Free Essays on My Teaching Philosophy

, teachers should know what they are do... Free Essays on My Teaching Philosophy Free Essays on My Teaching Philosophy MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY I believe that a teaching is a life-long commitment to the personal, emotional, and academic needs of students. Teachers must be dedicated and love their work - don’t look at it as a job. As a teenager, I often volunteered to baby-sit because I enjoyed taking care of children. As an adult, I am pursing a teaching career because I want to make a difference in the success of today’s children. To be an effective teacher, I believe that one must be enthusiastic, confident, honest, and holistic. I believe that teaching is an active profession; a teacher must convey energy to the students through spontaneous enthusiastic activity. If the teacher is happy, the children are happy. Conversely, if the teacher is not happy, negative things can happen. The mission of all teachers should center on fostering happy, well-adjusted children who will grow up to by happy, well-adjusted adults. Enthusiasm, energy, and happiness contribute to creating a positive environment, one in which children’s basic needs are met. A positive environment leads to greater curiosity, greater production, and higher levels of thinking. Teachers should be confident enough to listen and respond professionally to questions and challenges from both parents and other members of faculty and administration. If a teacher can confidently carry on a two-way conversation, they will model the same in the classroom. Confidence is achieved from a high degree of competency in the knowledge of human growth, development, and learning. Teachers should be able to apply methods and strategies for dealing with children in all ways, not just academically. Professional journals and books should be read consistently so that they can understand, use, and talk about current knowledge and practice. Teaching is also a research-based profession; teachers should teach from a reputable base of qualified research. In others words, teachers should know what they are do...

Is Your Son or Daughter an Upcoming High School Senior Start Your College Visits Now!

Is Your Son or Daughter an Upcoming High School Senior Start Your College Visits Now! Summers coming and your high school junior  might be thinking more about trips to the beach than about college plans, but this is the perfect time to start planning college visits!   The earlier the better.   If you havent already, sit down with your son or daughter and think about what colleges he or she might want to attend.   Then plan a trip. Top 4 reasons to visit colleges this summer: The college visit is the best way for you and your son or daughter to get a feeling for what a school is really like, beyond the two dimensionality of a web page or brochure.   Meet students, see dorm rooms and dining halls, and maybe even sit in on a class (though classes are not as numerous in the summer as they would be in the spring or fall).  Ã‚  Your child will get a  sense of whether he or she  wants to spend four years in this place. At schools that offer on-campus interviews, this is your childs chance to meet an admissions representative before even submitting  an application.   It is a chance to make an impression early on so the committee  has a face – or at the very least an interview report to attach to the application.   Alumni interviews don’t happen until after the application is submitted, so the on-campus interview is an opportunity not to be missed. Visiting shows the school that your child is  serious about that school.   Who takes their summer vacation to go and visit colleges?   Not too many people.  Ã‚  Show up at colleges when you could be out on Cape Cod, and you make an impression.   Want to make the biggest splash?   Visit in June or July.   Most families wait until August, when  your son or daughter will  be just one face in a sea of hundreds. Summer visits give you time to revisit.   If you and your child like what you see and want to know more, or if you’re not sure and need a second look, making the first visit in June gives you plenty of time for a second round.   If you visit for the first time in February, your family will have to make decisions based on one visit alone. So   before hitting the beach, sit down for a college conversation, pull out a map, and start planning! Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinMay 16, 2010

Literature Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Literature Review - Research Paper Example This has opened doors to Taco Bell, KFC and other fast food joints (Weimer, 98). Alarmingly, this has brewed conflict between the anti-hunger reformists on one side and nutritionists / food reformers on the other. Controlling for the socioeconomic status, women who receive the food stamps have recorded a higher estimate in obese numbers than women that don’t benefit from the same. Nevertheless there has been no realization of any probable correlation between food stamps benefit and obesity in low-income men. Studies have been unable to show a similar consistent relationship in children. Several hypotheses explain a correlation between food stamps and obesity in adults. This review suggests a conceptual framework connecting the food stamp program and obesity relationship (Correl, 10) It is important to note that correlation is not causation despite this fact numerous surveys have reflected that obesity and food stamps benefits are strongly related. Food stamps programs have made a considerable effort in battling with hunger but through its expansion in the country it has equally influenced the rates of obesity .More than 40% of women in the U.S.A in the low-income category are obese, the rate is gets higher in the woman populace that participates in the food stamps program (Vosti & Sumner 207). Researchers have consequently been trying to decipher whether this is caused by the provision of food stamps or rather if there is a correlation between obesity and food stamps. It is rightfully assumed that the women susceptible to obesity are the ones that are most riveted in accruing the food stamps benefits. A major contributing factor is that the supermarkets in these poor neighborhoods make junk food available these unhealthy consumption habits choices underwrite an obesity epidemic that affects mostly the poor ( Mullaly, 208). Research seeks to discern the effect of

Case of law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case of law - Essay Example In 1981, the accused was convicted on eight counts by the Crown Court at Birmingham that included one count of manslaughter. Later on, the accused appealed against the conviction of manslaughter that was dismissed by the court of appeal. I strongly agree with the court's decision in this case. This agreement is based on a reasonably through understanding of the principles of causation. One basic thing about law is that it is a vibrant and continually evolving institution that is open to relative interpretations. However, it is imperative for this institution to retain a sense of stability amidst this continuity by rejecting to compromise on some fundamental concepts that include the principles of causation. The decision of the court in this case is justified in the sense that it emphatically refused to allow a relative interpretation of the basic and long standing principles of causation and reinforced the need for an adherence to the long cherished fundamentals of causation. Sine qua non or 'but for' is the fundamental limb of any causation test. This initial step in establishing causation in the given case reveals without doubt that the death of the girl would have never occurred 'but for' the situation unleashed by the appellant. Infact her death was the culmination of a long chain of events initiated and perpetuated by the appellant.

