Introduction

 Expectations

Grading (Individual/Group) 40/60

Assignments (Group work/Individual)

Mid Semester Exams

Recap- Barriers to Effective Listening

.
 OUTLINE
Effective studying- Why (Background)
Time and workload management
How to achieve Time management
Planning and Prioritizing
Achieving Time management
Assertiveness
 EFFECTIVE STUDYING
Studying will not be effective without the
knowledge of time and workload
management, realistic timetables and
assertiveness. One of the major causes of
stress in college is the feeling that you don’t
have enough time to do everything that is
required of you. If you become assertive, plan
your work, and manage your time wisely, you
will find that there is usually enough time to
study, complete all assigned work, prepare for
exams, and have time to relax with friends
Time and Workload Management
This is the process of arranging and controlling how
you spend your time over your workload to be
accomplished.
According to Ruth Pickford and Sally Brown, ‘Time
management is the skill, which above all others, can
make the difference between graduating and dropout.
At the University, most of the time, students work on
their own, this offers opportunities for using the bulk
of their time in ways that suit their personal
preferences, for eg., some prefer working in the
morning, some at night, so there’s need for proper
planning against time available.
Your most difficult courses should be scheduled
during the times you are most alert (prime time)
There are factors that affect the length of time you can
concentrate, such as: how interested are you in the
subject, how experienced you are in the given subject
Time and Workload Management
 Make one minute work as two
Usually you will find yourself with spare minutes
before you attack your next goal
Don’t just stay; waiting for the library to open, cafe to
start serving food, class to start, etc. instead, develop
a “quick fix” for your free time. (what can you do in
10min, 15min)
 Avoid Burnout
This happens when you work without breaks resulting
into fatigue, boredom, an stress.
Plan for breaks as well as study time. These breaks do
not always have to be recreational; a change from one
task to another can also relieve boredom
Another way to avoid burnout is to leave flexibility in
your daily schedule – don’t make your schedule too
tight – you won’t complete your goals and achieve
done
How to achieve Time Management
 Complete small tasks straight away – to have time
for complicated tasks
 Break difficult or boring work into sections – don’t
try to do a whole assignment in one sitting
 When starting an assignment, try writing
something, anything, down even if you change it
completely later, at least you have started, than
none!
 Avoid unnecessary appointments, unnecessary
colleagues; these are a source of wasted time.
 Emails, phone calls, facebooks, etc can easily
waste your time, so try to avoid them during study
time.
 1. Plan ahead and Prioritise
 To be successful in college, you must carefully
manage your study time.
a) Planning your time allows you to spread your
work over a semester. Avoid a “traffic jam” of
work.
b) Work out what needs to be done and when
 This will help you to decide which task is most
important and should be completed first.
 To prioritise successfully, you must:
a) Prepare a semester calendar
 Record your college assignments with due dates
 Record your college scheduled exams
 1. Planning ahead Continued…
b) Prepare a weekly schedule
 Before a school week, record your daily classes
 Enter things to be done with due dates eg.
projects, surveys, lab reports, assignments, etc
 Enter review of your class notes / lessons
 Add ‘out-of-school’ activities you will be
involved in
 On assignments, plan for the unexpected –
things can go bad even after you have
completed your well written work; simply, rain
will always wet your assignment. So plan for
the unforeseen
 2. Drawing Realistic Timetables
Everyone knows that timetables work, but
not everyone makes them, why – because its
discouraging when you find there’re too
difficult to keep to. The key is to be realistic,
and leave a bit of room for flexibility
Make your time commitments visible by
drawing up paper timetable
There are three major types of timetables,
namely, weekly, semester and project
timetables
 2. Drawing Timetables Cont…
1. Weekly Timetable
 Apart from the lecture timetable, add fixed
commitments eg. Regular sports – Decide which
free times are going to be study periods
 Tip: Think about when you work best – if you fail
to work after lunch, don’t book your mind for
study – book your mind for study when it is
effective
 To have study periods is important because
i. No waste of time on deciding whether to work
‘today’ or not
ii. It will help you avoid distractions by giving you a
set time when you will be free
iii. You don’t fall into trap of feeling that you ought
to be studying all the time
 2. Drawing Timetables Concl…
2. Semester Timetable
 Use a simple grid column for week numbers and
dates, deadlines, targets, and things to remember.
 List fixed academic deadlines first, ie. course work
submissions, exam periods, presentations, etc
 Add something you need to remember in the last
column – sports events, and other commitments.
3. Project Timetable
 Major projects and dissertations become spread
out – even more than a year, and it becomes easy
to tell yourself ‘there’s plenty of time’
 Plan your project timetable by deciding on the
tasks needed then build them around fixed
deadlines eg. Finding research topic, gather
information, writing first draft, ….. up to
submission.
 3 Avoid Procrastination
Sometimes students put off what can be done today for
tomorrow – this is what is called procrastination and has
to be avoided
Procrastination is putting off or delaying or deferring or
postponing an action to a later time.
It just provides momentary satisfaction but
unfortunately the long-term effect is stress and pressure.
Most last-minute efforts result in lower-quality work
than that achieved through planned, methodical
completion
Such panic reduces memory and results in you leaving
out important details in papers / assignments, thereby
lowering the grades
There are various ways to avoid procrastination, namely,
having motivation, having goals and getting started.
 3 Avoid Procrastination…
a) Motivation
 When dealing with tasks, have the desire (whether
internal or external) to accomplish the task
 Internal motivation (intrinsic) is the desire from
(inside) within which is more powerful than other
forms of motivation – what is your goal at the
college.
 External motivation (extrinsic) is the desire from
outside. It could be pleasing somebody, or as a
behaviour modification in terms of rewards, or as
peer pressure and or punishment (eg. no going out
with friends if I don't finish this assignment -
punishment)
a) Goals
 Lack of definite goals is often a cause of
procrastination (Prokarasiti-nation). If you are not
sure of what your goals are, you will have little
reason for beginning and completing a project
(study)
 3 Avoid Procrastination-continues
Set objectives or goals as you study and then allocate
time to complete them on schedule
Goals must describe specific measurable outcomes – let
them measure observable, concrete fact rather than
abstract ideas
Finally evaluate your goals – this help you determine
where you may have gone wrong & you can improve
future goals
c)Getting started
Sometimes it is hard to get started on a project because
it is large or complex. If this is the case, do the
following:
 Cut it down to size (use time management skills)
 Brainstorm with others or ask your Lecturer for
suggestions
 If the project is beyond your skills due to absenteeism
(illness etc.) or inadequate knowledge from high school,
arrange for tutoring with your instructor.
 4. Have Prime Study Time
This is the time of the day when you are at your best
to study (for learning and remembering) – this time is
different from person to person
You determine your prime time by observing when
your studying results in higher grades /when you feel
most alert
Prime time can be protected by knowing and avoiding
its threat mentally and physically.
 Mental distraction: thinking of other things –
concerns, daydreaming, problems – resulting to noise
in your mind.
 Physical distraction: physical needs also affect prime
time eg. too hungry or too full, fatigue, etc. All these
affect concentration when you study. Some of these
threats are friends distracting – use your own
discretion to protect your prime time
 4. Have Prime Study Time…
 Selection of study site:
To maximise your study time (prime study time), you
must also manage your surroundings well
Choose a place to study which is environmentally
comfortable; temperature, furniture, and lighting
should match your physical needs
Let the place be available all the time you need it,
especially your prime times; do not keep on changing
environments.
Where you study should also be free of distractions;
conducive to work, not just too much relaxation or fun
Provide a place with all you will need for your study.
Do not waste your valuable time looking for a pen,
notes, etc. from else where; use your personal
organizational skills to plan for your study time; be
organised.
 5. Closure
This is the positive feeling you get when you finish
a task. Lack of closure results in the panicked
feeling that you still have a lot of things to do.
Divide a task into manageable goals, and check
them off as you finish them
If you have several tasks with the same deadline,
use your skills of time and workload management.
Work on one task till you finish if time is so
limited, to get closure, rather than changing from
task to another which rather wastes time
resulting to panicking (unfinished business)
But if you have time, and you work with longer
projects, other tasks take precedence before the
first one is completed.
 6. Personal Organisation Skills
 Organisational skills help students to be
prepared in their learning process (studying) to
attain their goal
 Make sure the space for studying is big enough
i. Writing surface to spread out your work / files
etc
ii. Enough light so you can read without straining
your eyes
 Organise your paper files
i. File your notes (each file for each subject)
ii. Label each paper – file it
iii. Keep the contents at the front up to date – save
time in searching
 Personal Organisation Cont…
 Organise your electronic files
i. Keep backup copies on a hard drive / disk
ii. Keep your discs well
iii. Use a different folder for each specialism /
module
iv. Label all the discs with their contents

