Certified Listening Professional
Keeping Organized in Online Courses
Several years ago, when I was teaching up to ten online courses at a time, I said this: “If I was paid a dollar this semester for every time I heard/read a student say this, I’d be rich. Well, at least I’d have enough for daily Starbucks.”
It’s so confusing having an online class! I can’t ever remember when things are due…
Online courses have become even more popular in the past few years, for painfully obvious reasons. Even if you are an on-campus student, it’s likely you are taking one or more courses online.
The best advice I have for you is this: create a Google Calendar for yourself. (Here’s how.) Your Google Calendar is available from any computer, and it can automatically synchronize with all popular smartphones — which means that you’ll have the ability to know when things are due no matter where you are, 24/7.
Check your online course(s) to see when you have the following:
- Synchronous lectures (where you are required to log in at a specific time to participate in class)
- Asynchronous lectures (where the lecture is recorded, and you need to review it by a specific date)
- Assignments due
- Quizzes/exams due
- Be sure you know if the date and time on the exam are when you must START it or FINISH it.
- Do you need a proctor? (If so, do you need to schedule one on your own?)
Create a calendar entry in your Google Calendar for each item that is due. Set interim deadlines for yourself for larger projects. TIP: You can tell Google Calendar to send you a reminder about any deadline you choose.
You might even want to set a reminder to touch base with your professor, either by email or phone.
And that’s all there is to it. At least, except for the “completing the assignments” part.
Hope you found this helpful.
(NOTE: If you have another calendar method you prefer, and it already works well for you, USE IT. No need to switch. But if you’re having trouble staying on top of your classes, try this method. It’s how I keep myself organized.)
Top 100 L&D Professional Nominee: Please Vote by November 1
<Shameless plug> I have been nominated for the TOP 100 LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL AWARD. Please vote at https://www.onconferences.com/vote-ld
The Top 100 Learning & Development Professional Award is a peer-voted award that is determined by peer observation of work. Winners represent some of the top learning & development professionals in the entire world.
Please consider voting for me if you have observed me exhibiting any of the following:
- Made a considerable impact on their organization and/or previous organizations.
- Made strong contributions to their professional community through thought leadership.
- Innovated in their role/career.
- Exhibited exceptional leadership.
</Shameless plug>
Thank you!
8 Tips for How to Read a College Textbook
A textbook is not a mystery novel. It’s perfectly okay — and even ENCOURAGED — to skip to the end of the chapter/book to see how things turn out.
Here are eight tips for how to read a college textbook:
- After reading the title of the chapter, read the chapter preview. In here, you’ll typically find a list of objectives for the chapter, which will let you know what to focus on as you proceed.
- Flip through the entire chapter, reading the headings and subheadings only.
- Read the chapter summary at the end of the chapter.
- Take a look at any discussion questions provided by the author.
- THEN, and only then, go back and read through the entire chapter once. Read it beginning to end, without taking notes. Yes, I said to NOT take notes the first time through. Your goal here is to get a complete view of the chapter’s information.
- After your complete read through, then go back to the beginning of the chapter, taking notes on the important parts. How do you know what’s important? You will know this by what you have seen in the summary, headings/subheadings, summary and discussion questions.
- Finally, even if it’s not required by your professor, create learning journal entries for the chapter by answering the discussion questions. (Definitely use the textbook to help you answer these questions; this is not a test.)
And my eighth and last tip is that if you have an enhanced e-book (rather than hard copy), the publisher often provides practice quizzes and additional resources. Take advantage of them — you’ve already paid for them!
What other advice would you offer to a college student who is reading a textbook?
Interview with a PR Practitioner
For this assignment in PRCM 2400, you will choose and interview a public relations professional.
In our course in Canvas, submit a Word file with your 500-word (minimum) recap of the interview. In addition to the recap, you’ll need to provide me with the PR professional’s contact information (name, title & company, phone number and e-mail address) at the top of the first page, before your recap of the interview.
Due Date: See our course in Canvas
You may conduct this interview face-to-face interview, via Zoom or phone. An interview that is e-mail or text-based only is not acceptable.
Schedule your interview at least a week before this assignment is due, preferably two. PR professionals sometimes have unpredictable schedules, and it’s possible that you may need to reschedule.
Include an introductory paragraph that introduces the PR professional, including title and company, educational background, etc. Mention your connection to the professional (how you found him/her) and how you conducted the interview (face-to-face, Zoom or phone).
After the interview is over, send your interviewee a thank you note. Handwritten and snail mailed is preferred; emailed is acceptable.
Questions/Topics you need to ask/include:
- What’s a typical week like? (If no week is typical, then what was last week like?)
