Who comes out on top

To understand a company’s strategy, look at what they actually do rather than what they say they do. The same logic applies to one’s life. For example, ambitious people will reliably tell you that family, or being a mother or father, is the most important thing in their lives. Yet when pressed to choose between racing home to deal with a chaotic pre-bedtime scene and staying another hour at the office to solve a problem, they will usually keep working. It’s these small, everyday decisions that reveal if you’re following a path to being the best possible spouse and parent. If your family matters most to you, when you think about all the choices you’ve made with your time in a week, does your family come out on top?

Clay Christensen, How will you Measure your Life?

The Elevator Pitch  

The Challenge: Create a compelling speech about your entire professional life-lasting no more than 15-second. Be able to offer it on demand and under pressure. 

The so-called “elevator pitch” requires serious practice. Regardless of the audience, irrespective of whether you are sitting, standing, or walking down a hall or talking on the phone, you should be comfortable offering it. You never know whether your next open door will take place at family gatherings, in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, or at a coffee shop.   

You’ll want to describe the impact you have had and can continue to have on a project or work environment. Make it about who you are rather than what you do. 

Don’t try to rattle off as much information as possible, like a college debater. Be thoughtful and deliberate. Show you are calm and confident. Yet still, be passionate and genuine. 

These questions that may help you discover your elevator pitch and paint a compelling self-portrait:

What do you think your value to an employer is?

What have you been proudest of in your work life? 

What do you love to do?

What makes you unique?

A word of caution: Pre-packaged, over-practiced canned pitches can come across as lacking respect for the one you are trying to win over. They are not a means to an end but is a person. Your goal isn’t just to sell yourself but start an Elevator Conversation. It's not just me; it’s about us.

Think of it this way: Most people want to hire interesting, intelligent people who they would enjoy spending time working with day-to-day—not slogan shouters.

Stephen Goforth

Articles of interest about the virus, journalism, fakes, books & more - May 27

***THE VIRUS 

Is it safe to try on clothes at a store? What you need to know

Why COVID-19's weirdest symptoms are only emerging now

6 feet away isn’t enough

Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Workplace 

***WORKING DURING THE PANDEMIC 

Prepare to be tracked and tested as you return to work 

Want to Be More Productive? Try Doing Less 

The healthcare industry has embraced texting. Here’s one reason that should give you pause 

Mirrors And Webcams Don’t Always Provide Accurate Reflections

***WRITING & READING 

America is reading more in quarantine, but indie booksellers are missing out  

Why Everyone Is Rereading Their Favorite Books In Quarantine

The best Android apps for writers: text editors, grammar checkers, idea generators, and more 

How The Pandemic Is Affecting Book Publishing Industry

How Not to Teach Grammar

***JOURNALISM 

AP Stylebook: Now with digital security tips for journalists

Is Email the Future of Journalism? 

13 security tips for journalists covering hate online

A Journalist’s Guide to Using Zoom for Community Engagement

California newsrooms know how to prepare for disasters

OANN Trump’s Favorite TV Network Is Post-parody 

Lawsuit over popular 'S-Town' podcast dismissed, movie now in early stages 

Coronavirus patterns make local news even more important 

13 security tips for journalists covering hate online

A Journalist’s Guide to Using Zoom for Community Engagement

Science journalism needed now, more than ever

Ahmaud Arbery Shooting: Latest Case Of Overuse Of 'Unarmed Black Man'  

***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM

Judge Throws Out One America Now Defamation Suit vs. Rachel Maddow

New York Times phasing out all 3rd-party advertising data

LinkedIn Editorial Is Now LinkedIn News, With Big Ambitions

***FAKES & FRAUDS

How to Spot a Misleading Crowd Photo

"Fake news" laws on the rise globally during the coronavirus pandemic 

Lessons From Operation "Denver," the KGB’s Massive AIDS Disinformation Campaign

How Bad Is The COVID-19 Misinformation Epidemic?

In a new course this fall, students will create and study the history of digital fakes 

1 In 5 Adults In England Think The Coronavirus Is A Hoax 

Bill Gates, bogeyman of virus conspiracy theorists

These Are The Fake Experts Pushing Pseudoscience And Conspiracy Theories About The Coronavirus Pandemic

"The church of QAnon": How a bizarre conspiracy theory is linked to evangelical Christianity

***SOCIAL MEDIA 

Twitter Places Fact-Checking Warning On Trump Tweet For 1st Time

Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots

TikTok is coming after Snapchat with a new augmented reality ad format

Increased Social Media Usage Creates Perfect Conditions For Spread Of Misinformation 

***LANGUAGE & LITERATURE 

This Word Does Not Exist

After nationwide backlash, a school board rescinded its vote to scratch 5 books off high school curriculums

***POETRY

Altoona professor's poetry collection lauded by critics and scholars

The Academy Of American Poets Announces 2020 Recipients Of Poetry Fund Grants

***PRIVACY & SECURITY 

Chrome will block ads that drain your resources: How to turn it on now

Videoconferencing: Think Twice Before Hitting 'Record'

***PRODUCING MEDIA

Free alternatives to Photoshop that give you maximum creative freedom

Recording During The Coronavirus Pandemic

How to Disinfect Camera Equipment and Spaces

The Best Advice

Talk a little less, and listen more. Less advice is often the best advice. People don’t need lots of advice; they need a listening ear and some positive reinforcement. What they want to know is often already somewhere inside of them. They just need time to think, be and breathe, and continue to explore the undirected journeys that will eventually help them find their direction.

