How to Teach Writing in Elementary School?

When students are beginning to write, the writing experience itself should be an important and unforgettable learning experience in their lives. As an educator, I face the challenge of teaching my students how to write and helping them develop a keen interest in writing.

Basically, writing is one of the fundamental skills that our students need to develop. Aside from the fact, that writing is an essential skill needed in communication, it is basically needed for our learners to succeed in their academic and personal lives.

Such is my fabulous idea when I teach my young learners how to write. I possess the skill and as a dispenser of life skills, I should do whatever it takes to make my students write with the same intensity when I teach them how to read.

Hello, my dear fellow educators! I am glad that you are here with me again. For today, allow me to dish out my best practices on how to teach writing in elementary school.

How to Improve Writing Skills in Students

Grammar and Punctuation

Grammar and punctuation skills are important in both writing and as students progress into adulthood. As mentioned previously, using proper grammar and punctuation presents an excellent first impression for future employers and shows competency. Teachers can help students improve these skills by first providing practice in identifying grammatical errors and correcting them. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use grammar worksheets. Although the use of worksheets is frowned upon at times, they give students the opportunity to practice with grammar skills in a fast and efficient manner. Students may also wish to invest in a grammar dictionary to reference when in doubt.

Spelling

Another skill that is crucial for students to master for success later in life is spelling! Students must be able to spell words correctly. As with most skills, spelling can be improved with practice. Teachers may ask students to complete the “ancient” practice of the spelling test! Students must study new words (or words and vocabulary specific to new content) in order to spell them correctly on the test. Teachers may even encourage students to create flashcards to help them study. Additionally, one of the easiest ways to spell correctly in writing is to simply reference the dictionary to find a word’s proper spelling.

Vocabulary

In writing, vocabulary is highly important. Students need a large enough vocabulary to properly and adequately describe and explain their thoughts. Teachers can help improve vocabulary skills by introducing new words each week. These words can also be used to help student spelling skills as mentioned before. As each week progresses, students should keep a list of all of their vocabulary words in a notebook or journal so that they can be quickly referenced when writing. As with spelling skills, students may want to reference the dictionary to discover new words and their meanings.

Clarity

Have you ever read something and didn’t quite catch its intended meaning or what it was trying to get across? That may be because the writing lacked clarity. Writing should be logical, consistent, and coherent. In order to have clarity in writing, thoughts should be fully formed and completed with plenty of detail to aid the reader’s understanding and interpretation of the text. Teachers can help improve student clarity in writing by asking them to proofread their work.

Creativity

Plagiarism is definitely something students need to avoid! When researching a topic or idea, it is easy to get swept away in the language or thoughts of another; however, students must learn that those ideas should be used as an aid in writing instead of using it as a foundation for their writing. Teachers should encourage creativity in writing and challenge students to think “outside the box.” Each student presents unique thoughts and ideas, and those qualities should be utilized in writing.

Strategies for Improving Student Writing Skills

Grammar Race

This activity requires teachers to create 4-5 stations for students to visit. At each station, there will be examples of various grammatical errors. Each student will need a clipboard or notebook that travels with them. Students will visit each station at their own pace to find one grammatical error, notate it, and move on; however, the name of the activity is “Grammar Race” so students should be challenged to work quickly. Allow students to move from station to station for 20-30 minutes.

Class Spelling Bee

Teachers can help students improve their spelling skills by hosting a class spelling bee once a week. Teachers should provide students with a list of words on Monday. Students will be given the rest of the week to study the words and prepare for the spelling bee. On Friday, students will complete the spelling bee. The spelling bee is completed like a normal spelling bee; however, words may need to be repeated if there are more students than words. Allow the spelling bee to continue for roughly 30 minutes. When time is up, the students remaining are the winners.

Read It Aloud

In this activity, students will proofread the work of classmates in order to provide constructive feedback. The teacher should place students into small groups of 3-4 students or allow students to work with a partner. Students should trade papers so that they no longer have their own. Then, they will read each student’s writing aloud. Reading aloud helps to identify any mistakes (specifically mistakes in clarity or organization of the text) that may not otherwise be caught. Students should check for mistakes (in both grammar and spelling) and to search for any lack of clarity in writing.

Get Organized

Teachers should aid students in the writing process by teaching them to organize their thoughts on paper first. Students can complete an outline or a writing map on paper first to help them identify the main points they would like to address and so on. Planning the steps in the writing process in this manner is extremely beneficial in staying on task in writing. It also helps students write with clarity as it helps them bring their thoughts full circle.

Think Fast

One of my favorite ways of implementing and teaching creative thinking is by writing one word on the board and asking students to respond. For instance, the teacher may write the word “tiger” or “beautiful” on the board. Student responses can be anything from short personal narratives to expository texts involving the provided word. Regardless of the response, students are encouraged to think creatively and respond freely. This activity teaches students how easy it is to create their own ideas and think uniquely.