- Tell me about a project you worked on that you are especially proud of.
- What do you do to keep current in the PR industry?
- What do you wish you would have known before starting your career in PR?
- How important is writing in your career?
- What are your thoughts on the importance of thank you notes?
- What three tips would you offer someone just starting out in PR?
- Additional required information to include in your paper
- After interviewing this person, are you (the student, not the practitioner) more or less likely to want to have a career in PR? Why?
- What did you write to your interviewee in your thank you note?
Some questions you may wish to ask:
- Did your education prepare you for working in PR? How?
- What has surprised you the most about working in PR?
- How has PR changed since you entered the field?
- How does technology affect your daily work?
- When your company is hiring for an entry-level PR position, what makes a candidate stand out?
- What professional organizations are you involved in? (For example, PRSA, IABC, etc.)
- Ask for feedback on your resume
Some things you may wish to do:
- Include a photo of your interviewee. (This can be a photo he or she provides or one that you take yourself.)
- Link to your interviewee’s LinkedIn profile and/or blog.
Questions?
[NOTE: This must be an informational interview that you conduct this semester. Do not “recycle” an interview that you conducted during a previous semester.]
“Choose Your Own” Case Study Paper
When my kiddos were young, they loved the series of Choose Your Own Adventure books. Riffing on this, your second paper in PRCM 2400 will be a “Choose Your Own” Case Study paper.
At the end of each chapter in your Public Relations textbook are discussion questions. (Some of these discussion questions are ones we’re using as actual DQs in Canvas. But there are many more questions in your book than we will use as DQs.)
Find a Case Study in a chapter that interests you, and then look at the end of the chapter for a question labeled Case Study. For example, in Chapter 12, there’s a Case Study on Facebook, and then a corresponding question about the Case Study in the Discussion Questions section at the end of the chapter. (NOTE: Do not choose a Case Study from Chapter 1.)
You will need to do a bit of additional research about the topic before beginning to write your paper; the amount of research will vary based on which Case Study you choose.
Title your paper with the chapter number and the title of the case study as it’s written in the textbook (for example, Chapter 12: Mr. Zuckerberg Goes to Washington).
Then using 500-700 words (two to three double-spaced pages):
- First, summarize the case study in one paragraph.
- Then, answer the question(s) about the case study in paragraph form.
Cite your sources in this short paper just as you would for any paper you write at Auburn.
Image Credit: https://suggestedreads.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE.jpg
A Magazine, All About *You*
For my PR students at Auburn University
Here’s a fun assignment that will help us get to know each other. Since our class is semester is online, it’s even more important to help your class learn more about you since we won’t have the face-to-face time that we’d have in a traditional brick-and-mortar class.
Using your choice of software or online service (such as the Magazine Cover creator at Big Huge Labs), create a magazine cover that depicts you (personality, background, aspirations). The finished cover doesn’t have to be perfect (mine definitely isn’t). If you need to get assistance from a more tech-savvy friend to create the cover, that’s fine; just be sure to give them credit
The Assignment
- The cover photo must be of you, taken at some point during the last year or so. (If the photo is a group photo, be sure to somehow let us know which person is you, if it’s not readily apparent.)
- Include at least your first name somewhere in the design. The easiest place to do this is in the title of the magazine, but you can put it somewhere else.
- Feel free to emulate an existing magazine cover’s look and feel.
- Save the magazine cover as a PNG, JPG, PDF or some other format that can be easily shared.
- Go into your class in Canvas and find the “Getting to Know Us” discussion area on our class’ home page. Click Create Message, then enter your magazine’s title into the Subject area. Attach the cover. And also write a bit about yourself in the Message area. Click Post to have the message appear.
- Toward the end of the week, review several of your classmates’ magazine covers. Reply to their posts with your feedback, comments, etc.
- This assignment will “count” as your Discussion Question for Week One.
Questions?
Is Your Content Dry as Toast?
Wondering how to take your content that might be a bit dry and make it better for your listeners to learn from? Here are a few suggestions.
- Tell stories rather than list info when possible
- Share bold/extreme, relatable examples to stress why your info is critical
- Are there horror stories you can share that will express the risks of them not paying attention to and using your information? If so, use them.
- Change format of your presentation to a top 10 list of FAQs on your topic
- Make the questions sound like they actually would be questions from your learners
- Ask colleagues who know little about your topic to assist with questions they have
- Let learners know there will be a quiz at the end
- This ALWAYS gets people to pay closer attention
- Use infographics/charts if you need to share numbers
- Much better than just saying the numbers or showing a too-small Excel sheet
- Provide LESS content on your slides
- This will help encourage folks to LISTEN to you, rather than just read the bullets
- Share a handout or link at the end with the dry but important info
- And finally, don’t bullet point your learners to death
What other suggestions do YOU have?
