Uncategorized

Meet Your New Communication Strategist–Jane Austen

Meet the brightest light in the game theory firmament!
When one is in the market for help in improving communication skills, most of us take the same first step:  a Google search.  This search will turn up some sound, albeit conventional, advice.  Let me suggest instead …

Please excuse my poor netiquette

There’s a YouTube video for that.
In a meeting today, several faculty complained that students were spending time in class on their smartphones doing things unrelated to course activities–updating Facebook, sending texts, replying to unimportant email.  My question was, why do you allow them to use …

Stand Up? Sit Down?

At Atomic Object in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the meeting mode is stand up.  Then why is the office dog sitting down?
Rachel Emma Silverman, in a recent post in the Wall Street Journal, commented on the growing popularity of stand-up meetings.  Also known as a “huddle” …

Email Etiquette for Students

Thanks to Kim Sydow Campbell, author of the blog Pros Write, for sharing this video from the Arizona State University Writing Centers.  ASU asked instructors what they want (or perhaps more importantly, didn’t want) in student email.  The examples are universal, I believe!

The Golden Rule of Clarity

All writing should be as clear as an open window on a sunny day.
I often hear engineers complain about the lack of clarity in the writing they read. Sometimes this complaint is phrased in terms like “this report doesn’t flow,” or “I can’t understand what …

IEEE Meeting Series–Leadership Orientation

These are standard dress here in Austin.
I’m in Austin, Texas this week for the IEEE meeting.  This meeting brings together all areas within IEEE, and it is one of our 3 meetings per year to conduct the business of our society.
I attended the Leadership Orientation …

I’m Back!

The end of a quarter or semester can feel just like this, although sometimes the light is coming from an approaching train!
My academic term–the winter quarter that began before Christmas and runs 10 weeks–is coming to an end. As my vision clears, I realize that …