 Have a tidy ‘to-do’ list put in a ‘to-do’ file /

folder. Organise your projects / assignments etc
in terms of priority, and not just in terms of the
closeness of deadlines. Finally know when they
are due.
 Assertiveness
Knowing your abilities and having faith in
them
About Who and what you are
Account for your assets and liabilities
Self-esteem or self-worth

“Ability to accept blame and criticism without

blaming others is a reliable sign of
intrapersonal growth.”
 Intrapersonal Self Inventory-Building Blocks for
Assertiveness

The difference between who and what you

are
Who are you? (Name, address, phone numbers)
What are you?
Who am I? (10 times)
What might be your responses to the question:
Who are you?
Suppose you are sitting in school library…
 You are at the bus terminal and you were asked
the same by a police…
 First set of insights into your self-inventory
If you are Anna or Steven did you write “Stevie or
Annie”? Why?- Do the names Stevie or Annie give you
the impression that might belong to younger people?
How did you indicate your sex? “Male or female” “boy
or girl” or “Man or woman”? – could the way you refer
to your self be significant to your self inventory? Why?
Pick out how many of your responses referred to things
that you have already done, are presently doing, or are
going to do
Examine your answers for positive and negative
qualities… if you say you are student did you say what
kind of student (excellent, good, fair, poor)?
-
 First set of insights into your Self-Inventory continues...