Image Credit: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1605646
10½ Ways to Learn the Most in a Virtual Training Session
Even though most of us are beginning to return to the office now, virtual training sessions will continue in many organizations. Here are 10½ ways to help you get the most from a virtual training session.
- Book time on your online calendar so that others in your organization will know you are unavailable during the training time. PRO TIP: Add in an extra 15 minutes after the class for your own reflection and wrap-up notes on the training.
- Let others in your home or office (ones who don’t have access to your calendar or who you know won’t bother to check your calendar) know that you will be unavailable. PRO TIP: I like to put a sign on my office door letting people know I am in training and when I will be done.
- Minimize your distractions. PRO TIPS: Close all browser tabs except for the one(s) you will need during training. Turn off notifications to your computer, phone and watch — if at all possible.
- Hydrate! PRO TIP: Have easily accessible double the amount of water you think you might want to drink during the training time. (See Water and Learning: Does Staying Hydrated Help You Learn? for more information on hydrating is important for your brain.)
- Move around. Yes, I know this might sound counter-intuitive. Unless your training requires you to have fingers on the keyboard constantly, stand up and stretch often. And when there is break time, walk around your office or home, rather than staying at your computer. PRO TIP: Use a standing desk. I almost can’t recall what it’s like to work while seated all day. (See Movement and Learning for more information on how movement helps your executive brain function.)
- Ask questions. For most synchronous training sessions, you will have the opportunity to ask and answer questions either via chat or by voice. PRO TIP: Even if you aren’t able to ask questions live during the session, jot them down as they come to mind, as you may be able to ask them after the session.
- Do your prework. Pay careful attention to any emails you may receive from the trainer, as you may need to follow specific steps prior to the training session. PRO TIP: Do the prework at least a day before the session, just in case you run into any issues with software installation, etc.
- Show your face by turning on your webcam. For smaller virtual training sessions, your trainer may want to see your face as you are participating in the course to help determine where possible areas of confusion are. PRO TIP: Blur your background if what’s behind you might be distracting to others.
- Provide feedback. The best trainers will ask for feedback both during AND after the session. PRO TIP: Be candid in your feedback so that the trainer fully understands what you learned and how you felt about the training.
- Take handwritten notes. Research has shown that when you take handwritten notes, you paraphrase more than when you type your notes. Paraphrasing helps you retain the information longer than typing verbatim. PRO TIP: Plan ahead to have fresh pens (in multiple colors, if you’re like me) and a nice notebook handy. (See New Findings Inform the Laptop versus Longhand Note-Taking Debate for more details.)
10½. Never EVER rely on the session recording. Even if the trainer lets you know that the session is being recorded for your use after the class, technology sometimes fails. PRO TIP: Participate in the course as though there will be no recording to review afterward. You don’t want to wish you’d paid better attention during the live session.
What other tips would you share on learning the most in a virtual training session?
15 Questions Interviewers Love to Hear
An interview is a two-way street; both the interviewer and candidate are trying to learn as much as possible about each other in a short period of time to determine if there is a fit.
Sometimes job candidates get so wrapped up in trying to develop stellar answers to questions they anticipate being asked that they neglect the flipside of that: coming up with great questions to ASK their interviewers.
Below you’ll find a list of questions to put in your (metaphorical) back pocket the next time you’re being interviewed. Many thanks to colleagues and friends who helped me pull this list together for you. (PRO TIP: Write down your questions before the interview.)
- What’s different about working here than anywhere else you’ve worked?
- How has the company changed since you joined?
- Why do most employees leave the company?
- What could you tell me about the company that I couldn’t find out by Googling?
- Tell me about the team that I would manage.
- Is this a newly created role? If so, what led you to create the role? If not, tell me about the shoes I would be filling.
- What else can I answer for you to help you make this hiring decision?
- Tell me what your onboarding process is like for new employees.
- Which other teams in this company would I be working most closely with in my new role?
- What types of professional development opportunities does your company provide?
- What can I do in the first 90 days that shows you made the right decision to hire me? (Ashleigh Rankin)
- What specific challenges or problems you would like me to address immediately? (Jack Leblond)
- What is the most impactful action a new associate can take in their first 30 days in the role to be successful? (Stephanie Haney)
- Tell me about your most successful employees and what they do that makes them so successful. (Ryan Shea)
- And ALWAYS remember to ask this question: What is your timeline for the next steps in your hiring process?
Image Credit: Free Stock photos by Vecteezy
