies.

Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes a different person that the person who is writing the introductory paragraph.

Mary is my friend. She is a student at a college in our town. The college is very small. She lives in an apartment in the center of town. She doesn’t have a dog or a cat. She studies every day and sometimes works in the evening at a small shop. The shop sells gift items like postcards, games and other small items. She enjoys playing golf, tennis and walking in the countryside.

Tips for Writing a Personal Description about a Friend

• Remember to add ’s’ to the present simple tense when writing about other people.
• In the present simple tense, ‘doesn’t’ takes the ’s’ in the negative form. Remember to use ‘doesn’t + verb’ in the negative.
• Use sometimes, often, never, etc. before the main verb in a sentence.
• Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women.
• Use ‘enjoys doing’ when speaking about hobbies. It’s okay to connect a few verbs using commas, but place ‘and’ before the final verb in the list when speaking about someone’s hobbies. For example, She enjoys playing tennis, swimming and riding horses.

Exercise

1. Write a paragraph about yourself. Try to use a variety of verbs and ‘a’ and ‘the’ correctly.
2. Write a paragraph about someone else. You can write about a friend or a someone from your family.
3. Compare the two paragraphs and note the differences in pronoun and verb use. For example,

   I live in Seattle BUT She lives in Chicago.
   My house is in a suburb. BUT His house is in the city.

By Gina Trapani, Original Link

Like it or not, our work lives involve meetings – status meetings, planning conference calls, brainstorming sessions, meetings for the sake of meetings. But a meeting is only as valuable as the action taken after everyone’s left the conference room.

Whether you’re headed off to a business meeting, a university lecture, or a conference session, taking effective notes is a necessary skill to move your projects, your career and your education forward. Today I’ll go over a couple of my favorite note-taking methods, as well as how to make your own custom notepaper to fit your needs.

The first two methods are especially useful for business meetings and professional conferences, where it’s most important to separate different types of information.

Method 1: Symbolize the next action

Using notepaper or a simple text file on your laptop or tablet, indent the pages of your notes in from the left margin. Then, use a simple system of symbols to mark off 4 different information types in the column space left in the margin.

• [ ] A square checkbox denotes a to do item
• ( ) A circle indicates a task to be assigned to someone else
• * An asterisk is an important fact
• ? A question mark goes next to items to research or ask about

After the meeting, a quick vertical scan of the margin area makes it easy to add tasks to your to do list and calendar, send out requests to others, and further research questions. (This method is the brainchild of Michael Hyatt, someone who clearly has mastered the art of attending meetings.)

Method 2: Split your page into quadrants

Another way to visually separate information types is to split your note-taking page into quadrants and record different kinds of information – like questions, reference and todo’s – into the separate areas on the page. Rumor has it this is how Bill Gates – someone known for taking amazingly detailed meeting notes – gets it done.

Method 3: Record and summarize – The Cornell Note-taking Method

A system more targeted towards students digesting large amounts of information on a daily basis, the Cornell note-taking method also separates the page into different areas, as pictured:

• Note taking area: Record lecture as fully and meaningfully as possible.
• Cue column: As you’re taking notes, leave the cue column empty. Soon after the lecture, reduce your notes to concise jottings as clues for Reciting, Reviewing and Reflecting.
• Summaries: Sum up each page of your notes in a sentence or two.

DIY notepaper

There are a few neat little webapps out there that produce custom PDF’s of formatted, lined notepaper with various options for printing out before your meeting and possibly stowing in a binder.

Notepaper Generator [Simson.net]

Create a PDF of a lined page with a small monthly calendar in the header and an optional summary box in the upper right hand corner. Choose your font face and optionally include punch holes as well.

Cornell Method PDF Generator [Study Smarter]

Prints pages split up into the Cornell notepaper style with unlined, ruled or graphed sections. Optionally include your name, the date, and the name of your class, and up to 4 punch holes for use in a binder. Also, choose the line darkness on a scale from gray to black.

Notepad Generator [Michael Botsko]

This PDF notes template includes your name, number, the date, project name and splits the page into two sections: one for notes (with lines) and the other for action items with due dates, with optional punchholes.

What do you use to take notes in meetings? How do you keep your jottings organized and useful after the fact? Let us know in the comments or to tips at lifehacker.com.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, is getting better at taking worthwhile notes. Her semi-weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Wednesday and Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.