Consider whether your answers suggest goal or

process oriented… did you say you are driving
instructor or simply you teach driving? If decorate
yourself with titles such as pre-med student,
graduating senior, head teller, captain of COM Basket
Ball Team, does that point to goal orientation?

Consider whether you think of your self as someone

belonging to others or someone to whom others
belong? For instance, “I am the daughter or son of
Isaac and Loney Matiki ” or “My parents are the
Matikis’’
 Insights into your Self-Inventory continues...
Note: where are the correct answers to the question
“who are you”?- (no right or wrong answer)

Your answer could be twisted and turned to mean

anything or everything

The more important concern should be whether a

particular answer is appropriate for you in particular

“What is appropriate”? – fitting, correct, suitable

 Insights into your Self-Inventory continue...
Appropriateness in this purpose be defined as : that
harmonious mental and physical state in which
individual best serve not only their interest but the
interest of those around them as well. Common sense
dictates that under one set of circumstances might be
considered appropriate whereas under other
circumstances considered inappropriate
Ancient perspective on who and what people are :
men used to be identified in four ways: (no longer in
use) -Place of birth: Jesus of Nazareth; Trade: John
the Fisherman; Father’s name: (Isaac son of
Abraham); and Certain Personalities traits: Alexander
the Great
 Insights into your Self-Inventory continue...
Therefore an introduction that involves nothing more
than a person’s name is perfect invitation for
inference

Inference is the statement about the unknown based

on the known… My name is Sikadzakokha
Kamaopakulaula

Conversation that begins without recognizing who

you are suffers ill health, equally unhealthy is the
conversation in which an executive of a firm refers to
you as his /her assistant, foreman, or traffic manager
 Self-Image-Building Blocks for Assertiveness
 Self image is a blending of personality assets and liabilities
 Assets are basically good points or plusses where as
Liabilities are bad points or minuses on your traits
 Derived from two avenues: what people say and what they
do
 There are ways of arriving at concept of self-image:
i. The way others make appraisals of you through
compliments and criticisms
ii. The process of social comparisons… why cant you be
like…?
iii.The practice of personally labelling ones good or bad
characteristics (people manipulate the information they
receive from their environment and assign labels that have
personal survival value and meaning)
Taking stock of your Assets and liabilities: Self image
The purpose is to hold a mirror up to yourself
from as many angles as possible. Be open and
honest
Under the headings of assets and liabilities
categorise:
1.Physical attributes (bodily)
2.Psychological makeup (emotional, inner, mental)
3.Credentials (identifications, endorsements,
authorizations)
4.Special qualities
Taking stock of your Assets and liabilities: Self image
Assets Liabilities
Physical Attributes
1……………………………..
1………………………
2…………………………….
2……………………..

List up to Five, then the same with Psychological

makeup, Credentials (identifications, endorsements,
authorizations) and Special qualities
Taking stock of your Assets and liabilities: Self image…
“Chance favors the prepared Mind”
Perhaps you recall the good fortune to have studied
exactly what the a professor asked on the final
examination. Are you a lawyer who has particular case
reference at your finger tips or a physician happens to
know the symptoms of a rare tropical disease or a
salesman armed with precise sales argument?... Those
who fail to take stock of their natural resources risk
walking around with an unprepared mind.

