Communication Skills 1

LDC 111
August 2021
Study Techniques
• In this section we will look at:
1. Why it is important to set goals.
2. Identify one of the major barriers to effective study.
3. Procrastination.
4. Benefits of working in groups.
GOAL
• Wikipedia defines a goal as a projected state of affairs that a person or
a system plans or intends to achieve; it is a personal or organizational
desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. That means
taking the necessary steps and making progress.
• The process of goal-setting ideally involves establishing objectives,
that are:
Specific
Measurable and
Time targeted (have a time frame for accomplishing them)
• Study goals, like any other goals may be short term, medium term and
long term.
Why is it important to set goals?
• Goal setting at college can serve as an effective tool for making
progress because it ensures that students have a clear awareness of
what they must do to achieve the goal.
This means setting objectives and
Developing strategies to achieve those objectives.
• Goal-setting comprises a major component of personal development.
• Each study goal should explicitly state WHAT it is you intend to
achieve as well as WHEN you intend to achieve it.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOALS
Your goals should be:
1. Within your skills and abilities. Knowing your strengths and
weaknesses will help you set goals that you can accomplish.
2. Realistic (accurate/convincing). Setting a goal to learn the spelling
of three new words a day is realistic. Trying to learn the spelling of
fifty new words a day is not realistic.
3. Flexible. This means ability to change your goal when things do not
go the way you anticipate. Stay flexible so that when you realize
that a change is necessary you will be ready to make the change.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOALS
4. Measurable. It is important to be able to measure your progress towards a
goal. Similarly, it is important to recognize when you have accomplished your
goal and need to go no further.
Failure to measure your progress towards a goal and recognize its
accomplishment will result in effort that is misdirected and wasted.
5. Within your control. Accomplishment of your goal should not depend on
other students, except when you are working in a group.
You can control what you do, but you have little or no control over what
others do.
Sometimes, you may do what you have to do, but if others don’t, you will not
accomplish your goal. For example, if you have written your section of an
assignment, and the group members have not, you may not submit on the
intended deadline.
SMART GOAL SETTING

What does S.M.A.R.T. goal setting stand for?

• A Goal needs to conform to the following criteria:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely
=SMART
S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Specific
• What exactly do you want to achieve?
• The more specific your description, the bigger the chance you will get
exactly that.
• S.M.A.R.T. goal setting specific clarifies the difference between for
example, “I want to be a millionaire” and “I want to make one million
kwacha a month for the next ten years by creating a new software
product”.
S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Measurable
• Measurable goals mean that you identify exactly what it is you will
see, hear and feel when you reach your goal.
• It means breaking your goal down into measurable elements.
• You will need concrete evidence. Being happier is not concrete
evidence. Yet not smoking anymore because you adhere to a healthy
lifestyle where you eat vegetables twice a day and fat only once a
week, is concrete evidence.
• Measurable goals can go a long way in refining what exactly it is that
you want, too. That means they help you to be specific.
• Defining the physical manifestations of your goal or objective makes it
clearer, and easier to reach.
S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Attainable

• Is your goal attainable?

• That means investigating whether the goal really is acceptable to you.
You weigh the effort, time and other costs that your goal will take
against the profits and the other obligations and priorities you have in
life.
• If you don't have the time, money or talent to reach a certain goal you
will certainly fail and be miserable. That doesn't mean that you can't
take something that seems impossible and make it happen by planning
smartly and going for it!
• There's nothing wrong with shooting for the stars. If you aim to get a
GPA of 3.0 at the end of year 1, how bad is it when you only get 2.93?
Not too bad...
S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Relevant

• Is reaching your goal relevant to you? Do you actually want to learn

French, be the student union president, be the famous footballer?
• You decide for yourself whether you have the personality for it.
• You decide if you have the skills.
• You decide if you have the resources.
• OR you have to study to get the skills and look for ways to obtain the
resources.
• The main questions here are :
1. Why do you want to reach this goal?
2. What is the objective behind the goal, and will this goal really achieve
that?
S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Timely

