The Art of Negotiation

 You are always negotiating in life. Be it a 10 year old convincing his parents to go out with his friends or an experienced project manager convincing his client to prioritise some tasks. You can never learn negotiation tactics in a day but it takes years of experience and practice to master the art. I will layout some of the basics which will give you a good head start:

Plan your Negotiation:

The more you plan, the better. Always think about creating a win-win situation and make the pie bigger. This always helps in developing long term work relationships essential to business. If your counterpart starts thinking of you as a partner based on mutual trust and respect, sky is the limit.

Remember to identify the following points before your negotiation meeting:

• Must get
• Hope to get
• Issues and their improvement areas

Take Control of the conversation:

It is always advised to set the environment of the conversation and define the agenda so that you focus only on the key areas. If the other person diverges to non-critical items, you can always request him politely to focus on the agenda only.

Be Diplomatic:

A negotiation is not a debating contest. You should try to listen more. If you do not agree to a particular idea, do not give negative statements like “I don’t not agree with you”, “I think you are wrong” etc. Instead have a positive discussion about the idea presented and ask questions. If the idea is not worth it, the other person will realize it himself. Sometimes it’s a good idea to use the 5 Whys approach in such situations.

Always be Forward Looking:

Give positive statements loud and clear to give a good vibe to the other person. There will always be issues. The main idea is that how do you get out of such situations. A very simple way is to construct your argument for explaining issues along following lines:

• Problem Statement
• Investigation Details
• Short Term Solution
• Long Term solution

Everyone appreciates if you solve an issue immediately, but people appreciate more if you discuss long term solutions as well which can help in eradicating the occurrence of an issue altogether.

Don’t answer everything:

You do not have to answer everything in the first meeting. A negotiation may span over a number of meetings. At such instances define an action item and request the other person that you will get back to him in the next meetings.

Summarize Clearly:

It is important to define action items and repeat the agreed upon items at the end of a conversation and get a verbal agreement. An even better idea is to email a summary of these items to the other person as well which will ensure both parties are on the same page.

These are some essential tips that have worked for me over the past years. It is very important to understand that there is no “one method fit all” negotiation tactic. Relationships are very subjective and tactics may vary from people to people. However, the crux is to emphathize with the other person and try to create a win win situation by being firm but not being a rollover at the same time.

Humanistic Approaches to Language Teaching

Humanism gives importance to the inner feelings, thoughts and emotions of the human being; it focuses on the development of the self-concept of the student. Feeling good about oneself is the first and foremost factor. Maslow’s hierarchy of “Self-actualization” deals with all the levels of human emotions and needs. The individual is given a lot of importance.

The humanistic approach is a method of teaching language which lays great stress on humanism and considers it to be the essential element in the process of teaching. Some of the important principles in the humanistic approach are the development of human values, increase in self-awareness, sensitivity towards emotions and feelings and active student participation in the process of learning.

There are some affective factors in the language learning process which are divided into two types: individual factors which consists of self-esteem, inhibition, motivation, anxiety and extroversion-introversion; and rational factors that contain cross-cultural processes, empathy and classroom transaction.

The humanistic approach is a learner-centered approach where each and everything is done keeping the learner in mind. Humanists discourage both reward and punishment as the student will get used to praise and will simply work to be appreciated rather than making the effort because it is truly required.

What is Emotional Intelligence - Emotional Intelligence Children and Training

At this point in time, everyone is obsessed with the idea of success. In the past, the idea of success was directly related to intelligence. However, it was noticed that despite being excellent performers in the field of academics, many individuals failed to be successful when they entered the professional life. After a detailed research psychologists came to the conclusion that in order to be successful in life we need to develop what is called, ‘Emotional Intelligence''.Now the question arises what is emotional intelligence?

In simple words emotional intelligence refers to the ability of a person to keep under control not only his own emotions but that of others too. It includes non-cognitive skills like self discipline, persistence and patience. According to Goldman,

''If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far. ''

Thus in order to be successful in life we need to have both IQ and emotional intelligence. One must know how to keep oneself emotionally motivated. We should learn from our losses and not let them make us depressed or hopeless. Besides this, we should have such a strong and positive character that the others confide in us trust us. This goes a long way in winning healthy relationships in every field which is the biggest demand of the present day world.