Resource:

https://teachersarethebest.com/teach-writing-in-elementary-school/
https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2021/06/how-to-improve-writing-skills-in-students/

The Step-by-step French Learning Guide That’s Full of Free Resources

Learning French also prepares you for going abroad and lets you communicate with people from many different cultures, not just in Europe but also in Africa, where a large portion of the population speaks French.

As you advance in your French learning journey, you may become a language learning addict! Good news for future polyglots: speaking French will help you to learn other romance languages like Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, as they all have similar Latin roots.

Hopefully, you’re now itching to get started, so without further ado, here’s the promised guide with 100% free resources that you can use to learn by yourself, anytime and anywhere, broken down into 12 simple weeks.

Learn French Step-by-step: A 3-month Study Plan

Weeks 1 and 2:

The Alphabet

Numbers 1 to 100

It’s the same for foreign language learners and you’ll need to study French numbers before moving on. I would recommend learning how to count up to 20 in the first week, and reinforcing that info during the second week. If you have time during your second week, try to get up to 100.

As for numbers higher than 100, save them for later, after you’ve mastered this three-month curriculum. Those won’t be as necessary in everyday French life as the other topics in this curriculum are.

Subject Pronouns

Common Greetings

It’s best to practice these now before you add more vocabulary to your repertoire, as you’ll need them to start any conversation. It’s also smart to get in the habit of speaking conversational French early on, so real conversations aren’t as intimidating later.

Their French phrases and greetings page has all the essential greetings complete with audio pronunciations and English definitions. As a bonus, you can test yourself with text and audio games when you think you’re ready, which is a great way to solidify what you’ve learned and have some fun while you’re at it.

FluentU is another source to start learning how to communicate in real-world French. Because it uses exclusively authentic content and sorts the library by learner level, you’ll be able to keep using it throughout your French journey.

Conjugate the Two Most Important Verbs: Être and Avoir

These two little verbs will be your best friends throughout the whole French process, as you’ll use them to form almost every common expression and to construct past tenses in French.

Reverso Conjugation is a great online tool that shows you how to conjugate any verb, including these ones. For weeks one and two, learn only the present-tense forms of être and avoir (the forms in the upper left box after you type a verb into Reverso Conjugation). These are the first steps of verb conjugation that you’ll be building on as you progress.

Basic Definite and Indefinite Articles

Weeks 3 and 4:

Days of the Week and Months of the Year

The days of the week are some of the simplest vocabulary you’ll need to know, and you can start practicing by visiting BBC Primary Languages, a site filled with vocabulary, songs and audio clips of all languages.

Their days of the week guide gives you everything you need to know, going far beyond just the names of the days to include the French words for weekend, day, afternoon, night, etc. Their guide to the months includes bonuses like how to talk about your birthday and how to say which month you’re going on vacation.

How to Tell Time

Weeks three and four in this curriculum are really all about how to get by with day-to-day vocabulary, and telling time is one of the most important things you’ll want to know from the moment you wake up!

Since you learned French numbers in weeks one and two, putting them together now to tell time should be easy. You just need this phrase: Il est ___ heure(s) ___. (Literally: It is ___ hour(s) ___.)

How to Talk About the Weather

Continuing with the day-to-day theme, you’ll need to study-up on weather words. At the very minimum, you’ll want to know how to say things like it’s cold, it’s raining and the weather is bad.

Even if you’re not going to be memorizing all 43 words in that guide, I love it because it has a great section at the end that looks at weather phrases that the French use as double philosophical meanings—so cool!

Family Vocabulary

Present Tense Conjugations of –Er Verbs

Essentially, there are three main groups of verbs in the French language and this one is good to start with since it’s arguably the most intuitive (we’ll get to the others later).

In fact, verbs that have the “-er” ending are by far the most useful regular verbs in the French language. That is because some 90% of all French verbs have the “-er” verb ending. That means that if you master this group of verbs and the associated tenses, you should be well on your way to French verb mastery!

Weeks 5 and 6:

Colors

You didn’t think I’d forget this simple but necessary lesson, did you? I purposefully put it here because by now, after learning some rich vocabulary and starting to conjugate verbs, you might be ready for a bit of a break.

House Vocabulary

Have no fear! As it’s no fun to just memorize huge lists one after another, I recommend ProProfs Flashcards, a platform that lets anyone create study flashcards. Their French household flashcards are a fun way to learn and once you’ve practiced enough, there’s an option to keep score of how many you get correct each round.

Immerse Yourself in French by Using FluentU

You might start up a movie only to find that you’re struggling to understand more than a few words at a time. You might find that you’re relying on the English subtitles too much, but no French subtitles are available. If there are French subtitles, how do you know that they’re accurate, or which of a word’s 10 definitions are being used in a particular sentence?