• Time is money!
• Make a tentative plan of everything you do.
• Everybody knows that deadlines are what makes most people switch to
action.
• The question is when do you want to achieve this goal?
• So install deadlines, for yourself and /or your group and go after them.
• Keep the timeline realistic and flexible, that way you can keep morale high.
• Being too stringent on the timely aspect of your goal setting can have the
perverse effect of making the learning path of achieving your goals and
objectives into a hellish race against time and this is most likely not the
way you want to achieve anything.
Questions you may ask yourself when setting your
goals and objectives are:
• What exactly do I want to achieve?
• Where?
• How?
• When?
• With whom?
• What are the conditions and limitations?
• Why exactly do I want to reach this goal?
• What are possible alternative ways of achieving the same?
These questions help you to develop SMART goals.
Who should set your goals?
• Goal setting is ideally a personal activity (that means you need to set
your own goals).
• However, sometimes parents, lecturers, and counsellors will set goals
for you.
You may accept these goals because these people may know what is
important for you and are very concerned with your success. They
may also help you accomplish the goals they set.
However, the most important thing is to set goals or accept goals that
provide you with direction and lead to success.
PROCRASTINATION
What is procrastination?
• Procrastination is putting off or avoiding doing something that must be done.
• It is natural to procrastinate occasionally.
• However, excessive procrastination can result in guilt feelings about not
doing a task when it should be done.
• It can also cause anxiety since the task still needs to be done.
• Excessive procrastination can cause poor performance if the task is
completed without sufficient time to do it well.
• In general excessive procrastination can interfere with school and personal
success.
• Procrastination is therefore one of the major barriers to effective study.
Why do students procrastinate?
The most common reasons why students procrastinate are:
• Perfectionism. Perfectionism is a personal trait characterised by a person’s
striving for flawlessness and setting high performance standards, accompanied
by critical self evaluations and concerns regarding others’ evaluations.
A student’s standard of performance may be so high for a task that it does not
seem possible to meet that standard.
• Fear of failure. A student may lack confidence and fear that he/she will be
unable to accomplish a task successfully.
• Confusion. A student may be unsure about how to start a task or how it should
be completed.
• Task difficulty. A student may lack the skills and abilities needed to accomplish
a task.
Why do students procrastinate?
• Poor motivation. A student may have little or no interest in
completing a task because he/she finds the task boring, difficult or
lacking in relevance.
• Difficulty concentrating. A student may have too many things around
that distract him/her from doing a task.
• Task unpleasantness. A student may dislike doing what a task
requires.
• Lack of priorities. A student may have little or no sense about which
tasks are most important to do.
How do you know if you procrastinate excessively?

Here are some tips to help you know that you procrastinate
excessively. If you agree with five or more of the following statements
then you are procrastinating:
• I often put off starting a task I find difficult.
• I often give up on a task as soon as I start finding it difficult.
• I often wonder why I should be doing a task.
• I often have difficulty getting started on a task.
• I often try to do so many tasks at once that I cannot do any of them.
How do you know if you procrastinate excessively?
• I often put off a task in which I have little or no interest.
• I often try to come up with reasons to do something other than a task I
have to do.
• I often ignore a task when I am not certain about how to start it or
complete it.
• I often start a task but stop before completing it.
• I often find myself thinking that if I ignore a task, it will go away.
• I often cannot decide which of a number of tasks I should complete first.

• I often find my mind wandering to things other than the task on which I
am trying to work.
What can you do about excessive procrastination?

Some things you can do to control excessive procrastination:

• Motivate yourself to work on a task with thoughts such as “There is no
time like the present,” or “Nobody’s perfect.”
• Prioritize the tasks you have to do.
• Commit yourself to completing a task once started.
• Reward yourself whenever you complete a task.
• Work on tasks during the times you work best.
• Break large tasks into small manageable parts.
• Work on tasks as part of a study group.
• Get help from lecturers and other students when you find a task
difficult.
What can you do about excessive procrastination?
• Make a schedule of the tasks you have to do and stick to it.
• Eliminate distractions that interfere with working on tasks.
• Set reasonable standards that you can meet for a task.
• Take breaks when working on a task so that you do not wear down.
• Work on difficult and/or unpleasant tasks first.
• Work on a task you find easier after you complete a difficult task.
• Find a good place to work on tasks.
STUDY GROUPS (STUDY
SYNDICATES)
• A study group can be helpful when you are trying to learn information
and concepts and preparing for class discussions and tests.
Benefits of a study group
• A study group can support you to "pick you up” when your
motivation to study is slipping. Group members can be a source of
encouragement.
• You may find it easier to ask a question in a small study group than
during class.
• You may commit to study because the group members are depending
on your presentation and participation and you do not want to let
them down.
STUDY GROUPS (STUDY SYNDICATES)
• Group members will listen and discuss information and concepts during
the study sessions. These activities add a strong auditory dimension to
your learning experience.
• One or more group members are likely to understand something you
do not. They may bring up ideas you never considered.
• You can learn valuable new study habits from the other group
members.
• You can compare your class notes with those of the other group
members to clarify your notes and fill in any gaps.
• Teaching/explaining information and concepts to the other group
members will help you reinforce your mastery of the information and
concepts.
How do you start a study group?
• Get to know your classmates by talking with them.
• Select classmates to join your study group using the following criteria:

Is she/he motivated to do well?