Clash of Civilizations - The Real Truth

What is going on in the world? Perhaps they are the simplest that can articulate this post of mine. Unprecedented events are unfolding on the stage of the global world that seem to nullify the sanctity of human life and relation.

In this regard, the mind boing events of 2001 had the most disastrous repercussions which have changed the world wide scenario. The root cause of this is nothing but the "clash of civilizations" which was correctly hypothesized by Huntington many years ago to be the basic source of conflict among the people in coming years. He very aptly said,

"In the post cold war world, the most important distinction among people are not ideological, political or economic. They are cultural."

This is the reason that today people are trying to answer the most basic question they can come across: WHO ARE WE? And the are answering this question in the traditional way as humans beings have answered it. People define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language, history, and culture. They identify themselves with cultural groups, tribes, religious communities and at the broadest level civilization.

Thus, in a global situation where cultural and conversational elements are paramount, the critical inquiry is: WHAT ARE YOU? This reason has not allowed the European union to accept Turkey as a part of it, despite the fact that Turkey being a Muslim country has sacrificed most of its Islamic principles.

This perspective, provides us a useful lens through which we can unveil the hypocrisy of the west that is proclaiming war against every single nation that is not ready to bend against their culture by giving up their identity. The harsh reality is that they are not waging war against terrorism but they are fighting for the implementation of their own socio political system.

Note: The general western public has got nothing to do with it. Its their elite who is involved in such stuff.

The Curse of Nationalism

I am British, you are Indian, you are American, you are Pakistani, and you are French! This is what we do when it comes to nationalism. We just start to play the game I and you. It just goes on to show the nationalistic feelings which cause us to do this.

Nationalism is the root cause of the problems of this world. It is because of nationalism we see that Christian armies fighting Christian armies and Muslim armies fighting Muslim armies. So what to do?

There are over a hundred nationalities present on the face of the earth. What does it mean? Over a hundred different national interests which by no means can be common for each and every country. Even the countries of same religion are at loggerheads with each other.

The question remains how can we unite the or at least gather some of them in common terms. Here is the solution. Countries should unite on the base of their civilizational background. Islamic countries should unite based on their ideology; Christian countries should unite based on their ideology and so on.

The world will become a better place as there are only a few major ideologies. You decide for yourself. A world based on more than hundred nationalities is better or a world based on few ideologies is better?

What Teachers need to Understand about Teaching

I simply do not understand one thing. How the educationalists around the world can be so dumb that when it comes to teaching students and making them the champions of different fields of life.

Let consider a student A. He studies day in and day out and does not even have a single clue of practical life. For example, he does not know how talk, how to deal with people and bla bla. All he knows is that tomorrow is a test and he has to score in it no matter what. What sort of life is this? Our educational systems are producing nothing but robots. One should be nerdy but not to the extent that he ignores the norms of life and enters some “bookticious”(my own word:) world of his.
If for the sake of argument we accept that well, we need crazy nerds for mind blowing inventions which make our lives easier. BUT! What if a person has an artistic personality? At the end of the day he will have to compete with a nerd who knows nothing but to study, study and study. Where will this lead us? This may result in loss of a great potential artist. Why? The reason is that he may become dejected on failing his damn calculus over and over again and loses confidence.

So what should the PHDs and the Montessori experts should do?

They should spend less time in ranking students and rather they should be keener in developing the strengths of students. If a person is artistic, then develop his artistic nature rather than teaching him the integral of sin xy *cos xy. And if a person is nerdy sort of a freak, then teach him all sorts of freakish mathematics theorems which will make him a good researcher. It goes without saying; these nerdy freaks should not be burdened with artistic stuff as they are not meant to do it.