Culture and World Wide Web Essay Example for Free

Culture and World Wide Web Essay Basis ternet has changed our lives, before the internet, Life was completely different. In early times, people sent letters for communication, but now a day, The World Wide Web has changed the world in more than one way. The Internet has suddenly changed politics, business, and culture. Now today, there is no need to sent letters, it is the modern era, the information technology time, in which information can take not more than half second to be sent. ternet has changed our lives, before the internet, Life was completely different. In early times, people sent letters for communication, but now a day, The World Wide Web has changed the world in more than one way. The Internet has suddenly changed politics, business, and culture. Now today, there is no need to sent letters, it is the modern era, the information technology time, in which information can taternet has changed our lives, before the internet, Life was completely different. In early times, people sent letters for communication, but now a day, The World Wide Web has changed the world in more than one way. The Internet has suddenly changed politics, business, and culture. Now today, there is no need to sent letters, it is the modern era, the information technology time, in which information can take not more than half second to be sent. The technologies are growing, developing, but did the culture changed and turned iternet has changed our lives, before the internet, Life was completely different. In early times, people sent letters for communication, but now a day, The World Wide Web has changed the world in more than one way. The Internet has suddenly changed politics, busiternet has changed our lives, before the internet, Life was completely different. In early times, people sent letters for communication, but now a day, The World Wide Web has changed the world in more than one way. The Internet has suddenly changed politics, business, and culture. Now today, there is no need to sent letters, it is the modern era, the information technology time, in which information can take not more than half second to be sent. The technologies are growing, developing, but did the culture changed and turned into a single culture, not at all. Discovery of computers and internet has come like a miracle to mankind. Through this the worldwide communication has increased. People are gaining knowledge about other cultures, but this does not mean that they are fully adopting the other culture and this is because soness, and culture. Now today, there is no need to sent letters, it is the modern era, the  information technology time, in which information can take not more than half second to be sent. The technologies are growing, developing, but did the culture changed and turned into a single culture, not at all. Discovery of computers and internet has come like a miracle to mankind. Through this the worldwide communication has increased. People are gaining knowledge about other cultures, but this does not mean that they are fully adopting the other culture and this is because sonto a single culture, not at all. Discovery of computers and internet has come like a miracle to mankind. Through this the worldwide communication has increased. People are gaining knowledge about other cultures, but this does not mean that they are fully adopting the other culture and this is because soke not more than half second to be sent. The technologies are growing, developing, but did the culture changed and turned into a single culture, not at all. Discovery of computers and internet has come like a miracle to mankind. Through this the worldwide communication has increased. People are gaining knowledge about other cultures, but this does not mean that they are fully adopting the other culture and this is because so The technologies are growing, developing, but did the culture changed and turned into a single culture, not at all. Discovery of computers and internet has come like a miracle to mankind. Through this the worldwide communication has increased. People are gaining knowledge about other cultures, but this does not mean that they are fully adopting the other culture and this is because so

Easy Rider :: essays research papers

Numerous works of art have been produced by great American artist. "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller and Edith Wharton’s "Roman Fever" are two stories that can easily be compared and contrasted to the movie Easy Rider. Easy Rider is the 1960’s "Road Film" tale of a search for freedom in a corrupt and conformist America. "The Crucible" can relate to the world seen in Easy Rider. Unlike "The Crucible" Edith Wharton’s "Roman Fever" would not understand the world represented in Easy Rider. In the movie Easy Rider Jack Nicholoson’s character George Hanson comes in contact with two long-haired social misfits Wyatt and Billy. Wyatt and Billy are different from George and are accustomed to an alternative lifestyle. This alternative lifestyle is appealing to George and he decides to travel with his new friends as they journey to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Along the way the trio run in to trouble. They travel through a small American town and the local townspeople who do no like them because of their appearance. Later on, the three men are attacked by the townspeople and George is brutally beaten to death. This is very similar to the executions that took place in The Crucible. In The Crucible, many people were accused of being witches and worshipping the devil even though they were not. An example of this would be John Proctor. He was accused of devil worship because he was singled out by his peers who were looking for someone to blame. Much like George, John was an innocent man who died because an enraged group of people let there emotions get the best of them. John could sympathize with George because of the similarity of the injustice done to both of them. In the short story "Roman Fever," the characters Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are two wealthy widows that are reflecting on their lives together. We see that they are people of a high social standing. They talk about their pampered lifestyles and plan for their daughters futures. These woman would not understand the life of a "hippie" living in 1960’s America, nor would they approve. Wyatt and Billy were used to living on the open road and going where the wind takes them. They were rebellious and completely carefree. Mrs. Ansley and Mrs.