Does she/he understand the subject matter?
Is she/he dependable?
Is she/he tolerant of other people’s ideas?
 Would I like to work with him/her?
How do you organise a study group?
1. Start inviting people that match the criteria until you form a group of
three to five.
A larger group may allow some members to avoid responsibility.
May lead to cliques (close-knit group of people who do not readily allow
others to join).
May make group management more difficult and stand in the way of
learning.
2. Decide how often and for how long you will meet.
Meeting two or three times a week is probably best.
If you plan a long study session, make sure you include time for breaks.
A study session of about 60 to 90 minutes is usually best.
How do you organise a study group?
3. Decide where you will be meeting.
Select a meeting place that is available and is free from distractions.
An empty classroom or a group study room in the library are
possibilities.
Avoid unsafe and unsecure places.
4. Decide on the goals of the study group.
Goals can include comparing and updating notes, discussing readings,
and preparing for exams.
How do you organise a study group?
5. Decide who the leader will be for the first study session. Also decide
whether it will be the same person each session or whether there will
be a rotating leader.
The leader of a study session should be responsible for meeting the
goals of that study session.
Clearly decide the agenda for the first study session and the
responsibilities of each group member for that session.
Develop a list of all group members that includes their names,
telephone numbers, and email addresses. Make sure each group
member has this list and update the list as needed.
Characteristics of a successful study group

• Each group member contributes to discussions.

• Group members actively listen to each other without interruptions. Only
one group member speaks at a time.
• Group members work collaboratively to resolve any concern raised by a
group member.
• Group members are prompt and come prepared to work.
• The group stays on task with respect to its agenda.
• Group members show respect for each other.
• Group members feel free to criticize each other but keep their criticisms
constructive. This can encourage group members to reveal their
weaknesses so that they can strengthen them.
• Group members feel free to ask questions of each other.
Possible pitfalls of a study group
• The following pitfalls should be avoided for a successful study group:
Avoid distraction from the groups agenda and goals.
Avoid converting a study group to a social group.
Avoid coming to sessions unprepared. To stay in the group, members
should be required to complete their tasks.
Avoid making the sessions negative forum for complaining about
lecturers and courses.
Avoid dominance from few members of the group. It is important
that all members have an equal opportunity to contribute
LEARNING STYLE
What is your preferred learning style?
• A learning style is a way of learning.
• Your preferred learning style is the way in which you learn best.
• Three learning styles that are often identified in students are the
auditory learning style
visual learning style
tactile / kinaesthetic learning style.
• Identifying your preferred learning style is important because you
can do those things more to enhance your learning capacity
LEARNING STYLE
Auditory learner
• Auditory learners learn best when information is presented in an
auditory language format.
• They learn best in classes that emphasize lectures and class
discussions
• They learn best when listening to audio tapes
• Some may read books loudly or talking things out to gain better
understanding?
If you do these things, you are probably an auditory learner.
LEARNING STYLE
Visual learner
• Visual learners learn best when information is presented in a written
language format or in another visual format such as pictures or
diagrams.
• They do best in classes which lecturers do a lot of writing at the
chalkboard, provide clear handouts, and make extensive use of an
overhead projector?
• They learn better by creating pictures in their mind to remember
things.
• They take detailed written notes from textbooks and in class?
If you do these things, you are probably a visual learner.
LEARNING STYLE
Tactile / kinaesthetic learner
• Tactile / kinaesthetic learners learn best in hands-on learning settings
in which they can physically manipulate something in order to learn
about it.
• They learn when they can move about and handle things.
• They do well in classes in which there is a laboratory component.
• They learn better when they have an actual object in their hands
rather than a picture of the object or a verbal or written description
of it
 If you do these things, you are probably a tactile / kinaesthetic
learner.
STUDENT HEALTH

• Health is important because a healthy student is usually an efficient

and satisfied student. You can not succeed if your health is
compromised
Make sure you eat healthily! Fresh fruits and vegetables should make
up a potion of your diet. Take in plenty of natural foods and water.
Avoid junk food they are detrimental to your overall well being.
Alcohol is accessible at university but consume it in moderation. If
alcohol is not handled properly, it can interfere with your ability to
learn.
RELATIONSHIPS
• Social relationships are a good thing and many unions are available
at university.
• Be careful, however, that your involvement in a relationship does not
become distracting and harm your ability to complete your studies.
• Enjoy the new associations but remember to put your studies first.
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
• Faith can play an important role in helping you cope with some of the
stresses you will experience.
• However, like all things it is important to balance your energies and
remain focused on your studies.
• There are instances of people who have become consumed by
spiritual issues and consequently have failed to excel in their studies.
EXTRA CURRICULA ACTIVITIES
• Look out for extra curricula physical activities.
• Exercise is an important component of a healthy life style.
• This may help give your mind a rest.
• However, do not let these activities stand in the way of your learning.