Brainwashing: Subliminal Messages and our Brain

Subliminal means without conscious perception. Subliminal messages go directly into the subconscious. They can be in the form of audio, visual or electromagnetic waves. These waves, either of low frequency or extremely low frequency, have various effects on the human body. They disrupt the brain wave patterns which has effects the nervous system profoundly.

The main aim of subliminal messages is to change the perception of an individual, resulting in modified behavior. These messages are used by some people to alter the thinking patterns or negative attitude. They help improve life easily, quickly and effortlessly. Listening to soothing music or the sound of nature such as ocean waves and raindrops can help a lot.

Brain waves help enhance effectiveness of subliminal messages. If the brain is in beta state, subliminal messages get lost as there is already so much going on in the mind and both the conscious and subconscious mind is engaged.

If the brain is in alpha or beta state, there is very little or almost no interference from the conscious mind so the subliminal messages go directly to the subconscious mind. The effectiveness of these messages increases when the theta and alpha brain waves are stimulated.

Language Teaching: The Lexical Approach

Michael Lewis wrote and published The Lexical Approach in 1993 and does agree that grammar and vocabulary form the basis of language acquisition. He says that language consists of multi-word prefabricated chunks; these chunks include collocations, idioms and expressions. He is more concerned with the improvement in the learner’s fluency. Language teaching is increasing students’ awareness and they are able to ‘chunk’ language.

Receptive skills, mainly listening, are given a lot of importance. The theory of Present-Practice-Produce is not accepted and instead the Observe-Hypothesise-Experiment cycle is favoured. The situational element of context is not as important as the co-textual element, in language teaching.

Lewis believes that he has designed ‘a principal approach’ rather than ‘a random collection of ideas that work’. This approach basically states that “language consists of grammaticalized lexis, not lexicalized grammar”. It says that the language taught by textbooks, is not what is actually used.

Rather than learning the grammar, communication has been greatly stressed upon, in this approach. The meanings of vocabulary should be guessed from the context. Reference tools like dictionaries should be used. Language patterns should be noticed and recorded. Language is learnt by breaking down wholes into parts.

The Method of Teaching Young Learners : Helen Doron Method

It is extremely difficult to keep the young learners concentrated for a significant amount of time; they seem to lose their attention very easily and tend to get bored.

There are a number of ways by which one can keep these young learners entertained.
Funny sounds can be made and the tone of voice can be raised or declined. Funny words help a lot as well. Physical comedy means doing funny activities so that children stay excited. The key with young learners is to have fun all the time and surprise them with new ways.

Helen Doron was an educator and a linguist and the early English educational system that she developed was the first in the world. Through this method, children as young as three months learn English just the way they learn their first language or mother tongue. Around one million children have learned English through this method.

The programs using this method have a twelve year curriculum starting for children from three months till fourteen years. Courses are designed for small after-school groups, kindergarten and also for early elementary classes. The materials used are flashcards, stories, workbooks, games, story cards, etc.

The Various Roles of the Teacher in Promoting Learning

Teachers play a major role in the learning of students. They should create a friendly environment in which students are comfortable. They should have leadership qualities and a sense of responsibility and should also be able to motivate students. Sound knowledge of the subject and the ability to answer all questions are very important for the teacher to possess. They should encourage critical thinking and develop the habit of classroom interaction. More listening and less speaking should be done.

The major role of teachers is that of a facilitator. They are the guides and mentors for their students and for most students, their teachers are their role models. They should take into account the needs and wants of their students and deal with them accordingly.

Teachers must be able to create humor in the classroom to break the monotony and should also employ various teaching methods to avoid boredom of students. They must also help students in their social matters and should be available to them at the time of need.

Teachers should stay calm and try not to lose their temper. They should show love and respect to students as they are considered to be spiritual mothers or fathers

Harry Potter Conspiracy

The Harry Potter books are believed, by some, to be a part of an evil conspiracy where the devil worshippers prepare the world for the Antichrist’s arrival. There is a group of people who are constantly working towards this goal and J.K.Rowling is unconsciously a part of it.

The sources, of the ones who believe this conspiracy, are The Book of Revelations and the writings of a Satanist named Alistair Crowley.

