Friday 22 May 2009

Memory tips - DOMINIC O'BRIEN'S

The three pillars to learning are
  1. good memory techniques, one memory technique for languages is "gender zones". Visualise feminine nouns such as "la cantina" (cellar) in your home or home town; masculine nouns such as "il campo" (field) elsewhere
  2. speed reading and to improve speed reading, use a pointer such as a pen to trace along the lines as you read
  3. note-taking take effective notes, make mind maps from key words and crystallise original notes down to helpful reminders

If you learn something new, review it within 24 hours to help lodge it in your memory

Wednesday 13 May 2009

RSA David Eagleman 21 April - The Brain and the Law

Dr David Eagleman considers some emerging questions relating to law and neuroscience, challenging long-held assumptions in criminality and punishment and predicting a radical new future for the legal system.

www.neulaw.org

RSA James Boyle 10 March The Public Domain: enclosing the commons of the mind

Event: Social Brain.
Professor James Boyle, Duke University, argues that our culture, science and economic welfare all depend on a delicate balance between intellectual property and the public domain.

Friday 8 May 2009

Persuasive Text

Customer Benefits
Affinity with customer needs
Technical Solutions
Evidence you can do it

Monday 4 May 2009

Leveraging successful partnerships to win and manage major projects

Various Reports & Papers

NCE Scottish Transport Conference (2009)
Planning Cycle (2008)

BP (2008)
European PPP Business Network 20 November (2007)
DD 1 (2003)
DD 2 (2003)
Aston MBA Paper - Spanish rail opportunity (2002)
ICE Experience Report (2001)
ICE Project Report (2001)
Mersey Barrage Paper (Tidal Power) (1992)

Confidence, Clarity, Compliance and Competitiveness - key ingredients in winning

Evaluators look for the following in tender submissions
confidence
- this comes across in the language used
clarity
- is about keeping the message simple and relating to their requirements
compliance
- is vital and can only be achieved by ATFQ both accurately and fully (whilst also following the guidelines in an ITT which may seek that the structure of each response includes 'Benefits', Challenges' and' Evidence'
competitiveness
-In addition to the above, it is also vital to be 'competitive' by including what is better about OUR proposal over that of our competitors'. Always remember the strengths and weaknesses of having an incumbent position

Readability index - aide Memoire

Readability Index (RI); average sentence length (ASL) + % long words.

Target technical tender submissions 30-35; FT 41, Sun <20.

ASL = {no of words} ÷ {no of sentences}; e.g. 650 ÷ 20 = 32

%LW = {no of words 3 syllables or more} ÷ {no of words}*100; e.g. 108 ÷ 650 x 100 = 17

RI = ASL + %LW; e.g. 32 + 17 = 49

NB Strictly the Gunning Fox Index is then calculated by multiplying this by 0.4 which is meant to indicate how many years of formal education needs to read this with ease. On line tool available.