Sleep and Work

pearlie

Speak Hokkien and Cantonese

My friend sent me this video which I thought was quite brilliant. I speak very, very little Hokkien but I can still make out some of the few words used by the speaker. 

This is the first Cantonese TED Talk that I listened to and it is a good thing. I plan to check them out and listen to more. 

It is decades now since I've listened to Cantonese sermons back when I was still in my family church. I didn't realize I miss it. 

pearlie

The seven deadly sins of speaking

I have blogged about this TedTalk before but this time I was reminded of it again. Julian Treasure spoke about the seven deadly sins of speaking: gossiping, being judgement all, negativity, complaining, making excuses, exaggeration and dogmatism. 

I experienced it yesterday--someone spoke to me in a very judgmental tone--it's not a big issue but I didn't like it. I did want to let it go and get on with the day, with life but it kept bugging me, and it suddenly reminded me of this TedTalk. 

He said,

"What would the world be like if we were speaking powerfully to people who are listening consciously in environments which are actually fit for purpose."

"Or to make that a bit larger, what would the world be like if we were creating sound consciously and consuming sound consciously and designing all our environments consciously for sound. That would be a world that does sound beautiful and one where understanding would be the norm. And that is an idea worth spreading."

pearlie

Is learning a new language difficult?

I happen to see this video in my YouTube page today and found it good. I especially like his 3 golden rules to learning a new language: live the language, make mistakes and make it fun. 

pearlie 

How to Learn Anything

I was preparing for the second round of managerial training tomorrow when I found this interesting Ted Talk: The First 20 Hours, How to Learn Anything by Joshua Kaufman .

pearlie 

How to speak so that people want to listen

I talk quite a bit sometimes about singing and the fact how useful it would be to learn and train ourselves to sing better so others will hear us better.  I just came across this TED Talk, not about singing, but about speaking, almost in the same way I'd talk about singing, and I find it brilliant. 

The thing is I find there are some people who speak and you'd listen. Why? I think Julian Treasure here has the answer. 

First and foremost, it starts from within. Who you really are on the inside counts a whole lot. It applies when you are singing, in meaning it from your heart what you sing. And it counts a lot when you speak. Because since I'm hearing you out, who are you as you really are on the inside?

pearlie 

I am learning so much this year

I am finally reading this book. I think I bought it in year 2009 or 2010 but I never read it. Now that I want to delve more into the topic as per yesterday's blogpost, it would be perfect timing. 

 Three Views of Creation and Evolution 

by Paul Nelson, Robert C. Newman and Howard J. Van Till

However, it is not a reading year for me. But as much as I need to buck up on my reading, I am still learning so much from so many other ways: videos, documentaries, articles, online lectures, even Facebook. 

And I inadvertently watched this TedX talk today which I found very relevant to the topic. 

The speaker raised the question when it comes to the academia, why are we still so conventional that we never changed the way we teach. We lectured back in the 15th century and we are still lecturing today in the 21st. And over the centuries, we keep fearing new ways, new "gadgets", new technology, fearing that students will become too dependent on slates vs. bark, on paper vs. slates, on store bought ink vs. self made ink, on smartphones vs. books. 

I have always felt it is right to embrace new ways of doing certain things, especially when it comes to learning. We are in the new age of interconnecting gadgets and from there, there is so much to learn.

Embrace it! Don't keep them away from your kids. Let them learn from using it. It opens up to them highways to so much learning and experience. 

pearlie

The puzzle of personality

 

This TED speaker is simply too adorable to pass up. Have a listen. 

pearlie

Social connectedness as the key to success

Okay, okay - more TED Talk videos. I suppose this weekend has become a TED Talk weekend for me.

I enjoyed the learning and I like the speaking styles of some of the speakers. They were mostly excellent talks, but I've only ever clapped my hands—literally, that is—for two. One was Joseph Foer's talk I've watched and blogged about a month ago.

And here's the other one:

Why it's time to forget the pecking order at work

by Margaret Heffernan

It is about how an organisation can be successful. It is not from competition between employees or teams. It is not about picking superstars, or the brightest people and giving them all the resources and all the power. The results of such is usually aggression, dysfunction and waste. She said, "If the only way the most productive can be successful is by suppressing the productivity of the rest, then we badly need to find a better way to work and a richer way to live."

Instead, what brings success is social connectedness to each other. It means that "what happens between people really counts, because in groups that are highly attuned and sensitive to each other, ideas can flow and grow."

I agree with all she said here and it was mostly what I have been thinking about lately, except of course, she articulated it all so well. When I see at the end of the video that she has written a book on it, I quickly got a copy, especially at the mention of the topic of organisational culture.


Beyond Measure, The Big Impact of Small Changes
by Margaret Heffernan

I finished the book in one day. It is very interesting, though I do have some reservations and would need to take more time for a re-read. She did qualify it by stating that she does not provide a formulaic or a step-by-step answer to the issue. There is none. The matter is most complex and would require much thought and experimentation.

However, if I were to see her from a Gallup strengths point of view, I think she has the same themes as I do, which is probably why I seem to so readily agree with her. From her writing, I can see Connectedness, Empathy and Intellection as her top Gallup strengths. If that is so, would her proposal still be valid for company leaders with Gallup themes that are different from hers?

I wonder.

I plan to make this book a reading requirement in my work team, and hope to find some answers, especially in these two topics: (1) the High Potential talent group and (2) forced ranking of employees in their performance.

She has convinced me that it might not be a good idea to identify and acknowledge a group of employees as "high potentials" in light of the Pygmalion effect. I've had that same conclusion with why I disagree with the "Employee of the Month" award. And now I see the same with high potentials too.

And I have always been against forced ranking, but I have yet to find another way to replace it. She did not give any suggestions.

So it's back to the thinking block for me.

pearlie

How to Truly Listen?

I decided to check out more TEDTalk videos and found this. I find it excellent.


by Evelyn Glennie
Musician
Percussionist and composer Dame Evelyn Glennie lost nearly all of her hearing by age 12. Rather than isolating her, it has given her a unique connection to her music.

pearlie