How do you best learn?

September 25, 2009

Cris blog smVictoria’s Congress has long been the flagship event of the year in the accounting and finance sphere. With the most sessions and the largest attendance, it has lived up to its reputation as a highly anticipated annual training and development conference.

This year you may have noticed a streamlining of program and sessions. The result is a targeted, highly relevant and dynamic program, with an excellent mix of technical and soft skills sessions, and speakers of the highest calibre. The emphasis is on half day Masterclasses complemented by short, sharp concurrent sessions.

Looking at the program this year prompted me to reflect and ask myself; how do I best learn? I find I benefit from group discussion and activity when attempting to grasp new concepts, but also need visual aids to best absorb information the first time I’m presented with it . Storytelling is also a great way to learn. Stories have greater impact, reach and penetration and the lesson of a story is generally remembered. Of course everyone is different, and you may be familiar with a model commonly referred to as learning styles, which refers to how people prefer to learn. The categories are: visual; aural; verbal; physical; logical; social and solitary. You can read more about them and take a free questionnaire to determine your learning preference at: www.learning-styles-online.com

Having a basic understanding of how you most effectively take in and retain information could be useful when undertaking further study and training, such as at Congress. Are you aware of your preferences? Do you think having such knowledge will make you a more effective learner? What happens when we are presented with information in another way?


Tania Major, serious about change

September 25, 2009

Matt blog photoIn 2007 Tania Major was named Young Australian of the Year. But she first became known when she was elected to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) at the age of 21, in 2002.

Tania was interviewed by the ABC Four Corners program after she was elected to ATSIC and asked why she put herself up for election, “…it promotes governance for Aboriginal people on grass-roots level. It looks at policies and it looks at administrative governance in Aboriginal community and I thought, well OK then I could probably make a change.   I wanted something done immediately and I did it and I got in,” said Tania.

Tania Major has also been quoted in The Age newspaper saying, “When I was growing up in Kowanyama there were 15 people in my class. Today I am the only one who has gone to university, let alone finished secondary education. I’m also the only girl in my class who did not have a child at 15. Of the boys in my class, seven have been incarcerated, two for murder, rape and assault. Of the 15, there are only three of us who are not alcoholics. And one of the saddest things I must report is that four of my classmates have already committed suicide.” These comments were also part of an address she gave in front of the Prime Minister and Cape York leaders.

Her life is extraordinary, her achievements are celebrated and her determination seems unbreakable.

Tania forms part of a panel of speakers at CPA Congress in Canberra on Thursday 19 November. The panel discussion titled Shaping Australia – our new generation of young leaders also includes Hugh Evans, an international humanitarian and Ross Solly from ABC Canberra.

It will certainly be interesting to hear where Tania is now, she certainly hasn’t slowed down. She is currently working to establish a consultancy and advocacy business to support other young indigenous people with potential for leadership.


Capturing the moment and finding new ways to tell a story

September 16, 2009

Ron SwitzerI love photographer Lewis Hine’s quote “If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera”. When you look at Hine’s career in photography this comment comes as no surprise. He is well known for photographing the construction of the Empire State Building, documenting the Red Cross relief work in Europe during and after World War 1 and recording child labour in American industry in the early 1900s as part of lobbying efforts to stop the practice.

I am a keen photographer and although I haven’t been involved in the social projects Hine was exposed to, I understand his sentiment. I recently photographed some of Sydney’s maritime history, the fascinating Woolwich Dock. This is one of the great shipyards in our country and is a reminder to me that Sydney Harbour is a working harbour. I have attached a photo.

Woolwich Dock, Sydney

Woolwich Dock, Sydney

One of the things I love my about photography is to capture a moment in time, a moment that tells a story. There is no doubt that with advance in technology the world is moving at a rapid pace and sometimes we miss things that at first may seem unimportant.

We all communicate in different ways talking, writing, photography, mannerisms. Amanda Gore from Head 2 Heart has a lot to say about non-verbal communication, particularly the differences between men and women. She says we were taught to talk, not to communicate. Is this true? Amanda is one of this year’s keynote speakers at CPA Congress in NSW and will present a humorous look at the genders on Thursday 15 October at Darling harbour Convention Centre.

Do we use all the communication channels at our disposal? I wonder if Amanda has considered the use of photography in the communication toolbox. Lewis Hine used photos as tool to create social reform. Anyone with a mobile phone has the capacity to take a photo to tell a story, may be worth adding the camera to your business toolkit.


What can we learn from airlines?

September 8, 2009

Cris blog sm

The changing fortunes of the airline industry have become a hallmark of the GFC. While being out of reach for the average person only a few short decades ago, airline travel has now become a fully accessible mode of transport, and has changed the face of the tourism industry. After the collapse of Ansett in 2001, domestic air travel in Australia changed markedly, and the duopoly enjoyed by Ansett and Qantas was shattered as new opportunities emerged that would introduce multiple players into the market.

No doubt the low cost model introduced by Virginblue in 2000 led the iconic flying kangaroo to shift its focus and examine its business model, and look at how it could continue operating profitably in this new world of cheap, no frills air travel. This is how Qantas’ low cost carrier Jetstar was born. Despite a number of challenges, Jetstar has grown and maintained market share in the extremely competitive budget tourism sector. In recent times low cost carriers have also had to cater for the business traveller as companies cut operational costs.

Rethinking the crisis – strategies to survive the economic turmoil is Keynote 1 at this year’s Victorian Congress and will feature Bruce Buchanan, CEO of Jetstar, on a panel alongside Peter Switzer, financial commentator, and Anne La Fontaine FCPA, Finance Director for Hewlett-Packard South Pacific. They will discuss how to plan for the inevitable upturn in times of a downturn. Bruce was a founder of Jetstar, which began operating in 2003 and has previously worked with other airlines in Australia, Asia and the US. He will no doubt offer a fascinating perspective and will be complemented by the experiences of the other panellists who are leaders in their field.


Does your phone stop you sleeping?

September 1, 2009

Ron Switzerblogpic smIn a survey released last week by hotel group Westin 60% of respondents said their Blackberry or another handheld device has hindered them from having a good night’s sleep. Is that a surprise to you? I love trying out new technology and have certainly enjoyed the benefits technology has brought me, but I also love my sleep.

Do the benefits of new technology help us more than they hinder us? Most would probably agree that technology has been a huge benefit to many, particularly in medicine.

CPA Australia is looking at how online communities can benefit you. We want to use technology to provide a place where you share experiences with like minded people. There is no doubt that we can learn a lot from each other, the online environment means this can happen no matter where you are. With many members travelling around the world or living in areas where no local group of CPAs meets this can be a great help. We can also get involved in online communities from the comfort of our home or office.

The CPA Australia knowledge networks team are hosting a free web 2.0 session at congress this year to examine this type of informal learning and look at what’s on offer. As well as finding out about the new online communities, you’re likely to pick up some tips on how you can connect with your clients, staff or friends by using the internet.

You can probably access a number of these online communities with your mobile phone so I hope we won’t be causing more sleepless nights. This same survey also revealed that over half of the respondents felt that a bad night’s sleep affected their business performance. Sleep truly is important. Has your mobile phone affected your sleep?


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.