The Tax Research Process

The Tax Research Process The overriding purpose of tax research is to find solutions to the tax problems of one’s clients or employer. The process is similar to that of traditional legal research. The researcher must find authority, evaluate the usefulness of that authority, and apply the results of the research to a specific situation. One can identify two essential tax research skills: * The first is using certain mechanical techniques to identify and locate the tax authorities that relate to solving a problem. * The second entails a combination of reasoning and creativity and is more difficult to learn.A researcher must begin with native intelligence and imagination and add training and experience properly to apply the information found. Creativity is necessary to explore the relevant relationships among the circumstances and problems at hand to find a satisfying (and defensible) solution. In many cases, no legal authority exists that is directly on point for the problem. I f such a situation comes up, the researcher must combine seemingly unrelated facts, ideas (including those that he or she has derived from previous research work), and legal authority to arrive at a truly novel conclusion.This creative ability of the researcher often spells the difference between success and failure in the research process. Outline of Tax Research Process As the tax problems of the client become more significant, the related tax research can become time-consuming and, thus, expensive to the client. A moderate tax research problem often takes up to eight or ten hours of research time, and the bill for these services may approach or even exceed $2,000. Because of the costs that are involved, the tax researcher must work as efficiently as possible to obtain the solution to the client’s problem.The researcher needs a framework for the research process, so that he or she does not waste time and effort in arriving at a solution to the problem. The tax research proc ess can be broken down into six major steps. Tax researchers (especially those without a great amount of experience at the task) must approach the resolution of a tax problem in a structured manner, so that the analysis of the problem will be thorough and the solution complete. Step 1: Establish the Facts Before a researcher can analyze the tax consequences of a transaction, he or she must understand the transaction itself.Specifically, the researcher should discuss the details of the transaction with the client to ascertain the client’s motivation. What are the client’s business or financial objectives in undertaking the transaction? What does the client foresee as the desired outcome? What risks has the client identified? By asking these types of questions, the researcher gets to be more acquainted with the non-tax features of the transactions. Discover All the Facts The researcher must discover all the facts concerning the client’s transaction.Like a newspape r reporter, the researcher should question the client about the precise â€Å"who, when, where, why, and how† of the transaction. The researcher should not assume that the client’s initial summary of the transaction is factually accurate and complete. Perhaps the client hasn’ t determined all the facts that the researcher needs. Or the client may have discounted the significance of certain facts and omitted them from the initial summary. The researcher should encourage the client to be objective in stating the facts.Often, a client unwittingly presents the researcher with the client’s subjective conclusions about the facts rather than with the facts themselves. Impact of Client’s Tax Knowledge When a researcher is working with a client to uncover the relevant facts, the researcher must take into account the level of the client’s tax knowledge. If the client has some knowledge of the tax law, the researcher can ask questions that presume such knowledge. On the other hand, if the client is unsophisticated in tax matters, the researcher should ask only questions that the client can answer without reference to the tax law.Step 2: Identify the Issues After the researcher is satisfied that he or she understands the client’s transaction and knows all the relevant facts, the researcher can proceed to the second step in the research process. In this step, the researcher identifies the tax issue or issues suggested by the transaction. The ability to recognize tax issues is the product of technical education and professional experience. Consequently, this step is usually the most challenging for new tax researchers. The identification of issues leads to the formation of tax research questions.The tax researcher should be as precise as possible in formulating questions. A precise question is narrowly stated ands provides clear parameters for the remaining steps in the research process. An imprecise question that is vague or overly broad in scope may provide insufficient parameters and result in wasted time and effort. Multiple Research Questions If the tax issue suggested by a transaction lead to multiple research questions, the researcher must determine the order in which the questions should be answered.In our complex tax system, the answer to a question often depends on the answer to one or more preliminary questions. Tax researchers who understand the hierarchy of their research questions can address each question in the right order and conduct their research with maximum efficiency. A combination of education, training, and experience is necessary to enable the researcher to identify all of the issues with respect to a tax problem successfully. In some situations, this step can be the most difficult element of a tax research problem to carry out.Issues in a closed-fact tax research problem often arise from a conflict with the IRS. In such a case, one can ascertain the issue(s) easily. Research of this nature usually consists of finding support for an action that the client has already taken. Types of Issues In most research projects, however, the researcher must develop a list of issues. Research issues can be divided into two major categories: * Fact issues are concerned with information having an objective reality, such as the dates of transactions, the amounts involved in an exchange, reasonableness, intent, and purpose. Law issues arise when the facts are well established, but it is not clear which portion of the tax law applies to the issue. Step 3: Locate Authority As the third step in the research process, the researcher heads for a tax library. A researcher’s mission is to locate the authority that provides answers to the research question. Traditional libraries consist of shelves filled with books, loose-leaf binders, magazines, and other published materials containing all the technical minutiae of the tax law.Today, traditional libraries are disappearing as professional tax advisors gain access to the electronic libraries available on the Internet. Once obvious advantage of electronic libraries is the speed at which researchers can access sources of authority and move among the sources. A second advantage is the ease with which electronic sources can be updated to include current developments. A third advantage is that an electronic library is portable. A tax researcher with a laptop computer can access the library at any time and from any location.Regardless of whether a tax researcher is working in a traditional or electronic library, a researcher must be knowledgeable about the content and organization of the reference pertaining to the problem at hand. The researcher also must be able to distinguish between the two main categories of reference materials: sources of authority and sources of information. Primary Authority Primary authority is an element of the Federal tax laws that was issued by Congress, the Treasury Department, or Internal Revenue Service. Primary authority carries greater precedential weight than secondary authority.Each primary authority also has a relative weight to other primary authorities. Weight is best described as an assessment of relative importance compared to other authority. Statutory sources include the Constitution, tax treaties, and tax laws passed by Congress. Statutory authority is the basis for all tax provisions. The Constitution grants Congress the power to impose and collect taxes and also authorizes the creation of treaties with other countries. The power of Congress to implement and collect taxes is summarized in the Internal Revenue Code, the official title of U. S. tax law.The Internal Revenue Code constitutes the basis for all tax law, and, therefore, the basis for arriving at solutions to all tax questions. The other primary sources of the tax law, administrative and judicial authority, function primarily to interpret and explain the application of the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the intent of Congress. Administrative sources include the various rulings of the Treasury Department and the IRS. These are issued in the form of Regulations, Revenue Rulings, and other pronouncements. Judicial sources consist of collected rulings of the various courts on federal tax matters.Secondary Authority Secondary Authority Sources consist of unofficial sources of tax information, such as: * tax services * journals * textbooks * treatises * newsletters. Secondary authority is an element of the tax law that was issued by a professional or scholarly writer. It is an interpretation of the tax law issued by primary sources. Many secondary sources exist. Some of the most useful are the editorial analysis and explanation contained in many of the major tax services, articles published in the numerous professional journals and newsletters, treatises, and textbooks.Secondary authority carries less precedential weight than primary authority. Secondary authorities are useful in finding, analyzing, and evaluating primary authorities. The distinction between primary and secondary (or editorial) sources of authority is more important because of IRC  § 6662, which imposes a penalty on substantial understatements of tax, except where the taxpayer has â€Å"substantial authority† for the position taken on the return. Substantial Authority The Regulation under  § 6662 specifies the sources of â€Å"substantial authority† to include: * provisions of the Internal Revenue Code temporary and final Regulations * court cases * administrative pronouncements * tax treaties * Congressional intent as reflected on Committee Reports. This list was expanded by the Committee Report for the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1989 to include: * Proposed Regulations * Private Letter Rulings * Technical Advice Memoranda, * Information or Press Releases * Notices * Any other similar documents published by the IRS in the Internal Revenue Bullet in. Treatises and articles in legal periodicals, however, are not considered substantial authority under this statute.Conflicting Authority Secondary authority is useful when conflicting primary authority exists, when there appears to be no extant primary authority, or when the researcher needs an explanation or clarification of the primary authority. Over the past 15 years, as the support staffs of government agencies and (especially) Federal courts have been decreased in number or otherwise become inadequate, more dependence has been placed upon the secondary authorities of the tax law, even by the IRS, the Treasury Department, and the court system.Tax researchers must be careful, though, not to rely too heavily upon secondary authority and always to read any pertinent primary authority that is referred to in the secondary sources. Commercial Tax Services Because of the vast amount of tax authority that is available, the tax researcher would have a tremendous problem in undertakin g a tax research problem for a client if it were not for commercial tax services and treatises.Several publishers have produced coordinated sets of reference materials, such as RIA’s Checkpoint, that organize the tax authority into a usable format, making the Internal Revenue Code and other primary authorities much more accessible. Checkpoint ® Commercial tax services, such as RIA’s Checkpoint, are useful in that they provide simplified explanations with footnote citations, as well as examples illustrating the application of the law. Checkpoint leads the tax researcher, via the footnote references, to the primary source that is pertinent to the question at hand.A tax service can be classified as chiefly an annotated service or as a topical service. Annotated services are organized in Internal Revenue Code section order, such as RIA’s United States Tax Reporter. A topical service, such as RIA’s Federal Tax Coordinator, is organized by topical areas deter mined by the editors. Step 4: Evaluate Authority Regardless of whether a researcher is reading from a printed page or a computer screen, the researcher must have the skill to interpret and evaluate the authority at hand. In some cases, the authority may provide an unambiguous answer to the researcher’s question.In other cases, the answer may be equivocal because the authority is inconclusive or subject to interpretation. Or perhaps different sources of authority provide conflicting answers. In these cases, the researcher must bring his or her own judgment to bear in analyzing the authority and answering the question. Weighting Authorities All tax authority does not carry the same precedential value. For example, the tax court could hold that an item should be excluded from gross income at the same time that an outstanding IRS Revenue Ruling asserts the item is taxable.The tax researcher must evaluate the two authorities and decide whether to recommend that his or her client r eport the disputed item. How Research Can Loop In the process of evaluating the authority for the issue(s) under research, new issues previously not considered by the researcher may come to light. If this is the case, the researcher may be required to gather additional facts, find additional pertinent authority, and evaluate the new issues. All of these research activities must be related to the client’s research problem.The researcher uses professional judgment in selecting issues and determining the effort to expend on the issues. This loop is illustrated below: Step 5: Develop Conclusions As part of the analytic process, the researcher should decide if the authority requires him or her to make a factual judgment or an evaluative judgment. Factual Judgment In making a factual judgment, the researcher compares the authority to a set of facts. Assuming that the facts are complete and accurate, the researcher can provide a definitive answer to the research question.Evaluative Judgment Researchers are required to make evaluative judgments when the relevant authority relates to a conclusion inferred from a set of facts, rather than to the facts themselves. By definition, conclusions are subjective; different observers may draw different conclusions from the same facts. A researcher who must draw a conclusion to complete a research project can never be sure that such conclusion will go unchallenged by the IRS. Therefore, the researcher should never give an unqualified answer to a research question requiring an evaluative judgment.Getting All the Facts At some point in the research process, even an expert may discover that he or she does not have all the facts necessary to complete the analysis of the client’s transaction. In such case, the researcher must repeat Step 1 by obtaining additional information from the client. Oftentimes the additional information suggests additional tax issues and research questions that the researcher must address. A res earcher may have to repeat Steps 1 through 4 several times before he or she is satisfied with the analysis. Handling Unresolved IssuesWhere unresolved issues exist, the researcher might inform the client about alternative possible outcomes of each disputed transaction, and give the best recommendation for each. If the research involved an open fact situation, the recommendation might detail several alternative course of future action, (for example, whether to complete the deal, or how to document the intended effects of the transaction). In many cases, the researcher may find it appropriate to present his or her recommendation of the â€Å"best† solution from a tax perspective, as well as one or more alternative recommendations that may be much more workable solutions.In any case, the researcher will want to discuss with the client the pros and cons of all reasonable recommendations and the risks associated with each course of action. Step 6: Communicate The final step in the research process is to communicate the results and recommendations of the research. The results of the research effort usually are summarized in a memorandum to the client file and a letter to the client. Both of these items usually contain a restatement of the pertinent facts as the researcher understands them, any assumptions the researcher made, issues addressed, the applicable authority, and the tax researcher’s recommendations.The memorandum to the file usually contains more detail than does the letter to the client. Client’s Tax Knowledge In any event, the researcher must temper his or her communication of the research results so that it is understandable by the intended reader. For instance, the researcher should use vastly different jargon and citation techniques in preparing an article for the Journal of Taxation than in preparing a client memo for a businessperson or layperson who is not sophisticated in tax matters.