The FluentU program provides a bridge between learner-oriented and authentic content by taking real videos made by and for French speakers and enhancing them with learning features. The program’s content library includes videos like movie clips and trailers, short films, hit music videos from French artists and even content from popular vloggers like Cyprien.

If you’re not sure where to begin, you can filter the videos by language skill level, format (clips, commercials, talks/speeches, etc.) and topic (food and cuisine, business, humor, etc.). This takes the guesswork out of learning with authentic content, since you’ll know exactly what to expect and can tailor your studies to your level and interests.

The subtitles on FluentU have been vetted by language experts, ensuring their accuracy, and you can actually toggle the English and French captions on or off—so you can go ahead and hide the English text if you find yourself getting too distracted by it. And you don’t have to worry about not understanding what you’re watching, because you can hover over or click on any word in the subtitles to see its contextual definition and other videos where the word is used.

Understanding and Speaking French Like a Pro

Spoken French is often the most feared aspect of the language. Unlike Spanish, French isn’t pronounced as it’s written. For example, the word endings “é,” “ais,” “ait” and “aient” are all pronounced the same! So with this daunting task of speaking and understanding spoken French, what can you do to reach fluency?

9. Find an excuse to speak French every day… to yourself, in the shower, it doesn’t matter!

Maybe you’ll get stares in the street, but accept them with pride! I literally say whatever comes to mind… the point is to speak fluidly and consciously listen to your pronunciation.

10. Look for language exchange partners to get conversation practice.

Meetup has French conversation groups in many cities. Often these groups are “language exchanges,” meaning you and a native French speaker will spend part of the time speaking in French and part in English, so you both get practice in.

11. Have some free time on your hands? Time to go abroad!

It’s time to take a vacation to France or another French-speaking region and interact with the locals. Your French will improve amazingly even after a short time abroad if you consciously avoid English (no English-speaking tour groups!).

Charlemagne once said, “to have another language is to possess a second soul.” Learning French opens your mind to a new way of thinking. Not only do you learn the language, you learn the culture, the history. For reasons both personal and economic, learning another language, especially a widely spoken language like French, is one of the best decisions you can make.

Resource:

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/learn-french-step-by-step/
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/how-to-learn-french-by-yourself-online/
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/how-to-start-learning-french/

A Sample VR Lounge Business Plan Template

Virtual Reality (VR) lounges are part of the Arcade, Food & entertainment industry and players in this industry include businesses that primarily operate video game arcades and game-focused family entertainment centers, which typically sell food and beverages.

Industry operators rent or purchase card- or coin-operated arcade games that customers play for a fee. Establishments that primarily focus on gambling games, billiards, miniature golf and other larger-scale or outdoor amusements are not included in this industry.

Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC is a standard, licensed and well – equipped virtual reality arcade lounge that will be located in the entertainment hub of Santa Fe – New Mexico. We have been able to secure a standard facility in a central and easy to locate location in Santa Fe.

We are well equipped to service the whole of the community as well as visitors and tourists. Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC is going to become the number one destination for virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts (gamers and gamblers alike) in the whole of Santa Fe – New Mexico.

We are well equipped and positioned to operate licensed virtual reality arcade lounge with a wide range of virtual reality games suitable for individuals, birthday parties and teambuilding et al, from top flight virtual reality games production companies like Microsoft Corporation, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Activision Blizzard Inc., GameStop Corp., Sony Corporation and Electronic Arts Inc. Our virtual reality arcade also has enough parking space.

feasibility studies and we were able to come to the conclusion that Santa Fe – New Mexico is the right place to start our VR arcade lounge. Our client’s best interest would always come first, and everything we do is guided by our values and professional ethics.

Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC will be open 24 hours in a day during weekends (Fridays to Sundays) and from 6:00 am to 12 midnight from Mondays to Thursdays in order for us to accommodate people with different time preferences.

Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a business, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely.

Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC is owned by Solomon Boston and his immediate family members. The business will be managed by Solomon Boston and his son Jerry Hamilton. Solomon Boston has over 15 years’ experience in the Arcade, Food and Entertainment Complexes industry working for some of the leading VR arcade lounges in Santa Fe – New Mexico.

3. Our Products and Services

Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC is in the industry to provide standard virtual reality arcade lounges, why we have been able to put up a facility that can help us achieve the goal. We are optimistic that anyone who makes use of our virtual reality arcade lounge will definitely derive huge value for their money.

Woops Zone® Virtual Reality Lounge, LLC is in business to become the leadingVR lounge in Santa Fe – New Mexico and we are fully aware that it will take the right facility, management and organizational structure to achieve our goal.

