It’s a good technique. But not everyone will feel comfortable saying that they have no expectations from the request.
Episode 34 of TUB-Thump takes a look at another way of asking for something. And it’s a potential win-win. Because there aren’t that many times when acknowledging your lack of control can be in your favour.
01:10 – Hesitation and zero expectations. When no expectations don’t sound quite right.
02:00 – Give people the choice when you ask for something. Even though you have some sort of expectation, you know that the choice belongs very much the other person. As a bonus, highlighting that person’s control could help you to get the outcome you’d like. Two thumbs fresh!
Do I demonstrate a point? Or do I merely claim it?
Sometimes you want to refer to a text in a positive light, while other times you want to pull back a bit on the emotion.
That’s where your choice of verbs comes in. The words you use in your coursework matter.
The super-useful pocket guide, Writing For University, by Jeanne Godfrey, describes the power of using different verbs to show “your evaluation of what the author does”.
Episode 034 of TUB-Thump checks out the different words you can use, depending on the message you want to convey. You need never again confuse someone illustrating and establishing something with someone claiming or assuming!
I believe you’ll find this useful. But, hey, I’ll now let you be the judge of that!
Wait, don’t answer that. No matter how well you have your future planned, things never turn out quite that way.
For some, the outcome is mostly as expected. But you’re still been dealt a few surprises along the way.
For others, the outcome isn’t even close to what you imagined it to be.
And don’t forget those who don’t have a clue what their future holds. The mystery all but guarantees a surprising ride.
Even a steady path can see a sudden change in direction.
Take Brooke Storer-Church, for example. A decade into a restaurant career wasn’t enough to stop her trading it all in and moving back towards higher education.
Take technological advances, for another example. Who knows how you’ll live your life and what type of jobs will be needed a decade down the line?
When you do look back in five years, in a decade, or when you retire, you’ll have a story to tell. That story will be a bit more certain and easy to tell than the reality as you were living that story.
That’s why I wanted to take a few words from Brooke Storer-Church as inspiration for Episode 033 of TUB-Thump.
Wherever you see yourself in the future, get ready for an exciting ride of worthwhile twists and turns.
01:00 – You look back in time and create a story that looks like you had a clear, linear path to now. That’s fine in hindsight, but the reality is a bit different.
01:50 – Immense value in those bends…
02:30 – No matter how much you like what you’re doing now, that could change. It could take a year, 5 years, 10 years…And if it does change, that doesn’t mean you need to worry about it. It could even be a blessing.
03:50 – It’s interesting to see how people change as they develop. The process can be slow and disjointed, but can also be necessary.
04:30 – We don’t know what’s around the corner in the general context of the world, so how would we know how our own life will shape up until we’ve actually lived it?
05:00 – Whether you feel like everything is sussed out, or you haven’t got a clue what your next moves are, seek out the value in all the twists and turns you encounter.