Source: Keneth Gergen, The Concept of Self (New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971), PP.90-91
Your Self Esteem and Assertiveness
Self esteem or referred to self-worth is an
attitude of high you feel about yourself
An important factor for successful
communication
High esteem is a major valuable in the
development of self concept
Entails having faith in your abilities
Helps to make sound decisions, logically and
rationally interpret issues and humanistically
relate to others
Self-Esteem continues, (Exercise-Testing)…
Based on the modified version of Barksdale’s test for self
esteem determine your score, judge each of the statements
as follows: (0) if not true, (1) if somewhat true, (2) if largely
true and (3) if true to get some idea of your own self esteem
right now
.....1 I feel other are better than I am.
…..2 I feel content and pleased with myself
…..3 I feel unable to cope
…..4 I feel friendly toward everyone I meet
…..5 I usually blame myself when things go wrong
…..6 I never feel any shame, blame, built, or remorse
…..7 I have a compulsive need to show off how good I am
…..8 I am concerned about my reputation
…..9 When others are wrong, I don’t feel a need to correct them
…..10 I have a strong need to have people say nice things about me
Relationship between Self- Esteem and Assertiveness
There appears to be a strong connection
between how you feel about yourself (self
esteem) and how assertive you are
Assertiveness refers to human traits such as:
energetic, self-starter, go getter, motivated,
out going, aggressive gregarious or expressive
How assertive are you?
Place the number 1, 2, 3, 4, in front of each of
the following items depending on whether your
answer is always, often, sometimes, or never
 How Assertive are you?
 …1 Do you buy things you don’t really want because it is difficult to
say “no” to the sales clerk?
 …2 Do you hesitate to return sales items to a store even when
there is good reason to do so?
 …3 Can begin a conversation with stranger?
 …4 Do you have trouble maintaining conversations in social
situations?
 …5 are satisfied with your social life?
 …6 Do people act as if they find you boring?
 …7 Do you hesitate to ask someone who talks aloud during?
 …8 When a friend makes an reasonable request, are you able to
refuse?
 …9 Can you criticize a friend?
 10… Are you able to ask favours or make requests of your friends?
Source: Liburn S, Barksdale, Building Self-Esteem (Los Angels: The Barksdale Foundation for
Furtherance of Human Understanding, 1972), pp.6-7
 How Assertive are you?…
 …11 Can you praise a friend?
 …12 when someone complements you, do you know what to say?
 ….13 Is there someone you can share your intimate feelings with?
 …14 Would you rather bottle up your feel than make a scene?
 …15 Are you satisfied with your work habits?
 …16 Do people tend to exploit you or push you around
 …17 Can you be open and frank in expressing both friendly and
angry feeling to men?
 …18 Can you be open and frank in expressing both friendly and
angry feeling to women?
 …19 Do you find it difficult to make or accept dates?
 …20 Do you find it difficult to upbraid (chastise) a subordinate?
 Assign 1: assertiveness
Evaluation: Does your friend agrees with
your responses?- then compare both sets
of responses and discuss the basis for
each response
 Assertiveness Skills
 Assertiveness is a form of communication in which
needs and wishes are stated clearly with respect
for oneself and the other person in the interaction
 It is different from passive communication (in
which needs and wishes go unstated) and
aggressive communication (in which needs and
wishes are stated in a hostile or demanding
manner)
 A person who is assertive can be described as
someone:
i. Who stands up for his own and other people’s
rights in a reasonable way
ii. Who allows other people to express their opinions
without dominating
iii. Who has the courage to express one’s own feeling,
even about difficult issues, in a way which is
respectful and honest
 Assertiveness continued…
Assertiveness is also shown through nonverbal
communication – facial expression, eye contact,
posture (leaning forward), this shows you understand
other people though with different views
Non assertive people may be passive or aggressive
communicators
Passive Behaviour: This is the behaviour of people
seeking above all, to avoid conflict. Whatever feeling
one might have, they may allow others to make
choices and take advantage of them
Aggressive Behaviour: These view their feelings
right and without regarding the right for others; they
defend their own rights aggressively. They also tend
to blame others for problems instead of offering
solutions
 Why is Assertiveness important
 It is important to behave assertively in order to:
a) Meet and express your own needs (deadlines,
studies)
b) Respect and communicate with others effectively
c) Engage in fulfilling relationships at school
 If you communicate passively, its likely that your
needs and wants will go unfulfilled, as a result,
you will miss deadlines, fail exams etc.
 Assertiveness also involves:
a) Saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when you really mean it.
b) Being confident, deciding on, understanding how
to negotiate
c) Being able to give and receive positive and
negative feedback
d) Usage of good language rather than destructive
eg. “I don’t agree with you” and not, “you are
wrong”
 How to achieve Assertiveness
a) Check that you are using assertive communication
appropriately (check your language, check your tone)
b) Check the context – in what environment are you in,
some people might misinterpret you (is it because of
race, gender, marital status, age, disability etc)
c) Be an active listener – allow others space to talk, discuss
– opening up to hear their feelings is important
d) Be humble and modest – take this role to heart, don’t
boast, just stand firm, be clear and reliable
e) Reflect on your purpose – don’t just use assertiveness
for others to have respect on you and what you want.
What is your purpose? (to advise, establishing rapport)
 How to achieve it concluded…
f) Learn to apologise if you haven’t used the skill
effectively. In that way, you are reopening the
door to better communication
g) Seek the middle way. Sometimes when you are
to choose between different viewpoints,
acknowledge both sides and take the middle
way to draw the concerns together

END