Lessons From Online Shopping

Online shopping - the convenience of buying what you want and having it sent to you instead of having to carry it home yourself.

To encourage spending, online shopping sites use all kinds of incentives, from daily draws for coupons to members-only discount codes. Some use limited time offers to create a sense of urgency while others offer free shipping if you spend above a certain amount.

My main takeaway from shopping online is that you should always think about it before clicking "Buy". Yes, the deal may longer be here tomorrow but do you really need that new powerbank with the torchlight function?

Sleep on the deal and decide the next day. You may find the deal much less attractive after you've had some rest. Remember, fatigue lowers control over impulse. Also, if you feel pressured to buy, you are more likely to regret it later.

Of course, I've made my fair share of bad buys. I attribute most of them to not having spent enough time to think about it - something that salespeople are disinclined to give you. 

How does this relate to teaching? Teaching is very much like selling, except that the teacher is selling an idea or concept and the learner is paying in time and attention. If the teacher is able to sell ideas effectively, the learner is more willing to give his attention and time. A good teacher knows how to package his information in an attractive, engaging manner. He also gives his learners time to use that information and try it out - tactics that ensure that the information sticks.

Sales skills - not just for salespeople.

The Easily Offended and The Online Rants

It seems that, almost every day, somebody somewhere in the world gets offended at something and produces a long tirade against it. Sometimes, this is done on social media platforms like Facebook or blogs. Other times, it becomes published on e-zines or websites that accept article contributions.

The amount of insipid, inane rants online has increased exponentially in recent years and, young people being easily influenced, think that this is the norm. They think that once they have an opinion, everybody needs to hear about it, whether or not it has been thought through or researched properly.

We are all entitled to our opinions, it is true. However, if no consideration is given to whether or not it benefits or builds others up, it is perhaps best to leave things unsaid.

We are blessed with technological wonders like the internet that our ancestors could scarcely dream of and we end up turning it into a toxic, negative wasteland of drivel and spite. Such a pity, isn't it?

As I end my rant, here's to hoping for a brighter, kinder internet in the future, one where we can nourish and nurture one another instead of tearing each other down. Cheers!

A Demonstration in Bangkok

After a long trip, I'm back to blogging.

Half of the trip was spent in neighbouring Malaysia and the other half was spent in Thailand - Bangkok specifically.

I haven't been to Bangkok in a long while but my memories of it were of friendly locals, colourful culture and great food.

I wasn't disappointed.

Most of the local stall owners and people I interacted with were friendly and ever-helpful. One particular incident stood out to me: I was attempting to ask how much I needed to pay for some street food (which was delicious, by the way) and the stall owner spoke about as much English as I spoke Thai. So, she demonstrated by taking out the amount of money I needed to pay and showed it to me, all the while chuckling. I paid the amount shown and thanked her.

This incident reminded me that demonstrations can be very effective, even when there is a language barrier. It is, after all, one of the ways we learned about the world around us while growing up.

Thoughts after Reading: Talk Like TED

Written by Carmine Gallo, Talk Like TED is an analysis of the best presentations in the now-famous TED conferences.

The author picked out the common denominators behind what made these presentations so compelling to listen to and categorised them into:

1) Passion

2) Story-telling skills

3) Being conversational with the audience

4) Presenting novelty

5) Jaw-dropping moments

6) Multi-sensory experiences

Having had these experiences, I must say that the author is right on the money with these.

On a personal note, I love a good story and thus I find good story-telling skills particularly compelling. I highly recommend the book. After all, we will each have at least one major presentation in our lives. Why not make it good enough to be featured on TED?