Tips & Tricks

  • Learning Styles

    I recall being taught the concept of learning styles at some point in school. The idea is everyone has a certain learning style that works best for them. The four main learning styles are visual (images, charts, diagrams), auditory (spoken information, podcasts, discussions), reading/writing (engaging with text-based input, writing notes, working with written instructions), and kinesthetic (hands-on experience, physical activity). They aren’t intended to be mutually exclusive and ideally can be combined for best effect.

    When I first learned of the concept, I don’t recall identifying strongly with any style. But in the past few years, I’ve come to really appreciate how much better I learn and retain new information when there’s a visual component. It seems so simple it’s kind of silly, but it’s a pronounced difference for me. If someone can SHOW me something, or draw it, or share a visual, it helps immensely.

    I started to become more aware of it when I was working 5 days a week in the office. Amin and I spent a lot of time chatting through things in each other’s offices and we both had whiteboards on our walls. Amin is a natural teacher and I came to realize how helpful it was for him to draw things on the whiteboard as we were discussing. Having moved to an almost entirely distributed work environment, I’ve had to adjust accordingly. Now, I find I’ll often ask someone to share their screen so I can actually SEE what they are talking about. And if I have any significant planning work, or need to come up the curve on a technical or complex topic, it’s essential I can draw it out or see it in front of me.

    I did a bit of googling on the concept as part of writing this post and there’s a lot of criticism of the Learning Styles concept. Apparently, it might be pseudo-science and the empirical evidence is lacking. I didn’t dig deep enough to validate one way or another nor do I necessarily care. I’ve learned for myself, finding ways to incorporate visuals into conversations has made a meaningful difference and being aware of it has real value to me.

  • Deciding what to read next

    These days, there are far more high-quality movies, TV shows, podcasts, blogs, and books to consume than time allows, which makes filtering important and more challenging. Particularly with books, I often struggle to decide what to read next. If all the options you’re considering are positively reviewed and come strongly recommended, how do you choose? Of the last five books I’ve read, all had a 4.5+ review on Amazon and each was personally recommended by someone I respect. And I easily could have gone without one of them (maybe two).  

    I was reminded this week of a great tip, which is to listen to a short interview or podcast from the author around the time of release. Fortunately, over the past decade, it’s become common practice for authors of popular books to do a tour as a Podcast guest as part of their book launch. Listening to the author provides a helpful sneak peek into the content, as well as a feel for the author, without requiring a significant time investment. If I enjoy the podcast and finish wanting more, it’s a positive indicator I should read the book. If I feel the podcast was enough, I can confidently pass on the book.

  • Scripted Speaking

    I grew up terrified of public speaking. I can recall my throat tightening before having to make a presentation in class and feeling my heart race. These weren’t big public venues. I’m referring to the typical forums for speaking when you’re young: group presentations, drama class, clubs, etc. To combat my anxiety, I would script out the content and memorize it. That way, at least I didn’t have to worry about what to say.

    I think unintentionally, scripting added to my apprehension. If you forget a scripted line, or word, it throws you off entirely. While giving a presentation at the front of a 70-person class in University I forgot one of my lines halfway through and completely froze. After about 5 seconds, which felt much longer, I had to retreat to my desk to recover my script. Once you’ve lost the line, it’s almost impossible to get it back; particularly while your stress levels are rising, and your classmates are all staring at you.

    When I entered the professional world, the nature of my work regularly thrust me into situations where I was forced to speak in uncomfortably large settings or with people who seemed intimidatingly important. Fortunately, it was only ever in reference to content I had either prepared myself or was familiar enough to feel confident speaking to. While still nerve wracking, it helped me build more public speaking confidence and over time I started to ditch scripting.

    Now, if I’m going to speak in front of an audience or in a large group setting, I prefer to be completely unscripted. I like to have a strong handle on the content. And I still prepare. But that might be as simple as reflecting on the takeaways I want the audience to have or the key points I’m trying to convey. There’s a cost to presenting this way. I’ll often forget one or a few of the points I’d ideally have made. Or I’ll word something a bit awkwardly. Or I’ll need to pause for a few seconds to gather my thoughts. But I’m a firm believer that even if you only deliver 75% of what you intended, it’s better to ditch the script.

    When I hear someone give a speech or presentation that is obviously scripted, I find it challenging to stay focused on the content. There is something less authentic about it. Intonation and body language tend to be more muted. If you’re used to scripting or planning out every word of what you’re going to say, I’d encourage you to start cutting back on having a precise script. And like so many skills that are hard to master, you only improve through repetition. It gets significantly easier over time. I still get quite nervous before speaking in front of a large audience, or when the stakes are high, but only to a fraction of the degree when I was younger.