The anti-potterists have even related the books with the occult art of numerology. Crowley writes that man has six mortal qualities and the highest is symbolized by number four. The nature of this quality is fatherly.

In the Harry Potter books we can see that the address of Harry is “four”. The Hogwart’s school has four founders, headmasters and houses. When deciding upon the contestants in the fourth book, Harry is the fourth one to be chosen.

Thus, many people are forced to believe that Rowling has described Harry Potter as a “messiah” (antichrist).The Harry Potter books are considered harmful to teenagers and Harry’s character does not possess qualities of a good Christian. There are many evidences in the books to prove this point. Harry Potter is believed to be the epitome of sin.

Teaching Instructional Strategies

Method is the way in which the language material that is to be learnt is presented. There are many methods through which language is taught. The grammar translation method was the most common method in Europe in the 19th century. The direct method also known as the natural method and the series method were developed around 1900. During the 1930s till the 1960s, the oral approach was developed. Around World War II, the audio-lingual method was developed.
Recent methods being used are Communicative language teaching (CLT) also called Communicative Approach which lays stress on interaction and considers it the goal of language learning. Through Language immersion a foreign language is used for delivering academic content, it has three types which are dual immersion, indigenous immersion and foreign language immersion.
The Methodist/minimalist approach is basically used by inexperienced ESL teachers. The directed practice method makes the student repeat phrases. Learning by teaching has students perform the teacher’s role and teach peers. The Proprioceptive language learning method also known as feedback training method focuses on developing the cognitive skills. A discovery learning approach is the Silent Way where the teacher is normally silent but gives clues to students.

Gardening and Children - Importance of Gardening in Early Childhood Development

Gardening is a very useful and interesting activity through which children can be made to learn many scientific and mathematical concepts. Therefore, the schools should aim to maintain both indoor and outdoor gardening corners where children can plant seeds with their own hands and witness them growing. This gives a sense of achievement to the children and develops their confidence.

Children are always enthusiastic to know about their environment. As they connect themselves to nature, many of their queries are automatically answered. A whole world is opened to them when they see the seed growing into a plant. They are amused to see the way plants change in different seasons. They realize that there are other living things in our surroundings which are completely different from us. Teachers should give awareness to the children through the gardening activity about the responsibility we owe to our environment. They should introduce the different kinds of soils to children. This goes a long way in making the children creative.

Besides this, gardening can be used to teach mathematical concepts. Children should be encouraged to sort out different seeds and count them. Moreover, teachers should give packets of seeds with their names written on it. This improves the reading skills of the children. Last but not the least; gardening is a very healthy form of exercise. It gives opportunity to the children to give went to their energies and utilize them in a positive way.

Thus gardening is a very important activity for young children. They become environmentally responsible and sensible human beings who respect and care for the natural resources around them.

Concept of Child Education - Things you must know about your Child's Education

The early education of a child leaves a deep impact on the personality of a child. Therefore, some highly professional people all over the world are struggling day and night to make both parents and teachers aware of the true concept of education.

According to Rachel Carson,
''A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder.''

This shows that a child starts learning right from the day he is born. Therefore it is essential to provide an appropriate environment to the children which nurture them in the best way. One thing a child looks up to is a wise adult who is well aware of the essence of education and is ready to give his very best. Moreover, that adult should know how to unravel the mysteries of life to the inquisitive child so that he develops a trust and confidence in the people around him.

To achieve this goal, the context of the curriculum should be completely child-centered. It should aim to make the child creative and thought provoking. We must keep in mind that every child is unique in himself. The activities he is made to do should in no way hurt his culture and learning style. He should be given utmost respect so that he considers the world around him a safe place to live in. This makes him self-confident to a large extent.

Thus, childhood education is an extremely important issue. The survival of a civilization depends on its children. Both parents and teachers should collaborate with each other to implement the right teaching techniques to make the children responsible citizens of the society.