The kind of the virtual reality arcade business we intend building and the business goals we want to achieve is what informed the amount we are ready to pay for the best hands in the industry as long as they are ready to work with us. In view of that, we have made provisions for the following positions to be occupied by highly qualified and experienced staff;

Business Plan

VII. Financials. 13 Revenue and Pricing Strategy. 13 Key Assumptions . 14 3 Year Projections . 14 Customer conversion . 14 Year One (Y1) Expense . 14 Year Two (Y2) Expense . 15 Year Three (Y3) Expense . 16 3 Years Profit & Loss Projections. 16 3 Year Cash Flows Projections . 16 Company Valuation . 17 Funding. 17 1

Executive Summary Who hasn’t heard of Virtual Reality? What used to be a mere fantasy has now transformed into one of the biggest technological innovations. Virtual Reality (VR) is a booming market, with renowned companies such as Facebook, HTC and Intel among the biggest investors1. The VR market is forecasted to double every year in the next 3-year period2. Wearing a VR Headset can teleport you to a completely new world or give you an experience you can only dream of undergoing in real life. While sets of equipment are already commercially available for the early adopters of the technology, it has been seeing some resistance to wider adoption mainly because of two reasons: lack of accessibility and an expensive price. This is where VRCafé’s services lie. Our aim is to make bring VR closer to the general public, by making it more accessible, both physically and financially. VRCafé proposes to provide this through a social space where people can experience VR together.

Value Proposition The Problem As of January 2018, there are 171 million active VR users worldwide3. While it is true that the VR market shows huge potential, it remains far from mass adoption. There are two major reasons behind this. Firstly, the technology is still young, so it is not yet as widely accessible as it will be in the long-term future. Secondly, since the market has not yet matured, prices of products are high, product cycles are short, and the shadow of obsolescence can sometimes be felt around the corner. 71% of the UK population admits being concerned with the cost of buying VR equipment4. VR sets are not very portable pieces of technology. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that two friends can own a set each. This makes socializing in-person while using VR very difficult, and making new friends (in-person) while playing is a nearly impossible task. Since the majority VR users are gamers or entertainment seekers, socialization is, interestingly, a highly sought-after aspect of the experience5.

Business and Service Offering The offering of this service is that of providing a social environment and high-end equipment to customers for a limited amount of time. VR is a mystifying and magical technology to most, and it is easy to understand why. It could be defined as the most immersive piece of technology to have ever been created. Consequently, there exists a high wider public demand for trying it out. VR is also a diverse field, with different companies pursuing diverse approaches. VRCafé’s aim is to provide a social experience in a welcoming and enjoyable Café. The founders of the company live in Central London, which is the center of the UK, a modern country with a high demand for cutting edge technology. They come from Imperial College London, the UK’s most international university, full of gamers, young adults and technology fanatics. They are in the perfect position to launch VRCafé and reach its target audience. The business is expected to be highly profitable, as it is demonstrated later in this document.

Business Model (Operations and Roadmap) Strategy Evaluation Making use of the well-known Teece Framework 6 , the VRCafé business model can be said to have low appropriability and available complementary assets, since the idea is difficult to protect and the equipment can be acquired from different suppliers. Therefore, it can be placed in the upper-left quadrant. This implies that revenue can be hard to earn. However, as the financial statements included later in this document show, in this case, even with a very conservative approach, breakeven is easily achieved in Q2 of Year 2.

To run the business, we are searching for an initial investment of £500k from a business angel. Some initial interesting points of contact are The Venture Reality Fund 7and the FiBAN8, networks which link experienced investors to start-ups especially related to AR & VR sectors.

Market Analysis Market Segmentation Bottom Up The use of a preferred witness was crucial in our approach. After meeting up with regular VR gamers from the Imperial College Gaming Society, we gained the following insights: •

Customers can be divided into three groups: o Enthusiasts: these people have an active interest in VR gaming. They play VR games regularly. o Passives: they don’t have a special interest in VR but they have played videogames in the past and would not mind trying out VR if the opportunity arises. o Indifferent: these people don’t like gaming in general, and would not be interested in our product. Most VR places are targeted towards people aged 20-35 and with a good salary, since sessions are expensive. There is a big market gap in those individuals which lack the economic resources to enjoy VR gaming. Customers desire more opportunities for group VR gaming. Most current ones are individual. CUSTOMER PROFILE Passives

Virtual Dating

Other areas of opportunity are predicted to come according to the users need. Therefore, there is a need to encourage higher VR adoption rates from consumers. Moreover, to find solutions to existing software and hardware gaps in the technology.

Many businesses are exploring ways to transition the technology from a content consumption end to a more user content creation format. As the technology is still in its emerging stages, revenue streams and ideas for more opportunities are still being explored. Every entrepreneur or small business is looking to add value to the industry using the VR solutions.