Communication in Social Work Practice Essay

1 Social Work Theory & Practice. The Importance of Communication Skills in Social Work Practice. Introduction. Social work is a professional activity. Implicit in its practice are ethical principles, which prescribe the professional responsibility of the social worker. The primary objective of the code of ethics is to make implicit principles explicit for the protection of clients. (BASW, 1976). According to Thompson (2000) Social work involves working with some of the most disadvantaged sections of the community and with people who, for a variety of reasons, are experiencing major problems and distress, often with unmet needs and other difficulties that may at times seem intractable. Lishman (1994) purports a broader definition of Social Work, which involves entering into the lives of people who are in distress, conflict or 2 trouble. To do this requires not only technical competence but also qualities of integrity, genuineness and self-awareness. The Central Council for Education and Training in Social work (United Kingdom) has also set out core skills and characteristics for Social work outlined as follows; The importance of being able to communicate and engage, To be able to promote and enable, To achieve success in planning and accessing information, Intervening appropriately and providing services when necessary, Working competently with other organisations, Developing overall professional competence. So not only do social works need to adhere to ethics and values, they must also look inside themselves as people and seek out the skills necessary to work with various client groups and organisations. As mentioned, communication skills are vitally important, along with listening and analytical skills. Look more:  social process theories essay But it is also very important that the social worker be aware of him/herself, of 3 handing feelings or emotions that may arise through this line of work. Reflection is an important aspect, as well as creativity, sensitivity and humility. A major step forward in contemporary practice was the development of a Code of Ethics (1995), which further defined social work as: „ The primary focus of social work is working with individuals, families, and groups within their social context. Through the training, knowledge and skills which support a high standard of professionalism, the social work task is to facilitate and enable clients to identify options and make decisions for themselves so that they may develop strategies to effect improvement in the quality of their lives. Social work also focuses on issues of social policy, social administration and social justice and the betterment of society as a whole‟ (IASW, 1995: 1). Effective social work requires a multitude of interconnecting knowledge and skills backed up by the values, which underpin 4 good social work practice. To be able to provide a good service the social worker needs to be able to refer to, or call upon a wide body of knowledge. This knowledge base is quite extensive and detailed, as Thompson (2000,p73) points out, â€Å"practitioners are not realistically expected to know all of this knowledge base.† However a certain level of knowledge is essential, for example knowledge of the basics, things such as relevant legislation, theories and techniques involved in a particular case. Knowledge of society and the social processes and institutions is also crucial to the role of a social worker, as these are the very fabric of the profession. No amount of knowledge, on its own, at least, can be effective without the possession of skills to act upon it. Thompson (2000,p82) defines a skill as â€Å"the ability to carry out a particular activity effectively and consistently over a period of time.† The skills with which a social worker is armed must be used in conjunction with the knowledge base to reflect the values, principles, and beliefs associated with the profession. There is a wide range of skills involved in high quality social work from basic communication skills to analytical, presentational, and management skills. Because of the often-sensitive nature of 5 situations social workers can find themselves in, the ability to be patient and understanding is important. Working with children and families is one of the largest areas covered by social work. Insofar as a social worker may be dealing with an individual client, that client’s place in the family can be of critical importance to any assessment. When working with families it is important not to try to mirror one’s ideas of how a family functions. The challenge for the social worker when working with a family is not to generalise but to try to understand â€Å"how does this family work?† Coulshed et al (1998,p171). When dealing with a family it is very important to remain impartial, to take the time to listen to everyone’s point of view. This approach is more likely to â€Å"encourage discussion and sharing in which the worker is free to engage and disengage when the need arises,† Coulshed et al (1998,p175). Another area which social workers are involved is with groups. This is somewhat different to the family situation. It also shares things in common with community work. The role of a social worker as a facilitator or leader of a group has many levels. At different stages the worker has to be â€Å"central, pivotal, peripheral, 6 and central once again,† Coulshed et al (1998,p198). The various stages of group development and the content of the stages outlined by Tuchman and Jensen, in Coulshed et al (1998,p198) names these stages as â€Å"forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.† The role and tasks of the social worker are to help get group members involved and to encourage the development of a group bond. In the process of doing this s/he must be alert to isolated members, dominant members and conflict within the group, to develop positively the dynamics of the group and achieve a desired outcome, while meeting the needs of all the group members impartially and without bias. Community social work requires the social worker to develop a more flexible approach requiring such skills as recognising and validating skills and interventions. Traditional social work skills may need to be adapted to fit into the community context. Network building can also be a part of the process for a social worker, for example, to bring a group of people together who have similar concerns but are not in a position to facilitate this formation themselves. 7 In each of the above scenarios, the social worker must adapt to the different settings and the number of individuals that may be present and therefore use the most effective form of communication and tools necessary to communicate at different levels, whether that involves one person, several people or a large group. Effective Communication. Effective communication is an essential component of traditional social work activities e.g. providing basic care, giving advice, making assessments, counselling, writing reports and acting as client’s advocates. It is equally necessary for social workers to have effective communication skills if they are to promote self-help and empowerment. Verbal communication is what we say and includes questioning, reflection, focusing, summarising, challenging and confrontation. Verbal communication involves the use of language. The skills involved in engaging, listening, negotiating and challenging are equally relevant to communication in work groups and multi-disciplinary teams. Any commitment to the empowerment of social work clients is meaningless if their 8 views are neither sought nor taken into account. Silverman (1969) emphasises the importance of a non-judgemental approach. There are three main areas of knowledge and experience were valued by clients are outlined by Rees and Wallace (1982), cited in Lishman (1994) Client’s valued workers who had enough experience of life to listen non-judgementally to what they had to say, Client’s valued workers who had enough life experience to understand client’s problems from their own experience, Clients appreciated specialised knowledge and training. Kinds of Communication. Symbolic communication. Symbolic communication involves behaviour, actions or communications, which represent or denote something else. As social workers we need to be aware of the potential meaning of 9 our representation, actions and aspects of our working environment. For example, punctuality, dress and layout of the consultation room are all important aspects of symbolic communication. Proximity needs to be considered in relation to orientation. Sommer and Cook (1968) explored different seating positions and found evidence which suggested that sitting alongside a person implies cooperation, opposite a person competition and at right angles to each other equality of status. Thus sitting behind a des, directly opposite a client, has distancing and power implications but also may be confrontational. Although, There are no fixed rules about posture; being too relaxed may convey power and inattentiveness, being too rigid, tension, anxiety and authority. As social workers we need to be aware of such subliminal reinforcement and to use it discriminatingly. Non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication outlined by Sutton (1979) suggests that while spoken communication is concerned mainly with 10 information giving, non-verbal communication is the ‘music behind the words’ conveying feelings or attitudes. Understanding people or social perception is concerned with the way in which people form impressions of others and make inferences about the causes of their behaviour to enable them to predict and control their own social reality, understanding the causes and motives behind behaviour is Nonverbal Communication or NVB. Nonverbal communication NVB is the way in which people communicate intentionally or unintentionally without the use of words. Expressions, gestures, posture, touch, personal space, eye contact and tone of voice are used to express emotions, convey attitudes, regulate and control speech and communicate personal characteristics. NVB are examined in two ways: Information processing – how do people interpret nonverbal cues? What kinds of inferences do we make about people’s intentions based on these cues, Impression management. Michael Argyle (1988) suggested that NVB is important for: Expressing emotion, Conveying attitudes, 11 Communicating one’s personality traits, Facilitating verbal communications. Patterson (1983) suggests that NVB serve a number of particular functions in social interactions including: Expressing intimacy, Regulating the course of interactions, Exercising social control and dominance. Druckman (1982) outlined five principal uses to which NVB is usually put: To communicate pre-articulated feelings, feelings that cannot be put into words, To provide cues to information processing enabling us to guess at what another person is thinking or feeling, To serve as emphases in persuasive appeals to enhance our success at persuading others, To facilitate deception, To convey subtle messages. 