Children behavior Problems and Hyperons - Attention Deficit Disorder Treatment

Hyperactivity in children is one of the common problems which the teachers are facing round the globe. In order to tackle this problem it is important that we study the characteristics of hyperactive children and what factors lead to such disruptive behavior on part of the children.

Hyperactive children fail to pay concentration on what the teacher is teaching. They are extremely restless. When the teacher is giving a lecture they are likely to intrude unnecessarily. As a matter of fact they cannot control their excessive energies.

There are a number of reasons which lead to hyperons which include Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Now we will see what causes Attention Deficit Disorder. It is commonly observed that mothers let their children sit before television screens for hours and hours so that they do not tease them. Unfortunately they fail to realize the extent of harm they are doing to their children. Television does not telecast information or entertainment all at the same time. It is broken into pieces and episodes which damage the child's ability to pay concentration on one thing.

Moreover, frizzy drinks chocolates and other sweet items tend to make children restless. Many parents start giving medicines to their children to treat this problem. However, medicines leave behind everlasting effects on the brain and health of your child. Therefore, its better that the mothers pay serious attention to the diet of their children and monitor their activities instead of giving medicines to them.

As for the teachers, there are a number of ways in which they can handle hyperactive students. Losing temper will not help at all. It will only make things more difficult. It is advised that you give more and more duties to the children in the class e.g. ask them to clean the board, collect notebooks from the children etc. Besides this plan the lessons wisely. The time span of the lessons should be short. Ask the child to act out the story he is reading. Hence try your best to channelize their energies in a proper manner.

No doubt hyperactive children can be very annoying and disturbing. However, this is a problem which can be solved if you learn to be patient in this regard.

Are you Worried about your Child's Future? Bring out Multiple Intelligence in Children

We all want our children to be intelligent. The end of each education programmed is to make the children intelligent. Well what exactly is intelligence?

Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor at Harvard Graduate school of Education has done much research in this regard. He came to the conclusion that intelligence is something which cannot be measured objectively. Every child is not born intelligent. It is something which is taught to him through various creative ways.

Further, he explained that intelligence cannot be defined by a single term. It is multi-faceted. After a deep study of a child's mind in relation to learning and education, he put forward his theory of multiple intelligence according to which there are eight types of intelligences.

1. Verbal- linguistic Intelligence:
This includes the use of language and words to express oneself. A child starts to learn this intelligence from day one. Children should be given opportunity to read, write and speak in class.

2. Logical mathematical skills:
This intelligence is based on recognizing different objects and categorizing them. It also includes the use of numbers and patterns in an interesting manner so that the children think in a logical manner and apply the same logic in their daily life.

3. Musical Rhythmic Intelligence:
Children like to imitate sound and pitches of animals and their fellow beings. They should be provided opportunity to sing and listen poems with movements. They become engaged in the innumerable, beautiful sounds of the world around them which makes them extremely creative.

4. Visual Spatial Intelligence:
This is all about fine arts, drawing, colors etc. A classroom full of attractive graphics captures the interest and attention of a child. He learns to create and design different images which in turn make him intelligent.

5. Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence:
Children love to use their body for expressing themselves. They are inquisitive to do things with their own hands. Kinesthetic intelligence is developed in children by involving them in physical activities which involve both indoor and outdoor challenging tasks.

6. Interpersonal Intelligence:
Children are encouraged to maintain a healthy relationship with people around them by engaging them in group activities. He learns to help others by sharing things. This goes a long way in producing responsible and intelligent human beings who in turn become healthy citizens of the society. The survival of civilizations depends on such children.

7. Intrapersonal Intelligence:
A child should be encouraged to understand and judge himself. He should be taught to note his shortcomings and plan out ways to overcome them. This can be done by making him do some activities independently so that he can reflect upon himself.

8. Naturalistic Intelligence:
Children should be encouraged to observe nature. They should be given time to see and smell different flowers and plants. Field trips can be very helpful in this regard.

Thus, each and every intelligence is extremely important. It is like a jigsaw puzzle which cannot be completed until you fix all the pieces in the proper places. Hence, intelligence is an elaborate phenomenon which can be gradually developed in each and every child.