Quytech is renowned in outsource development of VR technology, from mobile apps to games to VR-related business applications. we have the skilled resources in house to take your application from concept to market. Check Our AR/VR Work here

Sources:

https://www.profitableventure.com/vr-lounge-business-plan/
https://pdfcoffee.com/download/business-plan-24-pdf-free.html
https://www.quytech.com/blog/business-opportunity-in-virtual-reality/

How to Write Clear and Professional Emails

Email is the communication tool of choice for most of us. Email’s great because you don’t have to be available at the same time as your conversation partner to communicate. It allows us to keep projects moving when our co-workers are unavailable or on the other side of the world.

Writing emails that are short and to-the-point will reduce the time you spend on email and make you more productive. By keeping your emails short, you’ll likely spend less time on email and more time on other work. That said, writing clearly is a skill. Like all skills, you’ll have to work at it.

To begin with, it may take you just as long to write short emails as it took you to write long emails. However, even if this is the case, you’ll help your co-workers, clients, or employees be more productive because you’ll be adding less clutter to their inboxes, making it easier for them to respond to you.

Is there a format for writing a professional email?

Writing a professional email comes with a universally accepted email format that can help you write an email that the recipient receives well. It is important to be concise so the recipient can keep their attention on your email and understand the reasons you have for writing. If you require them to take any kind of action in your email, place a call to action (CTA) phrase at the end of your email.

1. Start with an interesting subject line

The subject line is a short message that is displayed before the contents of the email are visible in the inbox. It summarizes the intention of your email in usually seven to eight words. Moreover, a subject line helps the recipient to quickly identify your email in their inbox. For example, Minutes from today’s meeting or Update on developments on the XYZ project .

2. Give greetings

Ideally, you must include the recipient’s name if you are aware of it. If not, then a sir/madame would do. If you are struggling to abide by a gender-neutral approach, then in the case of women, prefix their name with a Ms. Most importantly, irrespective of the recipient’s gender, add a comma at the end of the greetings line. For example, Dear Ms Jessy or Dear Mr Arjun .

3. Write the core email body

This section holds the key information that requires the recipient’s focus. Write a detailed, yet succinct, message that describes your intention. It is imperative to be mindful of the time your reader may need to understand the intention of the email. For example, This email is in reference to my job application at Fine Foods International. I have received my interview results and I’m glad to embrace this opportunity.

4. Include a closing line

The closing line is usually where you can place a call to action or inform the reader of the next steps. Consider ways to avoid forcing them to respond to you. Instead, write your line in such a way that they feel inspired or motivated to take action. A best practise is to find ways to continue the conversation, whether that is through email or in person. For example, We can chat about this on-call tomorrow afternoon. or If you could update me on this I would really appreciate it.

5. End with a signature

Being the very last section of your email, the signature maintains a sense of neutral authority and professionalism. It usually includes your complete present professional identification by name, job position, company name, phone number and possibly, an alternative email address for you. Ensure that you begin your signature with S incerely or B est regards .

6. Proofread your email

Double-check the tone of voice of your email. Establish a neutral tone that helps the reader concentrate and craft a reply that you are expecting. An email that is free of spelling and grammatical errors is easier for others to read and comprehend, meaning you may be more likely to receive a response. Aside from spelling and grammar, it is important that your email have a high readability, meaning the recipient can understand your communication.

Resource:

https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails–cms-20939
https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-professional-email

Importance of Change Management

Imagine you’re the owner of a small business that’s suddenly taking off. The current state of the market is optimal for your business’s success, and your company is far exceeding expected profits.

You realize your company needs to undergo a major change for it to meet the current demand. You identify the need to double the number of employees, amend your business strategy, redefine business objectives, and implement an employee communication software that streamlines internal communications.

You decide your company needs to undergo a structural change for it to transform. You don’t have a change management strategy in place, but you implement the change anyway—and things get messy. Employees don’t receive proper training on the new technology, and they resist the change. Project deadlines are missed; deliverables are late; budgets were exceeded. Now what?

If you backtrack and decide to establish a thorough change management process, from the first step of identifying the gaps that need to be filled, to the last step of evaluating the process, change implementation is likely to be a smooth process. Effective change management ensures that change efforts are productive and on-schedule, team members are informed and on-board, and inefficiencies are identified and solved.

Organizational changes are unavoidable in today’s perpetually competitive climate. For a company to secure its longevity and economic success, it needs to continue improving. The change management process is never over; leaders need to be persistent in evaluating all aspects of the company and identifying gaps or oversights in processes and strategies.

As the competition evolves to adopt new technologies, and emerging advancements continue to elicit changes in the consumer’s behavior, companies are required to undergo organizational changes if they want to survive.

Importance of Change Management

To implement a successful organizational change, a company needs a structured approach toward managing change. An organizational change that transforms a company will affect everyone in the company, from the project management team to the human resources and customer service departments. Because an organizational change requires all team members to be on-board, these changes require an effective change management process in place.

Changes have to be overseen and guided by change managers and project managers in the company. There must be roadmaps, tasks, milestones, deadlines, and evaluations established to create accountability for team members and to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks throughout the change implementation.