12 The characteristics of NVB were outlined by Dittman (1984). There are users and sources of NVB, nonverbal behaviours are sent by encoders and received by decoders through a variety of different channels. Channels of nonverbal communication include facial expression, eye contact, gestures, touch, paralanguage or nonverbal elements of speech and spatial behaviour. A number of channels are used simultaneously to send a particular emotional message. Behaviours sent are intentionally controlled while behaviours may be received with different levels of awareness. Some messages are received in full awareness and as intended by the sender, whereas other messages are deliberately kept out of full awareness and may distort the intention of the sender. A number of different categories of NVB exist according to Ekman and Friesen (1969): – Emblems – these are movements that are communicative substitutes for words i.e. Handshaking. – Illustrators – these are movements that accompany speech and accent i.e. rapping a table. – Regulators – these are movements that maintain or signal a change in the speaker/ listener roles i.e. Head nods. 13 – Affect displays – these are facial expressions that are used to convey emotions – Adapters – these are self and object manipulations, which relate to an individual emotional, need or state. Mehrabian (1972) suggested that NVB’s were important for indicating a person’s social orientation. Social orientation can be summarised in terms of dimensions; each dimension reveals some aspect of a person’s intention and motivation for interacting. According to Cook (1968) NVB are used to gain fuller descriptions of individuals when little information is available which we use to fill in the missing information about people, and guide our behaviour while interacting. One further way of determining what people think and feel is to try to provide explanations for why they behave in particular ways to reveal the motives and intentions behind their actions. This process is referred to as ‘Casual Attribution’ and is concerned with understanding the reasons behind the behaviour of others. NVB are intended to provide us with clues to how a person feels, enabling us to predict and control our interactions with them. When information is missing implicit personality theories are used to fill in the gaps in our knowledge about a person. 14 Verbal communication. Language consists of symbols that convey meaning, rules for combining those symbols that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages. People use spoken sound and written words to represent objects, actions, events and ideas, and can be combined in an infinite variety of ways to generate an endless array of novel messages. Written reports and records. According to Lishman (1994) skilled are learned in action, with practise and feedback, written reports and concise record keeping enable the aforementioned to happen. Hargie (1986) acknowledges criticism that social work records and reports are often ‘lengthy, rambling and anecdotal’ and suggests ‘written reports should be clear, concise and concentrate’ on the important features of the case. O’Hagan (1986) calls recording ‘a crucial learning tool’. He argues that after a crisis, detailed scrutiny is 15 essential. Such recoding facilitates learning and self-awareness by a review of the behaviour, feelings, and interactions of all participants including the worker. Doel and Lawson (1986) found that once workers had developed ‘an interactive recording style, using interview time to record the work, the quantity of written material was reduced because it becomes more focused. The South Eastern Health Board (1988) suggest that record keeping and good recording techniques are of vital importance in maintaining good housekeeping practice, facilitating accountability and maintaining the utmost confidentiality. Under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 asserts that the client can request to access to view/ copy their records at a later date. Therefore it is vitally important that all written records be update and regularly reviewed. However there are exemptions to the above, which are also included in the FOI Act provisions. According to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health visiting (1993) the purpose of written records is to: To provide an accurate, current, comprehensive and concise information on the client from the initial assessment onwards, 16 including a record of any factors (physical, psychological or social) that appear to affect the client, To facilitate continuity, To provide a record of any problems that may arise and the response taken, To provide evidence of continuing assessments, To record the chronology of events and the reasons for any decisions may, To provide a baseline record against which improvement can be judged, To improve communication between all members of the healthcare team. Lishman (1994) suggests that statements made by the client during interview and subsequent assessments should include the client’s statements. There is also a legal obligation by social workers to maintain written records, the onus being on good practice by practitioners. The role of communication. 17 Communication is a crucial aspect of organising; each and every interaction between the people who constitute the organisation is communication. Communication will be more likely to be good if it has been worked at constantly and not only in emergencies. McKenna (1991) suggests that communication is not simply a matter of sending messages to and from between individuals and groups. It involves being aware of and understanding the experience of other people. This means knowing about the work they do and their perception of their situation. According to McKenna (1991) good horizontal communication between managers and vertical communication between managers and their work force are essential if role and job conflicts is to be avoided. It therefore appears that while managers at top and line management levels sees themselves as doing a good job in communicating with their immediate subordinates, those subordinates do not feel this is the case. Effective communication must be two-way. It must run from top to bottom and bottom to top – vertical communication, and it must flow to and from between people at the same level within the organisation – horizontal communication. The so-called ordinary members control much of what happens to horizontal 18 communication. This is communication between people on the same hierarchical level in an organisation and involves communication between colleague such has team leaders, or team members. Dutfield and Eling (1990) note that effective communication between people involves skills in: Eliciting information, Presenting information, Managing the emotional content of the encounters. Skills in eliciting information: Questions are the most obvious way of eliciting information in any situation but they may be formulated in a number of ways: Open questions – give the other person an opportunity to put forward their point of view without constraints, Closed questions are more focused and usually allow a simple yes or no type answers, Specific questions – focus on facts. The second step in effective presentation of information involves checking that the information has been received and understood, 19 an opportunity is given to ask questions, having a discussion, feedback and asking questions. Dutfield and Eling suggest that managing the emotional reactions of people in formal or informal interviews and at meetings. Emotions enter in when the person gets personally involved. This means that the core part of our self-concept appears to be under attack. We react defensively. Emotional reactions are themselves information and as such they take up part of our information processing capacity. For these reasons the skilful handling of the emotional content of communication is important in order to ensure that conflict and ill will does not result through misunderstandings. The main skills in managing the emotional content of face-to-face meetings are; Preparing well in advance for interviews, Being aware of one’s opinions and prejudices, Clarifying the nature of the problem in behavioural terms – this involves separating fact from opinion, Setting up a suitable place and sufficient time for the interview, 20 Using skills in eliciting information to get the other person’s views, Acknowledge the other person’s emotional investment in the situation, Stay task focused, Decide a plan of action for the future with the person once the emotional content has been dealt with, Follow up the meeting with a memo summarising the agreement reached, Arrange a follow up meeting to review the situation. Managing negotiation by Rackham and Carlisle (1978): Because people perceive situations differently their realities differ, the need to negotiate is a constant part of social life. The approaches to negotiation are as follows: Distributive bargaining – a win/lose position. Underlying this approach is the idea that resources are finite and that each side tries to maximise the gains for itself leaving the other side to settle for less. Win/lose strategies may give short-term gains but are usually less effective in the long term; 21 parties involved in the negotiation are usually involved in a long-term relationship with