Marc and Angel Chernoff

Solo Performance

A mountain of studies has shown that face-to-face brainstorming and teamwork often lead to inferior decisionmaking. That’s because social dynamics lead groups astray; they coalesce around the loudest extrovert’s most confidently asserted idea, no matter how daft it might be.

What works better? “Virtual” collaboration—with team members cogitating on solutions alone, in private, before getting together to talk them over. As Susan Cain (who wrote Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking) discovered, researchers have found that groups working in this fashion generate better ideas and solve problems more adroitly. To really get the best out of people, have them work alone first, then network later.

Sounds like the way people collaborate on the Internet, doesn’t it? With texting, chat, status updates, comment threads, and email, you hash over ideas and thoughts with a pause between each utterance, giving crucial time for reflection. Plus, you can do so in private.

(The) overall the irony here is pretty gorgeous. It suggests we’ve been thinking about the social web the wrong way. We generally assume that it has unleashed an unruly explosion of disclosure, a constant high school of blather. But what it has really done is made our culture more introverted—and productively so. Now if we could just get some doors on those cubicles.

Clive Thompson writing in Wired Magazine

Articles of Interest about the virus, higher ed & research - May 23

***THE VIRUS 

What Can An Employer Do When An Employee Refuses To Comply With COVID-19 Workplace Requirements?  

A face mask requirement does not violate your constitutional rights 

How safe is it to use public bathrooms right now?

Should you fly yet? An epidemiologist and an exposure scientist walk you through the decision process 

Does ADA law allow persons with disabilities to not wear a mask in a business?

***HIGHER ED

Campus Climate Surveys Are Useful but Not Perfect, GAO Says 

Need Proof That College Rankings Don’t Matter? Ask The Editor Of Science 

University Leaders Are Failing (opinion)  

Is it time for higher ed to move away from time-based learning?

A university president responds to those who have suggested the school should dip into the endowment (satire) 

University Of California System Will Drop SAT, ACT Requirement For Admissions

Where did all the for-profit college commercials go? 

USF To Pay $2.5M Over Alleged False Claims For Student Grants Following Whistleblower Complaint

***HIGHER ED & THE VIRUS

Study: universities “have a unique capacity to reduce local COVID-19 spread by altering academic calendars to limit university student travel”

How the humanities can help on the front line of the pandemic

Why Covid-19 Could Force Colleges to Fix Their Transfer Problems

***SUMMER CLASSES

Summer enrollment at Arizona State University is at an all-time high

Regent offering college classes for high schoolers at $75 per credit hour for summer and fall of 2020  

***THE FALL SEMESTER  

Does Anthony Fauci Think Colleges Should Reopen? We Asked Him.

One in five college students say they may not return in the fall. 

Viral outbreak hits nearly empty University of Texas campus: What will happen this fall?

COVID-19 QuickPoll Results: Fall Planning for Education and Student Support

Several colleges plan to end in-person instruction by Thanksgiving

What's going to happen at colleges this fall? Here are 15 scenarios

Ithaca College fall semester set to begin, in-person, October 5

NYU Plans to Resume In-Person Classes for Fall Semester

Purdue University president says some professors will teach behind Plexiglas

The difficulties of enforce social distancing measures on campuses next fall

Mid-June emerging as a key decision point FOR The Univ of California system

Scientists: Testing capacity may be adequate for colleges to open this fall

***LAYOFFS & FURLOUGHS

Cleveland State University has lost $8 million and could lose $37 million this fiscal year; announces furloughs, pay cuts

OU announces layoffs for 53 faculty, at least 94 administrators

Exigency Outlook Uncertain

Lamar University to make cuts due to the coronavirus

***HIGHER ED & FINANCE

Colleges are increasingly suspending or trimming employee retirement plan contributions

***HIGHER ED IN COURT

‘There will be less patience in the fall’: 100 ‘unprecedented’ student lawsuits suing colleges amid coronavirus outbreak 

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit concerning Grand Canyon University's recruiting practices

University of Missouri among colleges sued for tuition refunds after coronavirus shutdown

At least 100 lawsuits have been filed by students seeking college refunds — and they open some thorny questions

Student Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Harvard Following Coronavirus Closure

***TEACHING ONLINE  

Six Practical Approaches for Teaching Writing Online

Cambridge University to scrap face-to-face lectures for entire year due to pandemic
Universities beware: shifting classes online so quickly is a double-edged sword