If a change isn’t properly communicated, managed, mapped out or budgeted, the change process can become unproductive and stressful. A stressful change process can lead to lost profits, resistance and frustration from employees.

A well-managed change implementation will work to eliminate risks and disruptions, communicate expectations, prepare team members, and evaluate the change process to identify areas of improvement.

Each basic step is vital for leaders to implement a successful change, but the specifics in each step will vary with each change. Companies must take a structured approach by following an effective change management plan to ensure that all goals are met and accountability is established.

3 Types of Organizational Change

In a survey with nearly 3,000 executives about the success of their enterprise transformation efforts, McKinsey found the failure rate to be higher than 60%. But COVID-19 makes organizational change even more complex and challenging.

Some companies have temporarily closed their plants and shops while others have made remote work mandatory. More and more businesses are laying off a part of their staff because of business deterioration. As a result, unemployment rates are exploding.

They have to adapt on the fly and they have no visibility on what’s going to happen in the upcoming weeks. Check out the graph below where WTO presents how the world merchandise trade volume has been changing since COVID-19. 👇

In these uncertain times, businesses have to review their plans in no time. They are changing the way their employees are working as remote work has become the new norm and they also are rethinking the way their teams are functioning and collaborating. Most companies have already changed their organizational structure and their work arrangements.

Think about it: employees — including team leaders — have to instantly adapt to new ways of working and communicating, while change management programs usually take years to be implemented — whether it’s the launch of new technology or the implementation of a new internal organization.

Indeed, driving change doesn’t mean equipping employees with new software or new ways of communicating. Implementing change requires a preparation phase, a proper internal communication plan, training programs, and evaluating the program’s success.

“Digital transformation does not happen quickly. Some companies seem to expect it to happen over the course of a year. In my experience, particularly for larger organizations, closer to five years is more realistic. Even then, the task is never over”,

Most Common Change Management Challenges

Change is not always perceived as positive, and many employees may be resistant to changes within their organizations. Therefore, successful business transformation is all about getting employees’ buy-in and embedding new behaviors in the workplace.

1. Defining goals in a timely manner

Most changes get implemented with a goal to improve current processes, products, services or organizational cultures. However, it is critical to identify clear goals and milestones.

2. Poor leadership and lack of alignment

Poor leadership and lack of alignment among the leaders are some of the main reasons for organizational change fails. On the other hand, great leaders know how to inspire their workforce and embrace change.

3. Identifying the resources needed to make change a success

Before starting the change process, identifying the resources and individuals that will facilitate the process and lead the change is crucial for success. However, it can be hard to identify those resources and budgets before the process even starts.

4. A Lack of agility and slow approval process

5. Planning the next steps

Every change management process should have a well-set plan. The plan should consist of timelines, and change milestones should be identified. Without planning, it may be hard to understand the overall success of the change process.

6. Fear and conflicts

Changes within organizations can develop emotions of uncertainty and fear. This may cause employees to take their frustrations out on each other. Here, it is leaders’ responsibility to overcome difficulties and resolve conflicts.

7. Resistance to change and lack of commitment

Some employees resist change and do not want to collaborate or commit to new practices. Leaders should be able to address resistance on a psychological level and proactively remove behavioral barriers that restrict change.

8. Poor communication in the workplace

Communication is crucial for successful change management, and the cost of poor communication can be significant. Every employer that has a successful change management team expresses the need for constant communication during the change experience.

Sources:

https://www.guidespark.com/blog/importance-of-change-management/
https://haiilo.com/blog/change-management-definition-best-practices-examples/
https://tolerosolutions.com/what-is-change-management-why-is-it-important-to-your-organization/

Learn and use best SEO strategies

Search engine optimization (SEO) is focusing your website and digital properties so that Google and other search engines can easily find and serve your content to a user. Many companies hire SEO experts or buy expensive software tools to help them form an SEO plan. They may create new quality content (like blog posts) or rewrite old content to meet those recommendations.

SEO is a long-game approach toward getting more views to your website, so it will take some time to see it pay off. However, it’s still one of the better ways to overcome the cost obstacles faced by small businesses, and it can help establish you as a web authority in your industry.

But hiring an expert or paying for a tool isn’t the only way to increase your search visibility. You can find free courses on SEO techniques online through LinkedIn Premium memberships, your local small business organizations, and the aforementioned SEO tools. But if you do need paid help solidifying a plan, take advantage of free tool trials to make sure you find the right fit before you buy.

Create and verify your Google Business profile

This profile is known as a “Google My Business” listing. To set it up, type your business name into the Google business claim page, and follow the verification steps to claim your company. You may have to send in documentation to prove you are the owner or decision-maker for the company. This process can take weeks, so do it as soon as you can.

Once you create or claim your profile, you can respond to user reviews, add promotions and product details, send and receive direct messages, and even answer FAQs created by users.