each other. Integrative bargaining – win/win approaches aims to solve problems in such a way that both sides gain something that they want. Win/win approaches to negotiating are recommended when the parties concerned will have to live and work together over the long term. Lose/lose bargaining – in this situation conflict between the parties is likely to be personalised, parties would rather paralyse or destroy the organisation rather than reach an agreement. Approaches to negotiation make the following assumptions about human psychology: People are rational decision-makers at all times, People have unlimited information processing capacity which allows them to take into account all possible alternatives and all possible outcomes, People possess and understand all relevant information. Thus it is an important part of the process of negotiating successfully to: 22 Supply all relevant information, Ensure that its implications are clear to all concerned, Give time for the information to be considered, Be open to a reconsideration of the information in the light of other points of view, Be willing to raise disagreements in a constructive and non-combatitive manner. Rackham and Carlisle (1978) defined the skilled negotiator as a person who as the ability to achieve an outcome with which participants were satisfied. Skilled negotiators: Use their social networks to get their message through to the other side through different people, Repeat their main theme so that it becomes clear and people can consider its implications, Label their actions themselves so that they cannot be mislabelled by others, Test their understanding of what others are saying to them by summarizing and restating the content back to the other side, 23 Show that they are attending and listening to the other side by asking questions about their proposals, Do not disagree outright but probe the implications, Avoid making a proposal at a time when it will be rejected, When a proposal is on the table from the other side, it should be examined and allowed to wind down before an alternative is put forward, Know that a counter proposal has the best chance of being accepted as a way out of a problem acknowledged by both sides, Don’t waste time, Never personalize difficulties in the process, Are not afraid to disagree, but avoid provocation when doing so. Building and maintaining client-worker relationship. In order for it to be possible to engage with a client, the worker needs to show warmth, empathy, active listening and a non- 24 judgemental approach. Lishman (1994) outlines other core conditions or characteristics found necessary to build and maintain a client-worker relationship. Genuineness is one of the core conditions or characteristics found to be necessary for a counsellor or therapist to help clients effectively – Truax and Carkhuff (1957). They define genuineness as involving the worker in ‘direct personal encounter with the client, meeting him/ her on a person-to –person basis. Warmth/ non-possessive warmth also termed unconditional positive regard is another attribute found by Rogers and the client-centred school 1957 to be a core condition for helping. Warmth is linked with acceptance and conveys respect. It involves the worker accepting the clients experience as part of that person, and can be thought of as a physical way of showing caring and understanding, and is mainly expressed non-verbally. Mehrabian (1972) uses the term to describe a group on non-verbal behaviours conveying, warmth, affiliation and liking. Mehrabian includes physical proximity, leaning and turning towards the client, sitting in a relaxed position, maintaining eye contact and smiling. 25 Acceptance and a non-judgemental approach. Lishman (1994) sees acceptance as a preparedness to try to understand a client’s subjective world, without conveying rejection or disapproval. Encouragement and approval – in the social learning theory terms, conveying approval is giving positive reinforcement, defined by Sutton (1979) as encouraging the repetition of good behaviour. Positive reinforcements include tangible rewards, such as thanks, praise or appreciation. At the same time traditional social work values proposed by Biestek (1965) of acceptance and non-judgemental attitudes, have been interpreted to mean not only that workers should refrain from conveying their disapproval to clients, but also their approval. Empathy – is another core condition or characteristic found to be necessary for a counsellor or therapist to help their clients effectively Truax and Carkhuff (1957). Empathic responses can help a client to make sense of what may feel a jumble of thoughts and feelings. The client may be reassured that there is some meaning in what as felt incoherent and irrational. Empathic responses can help to validate and confirm client’s perceptions, which previously 26 have been ignored, disqualified or disconfirmed. While this cannot heal or solve the past hurt it may reduce its power in the present by helping the client to recognise the hurt and live with it, and perhaps ‘lay it to rest’ and move on. Responsiveness and sensitivity – according to Mehrabian (1972) responsiveness can be conveyed non-verbally and verbally. He found that it was communicated non-verbally by movement; head nods, leg and foot movements, by facial expressions; through pleasantness and changes in expression. Conclusion. The final requirement according to Lishman (1994) for effective communication is the worker’s self-awareness. Communication, verbal, non-verbal or symbolic, is about our use of self. In order to communicate effectively we have to be aware of what we are doing, why we are doing it, how we are presenting ourselves to our clients and, on the basis of this self-knowledge or awareness, what changes in our communication are needed if we are to be more effective. Skilled and effective communication is not a static state. 27 It will always involve change and development and consolidation, learning from our past behaviour and from our mistakes. Writers such as Sheldon (1977) and Fischer (1978) argue that social workers should concern themselves with the evaluation of the effectiveness of their intervention. They stress the importance of, thinking about the ends of work, not just the means of goals and outcomes; setting specific goals to avoid a double agenda, diffusion of goals, inactivity and lack of change, and failure to offer what the client wanted; developing and definiting intervention skills for problem-solving and change. The skills involved in attending and listening, engaging and relating, giving and getting information, negotiating agreements or contracts and helping people to make changes in their attitudes, beliefs or behaviour are relevant to social work in all contexts. Each context will influence the way in which communication occurs, both enhancing and encouraging the use of some skills and constraining or limiting the use of others. Lishman (1994) also suggests that attending – being punctual is an indication to our clients of attentiveness. Listening and an 28 empathic response are important components in enabling the client to feel that such emotions can be accepted, expressed and lived with and do not have to be hidden or feared. Such acceptance may be the staring-point for a client to learn to live with and manage previously disabling emotions. Social workers have to begin from a value base, which entails basic respect for all human beings. Social work as to start from humanistic principles or values about the worth and dignity of each individual. Bibliography. Argyle, M. 1988 Bodily Communication (2nd ed) London: Methuen. Biestek, F.P. 1965 The Casework Relationship, London, Unwin University Books. Coulshed, V. & Orme, J. (1998) Social Work (An Introduction) 3thed. Macmillan. 29 Cook, M. 1968 Studies of Orientation and Proximity, Oxford, Institute of Experimental Psychology. Doel, M. and Lawson, B. 1986 ‘Open Records: The Clients Right to Partnership’ , British Journal of Social Work, vol.16. Pp. 407. Dittman, L. 1984 The infants we care for. Washington: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Druckman, D. 1982 Non Verbal Communication Survey, Theory and Research. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. Ekman, P. & Friesan, W.V. 1968 ‘Non-verbal Communication in Psychological Research’, in J.M. Schlien Research in Psychotherapy Washington: American Psychological Research. Fisher, J. 1978 Effective Casework: An Electric Approach, New York. McGraw-Hill. 30 Hargie, O. 1986 A Handbook of Communication Skil ls, London and Sydney, Croom Helm. Lishman, J. 1994 Communication in Social Work Macmillan Press: London. Patterson, M. 1983 Non Verbal Behaviour. New York: Springer. Mehrebian, A. 1972 Non-Verbal Communication, Alberta, Aldine. Mc Kenna, E.F. 1991 Managerial Leadership – emergent trends: University of East London. O’Hagan, K. 1986 Crisis Intervention in Social Services, Basingstoke, Macmillan. Silverman, P.R. 1969 ‘The Client Who Drops Out: A Study of Spoiled Helping Relationships’, Brandais University PHD Thesis. 31 Sheldon, B. 1977 ‘Do You Know Where You Are Going?’ , Community Care, 8th June 1977. Sommer, R. 1965 ‘Further Studies of Small Group Ecology’, Sociometry, vol.28, pp. 337. South Eastern Health Board, September 22nd 1998, Record keeping in the freedom of information environment. Sutton, C. 1979 Psychology for Social Workers and Counsellors, London, Routledge and Kegan Paul, Library of Social Work. Thompson, N. (2000) Understanding Social Work. Palgrave. Traux, C.B. and Carkhuff, R.R. 1957 ‘Towards Effective Counselling and Psychotherapy’, Journal of Counselling Psychology, vol.28. Rackham, N. & Carlisle, J. 1978 The Effective Negotiator – Part 1. The behaviour of successful negotiators. Journal of European Industrial Training, 2. 32 United Kingdom Central council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, 1993 Standards for Records and Record Keeping, London UKCC. Wallace, A. and Rees, S. 1988 ‘The Priority of Client Evaluations’, in Lishman 1988. http://iasw.eire.org/ethics.htm http://www.arcaf.net/social_work_proceedings/ 33 Retrieved from â€Å"http://www.socialwork.ie/socialwork/wiki/index.php/Communication_in_Social_Work_Practice_-_Essay† Personal tools