Teacher evaluation form for spring semester 2020 (satire) 

Copyright ownership concerns abound in the rapid shift to remote instruction

***ONLINE CHEATING 

Professors take new measures to prevent online cheating

Academic Dishonesty and Testing:  How Student Beliefs and Test Settings Impact Decisions to Cheat

***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 

Dallas Theological Seminary Adds 2 New Degrees and Expands 100% Online Offerings

Cedarville University Appears to Have Manipulated a Sexual Harassment Complaint

Cal Baptist athletic director resigns 

Wheaton College has highest % of students in state repaying debt; Moody Bible has the lowest debt-to-income ratio in the State

‘Male Athlete of the Year’ named at Point Loma Nazarene

***RESEARCH 

Scientists must resist the temptation to say no evidence is ever quite good enough

In psych, economics, and some parts of medicine and biology about 60% of the papers do not replicate

The Perceived Prevalence of Research Fraud among Faculty at Research-Intensive Universities in the USA

Resistance and insubordination in science

Are women publishing less during the pandemic? Here’s what the data say

Our findings stress the superiority of markup formats in Peer review over the prominent PDF format

Retractions in Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences Journals

What doctors must know about medical preprints

A deluge of poor-quality research is sabotaging an effective evidence-based response

***STUDENT LIFE

Expressing a minority political view on some campuses is difficult (opinion)

5 Socially Distanced Side Hustles For College Students During The Pandemic

***CAMPUS CRIME  

University of Utah police officer showed off explicit photos of harassed, blackmailed and then murdered student to his co-worker

***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT 

Law Professor in Title IX Case Leaves Marquette

Chadron State to pay $900,000 in settlement of Title IX lawsuit

Bard College Music Student Sues School, Citing Instructor’s Conduct

We can be too clever for our own good

Unthinking is the ability to apply years of learning at the crucial moment by removing your thinking self from the equation. Its power is not confined to sport: actors and musicians know about it too, and are apt to say that their best work happens in a kind of trance. Thinking too much can kill not just physical performance but mental inspiration. Bob Dylan, wistfully recalling his youthful ability to write songs without even trying, described the making of “Like a Rolling Stone” as a “piece of vomit, 20 pages long”. It hasn’t stopped the song being voted the best of all time.

In less dramatic ways the same principle applies to all of us. A fundamental paradox of human psychology is that thinking can be bad for us. When we follow our own thoughts too closely, we can lose our bearings, as our inner chatter drowns out common sense. A study of shopping behaviour found that the less information people were given about a brand of jam, the better the choice they made. When offered details of ingredients, they got befuddled by their options and ended up choosing a jam they didn’t like.

If a rat is faced with a puzzle in which food is placed on its left 60% of the time and on the right 40% of the time, it will quickly deduce that the left side is more rewarding, and head there every time, thus achieving a 60% success rate. Young children adopt the same strategy. When Yale undergraduates play the game, they try to figure out some underlying pattern, and end up doing worse than the rat or the child. We really can be too clever for our own good.

Ian Leslie, writing in The Economist

Articles of interest about the virus & religion - May 21

***THE VIRUS 

Coronavirus infection isn't just about hygiene and distance. It's about time, too

Hong Kong controlled the coronavirus with the help of face masks. Here’s how.

How to Get Kids to Wear a Face Mask During the Pandemic 

What Contact Tracing Tells Us About High-Risk Activities 

The founders of Q have hosted talks promoting what experts say are unfounded claims that alternative health methods

***THE VIRUS AND RELIGION

Pastor dies from coronavirus after laying hands on infected followers, declaring them healed

Some evangelicals fear the 'mark of the beast' from a coronavirus vaccine 

How coronavirus pandemic will alter Communion rituals for many US Christians 

What’s really behind Republicans wanting a swift reopening? Evangelicals 

***RELIGION 

NIH chief Francis Collins wins Templeton Prize   

Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ Sequel Could Alienate Evangelicals 

A new documentary reveals Jane Roe's anti-abortion pivot was "all an act"

More young adults are leaving religion, but that’s not the whole story, say researchers

Despite Bad News, Evangelical Philosophy Is Flourishing

Authorities announce forfeiture of ancient Gilgamesh tablet from Hobby Lobby's Museum of the Bible  

What does an executive pastor do?

Ravi Zacharias, popular evangelical defender of the Christian faith, dies at 74 

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Photo Agency Sues Evangelical Youth Pastor Over Bieber Picture  

Mississippi church suing on virus restrictions burns down 

***RELIGION & THE LAW 

Photo Agency Sues Evangelical Youth Pastor Over Bieber Picture  

Mississippi church suing on virus restrictions burns down 

***DENOMINATIONS

VID-19 delayed a United Methodist schism—but it has left LGBT members in limbo

Churches leave Mennonite denomination over theology, LGBT stance