This is entirely free, and not claiming it could cause you to miss out on future business. Creating your Google business profile should be a top priority for any marketing mission, especially because it costs you nothing.

Marketing Idea #4 – Use The Power Of Social Media

To start with, you should create profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. This will not only help you get more customers but you can engage them and get quality feedback from them about your products or services. ProfitBooks’ Twitter & FaceBook page alone amounts for 20% of our total traffic.

When people are stuck and looking to solve their pain point, they turn up to specific forums on the Internet. QnA sites like Quora and Yahoo Answers are popular places where you can find new customers. People also post their questions on Linkedin Groups.

So how can you benefit from it? Create accounts on these sites and start searching for your product or service. For example, I will search for ‘Accounting Software’ as I want to create awareness about ProfitBooks. You will get lot of questions related to your product. People might be asking about the top companies that sell this product or comparisons between different products and so on.

Start answering with the easy question and then move towards complicated questions. Again taking example of ProfitBooks, I searched for ‘Best Accounting Software‘ on Quora and got hundreds of questions around this topic. Then, I simply started answering and recommending ProfitBooks to users. We get a good amount of traffic every month via Quora.

You can do the same on Yahoo Answers and Linkedin Groups. All these 3 networks are very influential. Best part is, these sites are indexed by Google. So, your answers will appear in Google search whenever anyone searches for it. Isn’t it great?

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Here, you can get a free business listing profile that you can use for advertising your business. Posting an adhere can help well-known search engines find your business. Along with the free version, they also have a lot of paid plans that you can opt for once you start getting a response and your budget increases.

Overall, it’s a magnificent platform to be found, plus they offer excellent services that can help get more and more customers for your business. You just need to create your profile on Enroll Business and get started.

29) Porch

This is again a website directory that is very reputable and well-established. People trust Porch because they provide verified user-generated reviews of local businesses of the U.S. The motive behind launching this website was to let people know or recommend places to find or get reliable products and services.

If you opt for their Pro plan, you would see how amazing and beneficial the service they offer for promoting your website/company is. Thus, the website is more beneficial for people related to repairs, plumbing, decorations, home cleaning, auto repair, etc., and their target audience is restricted to the U.S. only.

30) Xing

It is a great social media network that is a German alternative to LinkedIn. Xing is a Hamburg-based social network site for professionals and businesses where you can set up your profile to drive more traffic to your business. You can commence with their free plan and move to Pro plans for taking your business to the next level.

31) Gartner Digital Markets

This is one of the best platforms for demonstrating your apps and software e-commerce stores. If you are into app creating or software development, this is one of the best free ways to promote your business. With the help of this channel, you can get more traffic on your website as it is potential lead generation software.

For listing your products on Gartner Digital Markets, you would have to request them for a free basic listing. However, they also have numerous paid plans as well which you can check out if you get a good response.

32) Hotfrog

As per Hotfrog, over 2.7 million people make more than 430,000 inquiries to businesses every month. It would be best if you did not miss promoting your products on this platform because it is an online directory created to amplify your business among Google search results.

They offer their users numerous options such as coupons, promotions, and various other marketing tools to help fetch customers’ attention to your unique listings. It works similar to other platforms that have been discussed and are best suited for promoting products in the U.S.

33) The Business Journals

This platform is available in major cities of the U.S. Their listing helps generate more than 8 million monthly searches, which is a massive pool of target audiences. With a free profile, they offer you four levels of listings, and they are great for starting your business.

But, they also have various other affordable plans and resources that can aid your business to multiply and expand. All you need to do is create a free profile and then see how this platform takes your business to the next level.

34) SaaSGenius

This platform is specifically for SaaS companies as here you can promote SaaS solutions, app, or software for free. This directory specializes in supporting subscription-based software. To promote your product on SaasGenius, you would have to take some time to create your profile so that it does not look incomplete compared to others.

It is an excellent platform for advertising your business as it has a niche appeal which means that people who use this website know what exactly they are searching for. Here users also get the benefit of finding and comparing different SaaS solutions and making a wise decision as per their findings, so do not miss out on promoting your app or software here.

Sources:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/promote-small-business-online-for-free
https://www.profitbooks.net/8-free-ways-to-promote-your-business/
https://moneymint.com/advertise-your-business-for-free/

31 SMART Goals Examples for Students of All Ages

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A new school year is underway, and students are facing unprecedented challenges as most are having to “learn how to learn” in a whole new way. Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, students have brought traditional classroom learning back into their own homes, giving a huge rise to the relatively new concept of online education.

While students have always needed motivation and self-discipline to excel in school, this new academic climate takes that requirement to the next level. Students no longer have a teacher looking over their shoulder or instructing them to put their smart phones down and pay attention. It’s now up to all learners to be proactive in their studies and feel a sense of responsibility for their educational outcomes.