Two brands of nihilism

Two brands of nihilism As philosopher and poet Nietzsche's work is not easily conformable to thetraditional schools of thought within philosophy. However, an unmistakable concern withthe role of religion and values penetrates much of his work. Contrary to the traditionbefore him, Nietzsche launches vicious diatribes against Christianity and the dualisticphilosophies he finds essentially life denying. Despite his early tutelage under the influenceof Schopenhauer's philosophy, Nietzsche later philosophy indicates a refusal to castexistence as embroiled in pessimism but, instead, as that which should be affirmed, even inthe face of bad fortune. This essay will study in further detail Nietzsche view ofSchopenhauer and Christianity as essentially nihilistic.NihilismThroughout his work Nietzsche makes extensive use of the term "nihilism". Intexts from the tradition prior to Nietzsche, the term connotes a necessary connectionbetween atheism and the subsequent disbelief in values. It was held the atheist regardedt he moral norms of society as merely conventional, without any justification by rationalFrom left to right: Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquin...argument. Furthermore, without a divine authority prohibiting any immoral conduct, allappeals to morality by authority become hollow. By the atheists reckoning then, all actsare permissible.With Nietzsche's appearance on the scene, however, arrives the most potentarguments denying the necessary link between atheism and nihilism. It will bedemonstrated that Nietzsche, in fact, will argue it is in the appeal to divine proscriptionsthat the most virulent nihilism will attain.There is a second sense of nihilism that appears as an outgrowth of the first thatNietzsche appeals to in his critique of values. It contends that not only does an active,pious, acknowledgment of a divinity foster nihilism, but also, the disingenuous worship ofa deity that has been replaced in the life man by science, too, breeds a passive...

How to break news to employees, Training Journal - Emphasis

How to break news to employees, Training Journal How to break news to employees, Training Journal Whether the message is good, bad or indifferent; now is no time for silence, says Rob Ashton. During the ancient wars, if you wanted to deliver a message you hired a messenger to hand over the scroll personally. But approaching enemy lines to pass on bad news was a high-risk job. The bearer of bad tidings is never popular and it wasnt unusual for the messenger to be killed out of rage. Delivering any news can be fraught with difficulties because you never know how the receivers will interpret it. But imparting news of recession-prompted change can place you right in the firing line. With the credit crunch still in full swing, workers have got used to a daily, media-delivered diet of layoffs, profit freefalls and horror stories of homeless executives living out of their briefcases. A climate of fear has spread throughout the business world. And many people have adopted the mantra that change is, quite literally, the enemy. But failing to update your team is a costly strategy. Employees are likely to become demotivated if they feel theyre out of the corporate loop. If a team cant turn to management when times get tough, they quickly begin to wonder if anyone is at the helm. The uncertainty may cause the best employees to submit their CVs to rival firms while others ride out the storm, vowing to jump ship once the outlook improves. The Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) have echoed this sentiment. They warned that organisations should redouble their internal communications efforts during uncertain economic times rather than putting them on the backburner. Broaching sensitive topics is never easy. But understanding your colleagues is to key to communicating effectively with them. Never be afraid to address the real issues, but communicate them in a style and manner that they will positively respond to. Whether the news is good, bad or indifferent, its got to be shared. Creating a culture of open communication, free of management speak, can make all the difference to company morale. Studies have shown that companies with high employee engagement levels have better financial performance. So, having an effective strategy for breaking news makes it more likely that youll emerge from the recession without nursing a lengthy corporate hangover. Communicating change Whatever industry you work in, the model for communicating change is the same. As soon as you know information, pass it on. Dont wait until you have every detail or your silence may breed distrust. And never communicate any information externally before youve told staff. Follow the six steps below to ensure that you are communicating strategically. 1) Explain the new direction In changing economic times, business goals have to be revised. Explain the direct impact of the recession on your industry and organisation and say what the firm will need to do to weather the storm. 2) Be honest and open Tell people about job or budget cuts as soon as possible, along with reasons and timescales. Having this open communication means that you need never worry about what youre telling people. 3) Create a vision Dont sugar-coat your message but paint a positive picture of the changes you are proposing. Be crystal clear about your message and its implications. 4) Keep communicating Keep up the information flow and make sure its two-way. Move quickly to correct any inaccurate information and make sure staff members fully understand the direction, vision and benefits of the news you are delivering. 5) Love the word change Energise the management team to make the word change the most positive word in the company. Explain to them the benefits of any changes and always associate positive emotional words with any changes. Constantly remind employees that change is not a one-off exercise. 6) Repeat the steps Changes will keep happening so repeat the steps as soon as any new information becomes available. Once people expect change, its a lot easier for them to deal with. The write way With up to 70 per cent of workplace communication taking place through writing, honing your writing skills can help you to break news with far more ease. By choosing your words wisely, you can help to calm your readers and energise them to embrace change. The first rule is to put people first. Remember that people act and react according to their own self-interest. So communicate news in terms of what employees want or what would benefit them, rather than focusing on the benefits to the organisation. Win over your readers by giving them information in the way they like to read it. For instance, you can still use your internal newsletter to explain the ins and outs of your corporate restructure, but make sure its format and style is appropriate to its readership. For example, if you know that the favourite magazines that your staff read are glossy celebrity weeklies such as Heat and Hello, you might want to create a question and answer type article or one that presents the information in bite size chunks. Information is much easier to swallow when its broken up. Just make sure that it still provides staff with the whole picture. Think of creative, interactive ways to communicate your news. The BBC internal communications team, for instance, uses Wikis. These two-way websites mean that as well as reading the content, employees can edit it and attach their own files. In addition, blogs and internet forums are a great way to share information. But if you feel a good old-fashioned report will say it best, make sure you include all of your recommendations or most important information at the beginning. No-one wants to wade through the corporate equivalent of War and Peace to get to the important stuff. Make sure that you translate information so that it is free from corporate speak. Leave phrases such as blue sky thinking and picking the low-hanging fruit well alone. Create rapport with your readers by using no-nonsense words and phrases that do exactly what they say on the tin. Simple is best. And dont be afraid to show your personality or inject life into your written communication. Your readers will thank you for it. Three steps to effective writing Before you put pen to paper, use the checklist below: Keep it short You may think that open, flowing communication needs to be wordy, but the opposite is true. Avoid flowery phrases and practise writing your sentences in the shortest, snappiest way. Aim for an average length of 15-20 words and stick to the rule of one sentence, one idea. Use active language Write We invested 130,000 in staff development last year, rather than last year an investment of 130,000 was made in staff development. The second version is livelier and easier to read because it says who before what. It also makes sure the company gets credit for the good things. Use verbs instead of nouns Make sentences shorter and easier to understand by choosing verbs over nouns We will consider proposals submitted by the end of July has more punch to it than proposals submitted by the end of July will be given consideration to. Email etiquette Email is best reserved for following up on face-to-face communication. If what you say affects peoples lives and jobs, allow a two-way dialogue to take place. Its also all too easy to send an email to the wrong person or dash off an abrupt angry message. If you wouldnt write it on a postcard, dont send it via email. Your email could end up being circulated far and wide with negative consequences. If youre just expanding on an already open dialogue, by all means send emails. But think carefully about what you put in the email subject box. Take inspiration from newspaper and magazine headlines and choose your words carefully. For instance, Now is no time for silence is much more effective than This months communication update. You can monitor who opens the emails, but its more difficult to measure how engaged people are with the contents. By honing your writing skills, you stand a better chance of connecting with your staff. 2009 Emphasis Training Limited, first British serial rights offered

Analysis of the Film The Wizard of Oz (1939) Movie Review

Analysis of the Film The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Movie Review Example With reference to the more obvious part of the subject, the filmmaker appears to enthuse life’s constant fact that by one’s sole endeavor, it would be difficult to attain a sense of fulfillment. In the story, Dorothy meets a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion on her journey to the Emerald City. Though each of these creatures differs greatly from each other with respect to non-human material characteristics, altogether they possess distinct human traits that complement those of the Kansas girl. Under these circumstances, the four become great friends as they inevitably give one another a hand in overcoming the obstacles encountered. At this stage, the film clearly inculcates to the psyche the significance of friendship that works in good and bad times alike. ‘The Wizard of Oz’ specifically promotes the notion that regardless of the predictive capability of an individual to emerge as a hero or heroine in most cases like Dorothy, there comes a turning p oint when companions are amply necessitated in completing not only the set tasks or mission but also the state of happiness in all sorts of adventures experienced. On the other hand, through in-depth examination, the creation of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ may be found to form an argument that suggests typical culture and ‘populist ideology’. By presenting the rural conditions of an American small town where the tending farm is the chief source of livelihood, the film communicates the value of familial ties and associated hard-work thereof. It seeks to establish agreement to the type of American society during the 1930s when the extended period of industrialization from the Gilded Age brought about several revolutionary ideas which took effect via the outcomes perceived in the drastic change in both the economy and the general community lifestyle. In particular, the ‘yellow brick road’ which symbolizes ‘gold’ and the rainbow’s end bearing a ‘pot of gold’ both represent the principle of prosperity which can only be achieved through enthusiastic attitude toward work while holding ‘family’ essential in the process. It stresses consideration to how the strength of family bond impacts

Controversies in Correctional Education Assignment

Controversies in Correctional Education - Assignment Example From this paper it is clear that  the differences between these problems and controversies include the number of complainants. The problems involve the juveniles and their supervisors or teachers, while the controversies are national debates involving the nation. As a result, the governments seem to address the issue on controversies more compared to the problems based on statistics.This research study discusses that ome of the employed supervisors lack the skill to manage these young offenders who are still undergoing human development and maturity. Lack of proper supervision may equally lead to delinquent and problematic children instead of rehabilitated children. The problem of blending these juveniles and criminal sentences has caused prolonged stays in the correctional facilities. This does not only bias the juveniles, but also contributes to consumption of disproportionate share of facility resources.  The more important issues in relation to education include recidivism, a nd the poor supervision and treatment in the juvenile correction centers. The teacher has a duty to ensure change in these juveniles and this raises concerns of the high rates of recidivism.  The numbers of juveniles in correctional facilities are on the increase based on the changing laws. Juveniles continue indulging in crimes and the crowded centers seem to fail in supervising and treating these delinquents.