Teachers can support students in this endeavor by teaching proper goal-setting techniques so students can focus their efforts appropriately, effectively manage their time, and see the positive results of their work. And setting SMART goals isn’t just important for helping students focus and maintain their momentum during these months of virtual learning–it’s a critical skill they will use for the rest of their lives.

Now, if you’re the student, learning the art of setting SMART goals will help you continuously improve yourself, which will help you gain a competitive advantage over your peers once you enter the working world. And, the simple act of setting effective goals will be an integral part of your success.

According to Locke and Latham’s goal setting theory, two people with the same skills and knowledge can perform very differently on the same task if they have different performance goals because their goals ultimately determine their motivation to succeed. Whoever is more driven to succeed will probably do so.

In this article, we are going to look at the value of SMART goals and why students of all ages should know how to set SMART goals to lay the foundation for their academic success.

Then we will go over 21 specific examples of statements that students can use to improve their performance at school, in their extra-curricular activities, and in their lives in general. (And if you want a simple tool to track these goals, then check out this 13-week goal planner, backed by science and success psychology, that is designed to optimize your day and help you tackle your goals.)

My Own Personal Examples of Goals in Life of a Student

1. Start a Growth Journal

You’re reading a blog from someone who has been journaling since kindergarten. Seriously – my uncle bought me a journal in kindergarten and I have crayon-written, half-sentences all over it.

It’s such a pleasure for me to go back through the 17 or so journals I have to reflect on my past, to gain better understanding of myself, and to remember times of good and times of bad.

2. Make a Goal to Use Social Media Less

Social media can take over a person’s life. Little by little, you spend more time on your phone or computer checking statuses and making updates…until before you know it, you’re spending more time online than in real life.

Set phone reminders or use their phone’s stopwatch to time themselves, and just allow two 15-minute slots in their day on social media (or whatever other timeframe you want to use that is considerably less than what they’re doing now).

3. Read a Book Every Month

4. Accomplish Their First Individual Goal

Goals for High School Seniors

High school seniors are about to enter the real world – whether that’s getting their own apartment, starting college in the fall, getting that first real-paying job, or having to help pay rent at home for the first time.

1. Apply for One Scholarship or Grant Per Week

Your scholarship and grant search goals do NOT need to end once you get accepted and pay for that first year. You could snag a new scholarship to decrease your overall student loan bill your sophomore year, over summers, and even your last year of college!

2. Book a Senior Week Trip with Friends

When I was a senior in high school, I realized that I didn’t have any plans for where to spend senior week (and boy did I want to go somewhere). SO, I gathered a handful of my friends who were interested, and I set about booking a house in Delaware on the beach.

3. Learn to Cook One Entire Meal (from Scratch)

Look – seniors are going to have to figure out their own food in short order. SO, the best way to help them with not busting their budgets (plus get them curious and interested in cooking for themselves)? Is by teaching them an entire meal from scratch.

And to accomplish this? They’ll have to pick out a recipe, budget for ingredients, shop for those ingredients, then get timing down in the kitchen (like, do you cook the side dish first earlier in the day to free up time to focus on the main dish? Can you cook the main dish ahead of time and reheat while making the salad and dessert? It takes practice).

4. Set Up and Use a Planner for 30 Days

They can try a digital planning system, or use a paper one (you might want them to start with a paper one so that they can wrap your head around things by writing them down, first).

5. Volunteer X Hours Per Week or Month

My last tip for a student setting a goal: the magic of goal-setting really comes from the lessons learned and from moving onto the next goal. SO, in order to get your students and teenagers interested in setting goals a second, third, and umpteenth time, you want to help them set a really achievable first goal. Build their confidence, and watch them soar over the coming months and years!

Amanda L. Grossman

Amanda L. Grossman is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, a 2017 Plutus Foundation Grant Recipient, and founder of Money Prodigy. Amanda’s kid money work has been featured on Experian, GoBankingRates, PT Money, CA.gov, Rockstar Finance, the Houston Chronicle, and Colonial Life. Read more here.

Be Your Personal Best

Goals for school and student goals in life are all created in the same ways. Challenge your students from preschool through college to be introspective and proactive with fun goal setting activities. What personal goal do you want to achieve next?

Related Articles

Do you often find yourself setting out big plans, only to fall flat and push the plan aside? This is a common occurrence. Luckily, there exists a well-defined solution that’s easy to follow. It comes in a detailed system of measurable goals and objectives that puts you on a path to success.

College is a time for growth and change. But, you don’t want to lose sight of your bigger goals in life. Set actionable long-term goals using the SMART method. Use examples of actionable long-term professional and academic goals as inspiration to create your own.

Resource:

https://www.developgoodhabits.com/smart-goals-students/
https://www.moneyprodigy.com/personal-goals-examples-for-students/
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/8-personal-goal-examples-for-students-to-be-successful.html