Thursday, December 5, 2019

Top Productive Tips You Should Follow to Ace Your Exams | Top 10 Study Tips

High school, college and university are all wonderful experiences; you get to hang out with your friends, make unbreakable bonds and discover where it is you want to be in life. But sadly, it's not all fun and games - as the end of term approaches, so do those dreaded exams. Luckily, we’re here to help with some of the best study tips and techniques to help you ace your exam. So, let's jump right into it!

Top Productive Tips You Should Follow to Ace Your Exams | Top 10 Study Tips


Number 1. Make a study plan. Getting in the right mindset doesn't come naturally. So, to help you get into the study zone, create a plan of your study sessions, instead of trying to cram everything into a single session. Not only do these bite-sized sittings allow you to absorb and retain the information, but they also break up your material so that you don't feel overwhelmed with the amount that you have to learn.


Number 2. Stock up on power food While snacking on sugar might be the right idea, it will only give you a boost of energy for a short amount of time. After 30 minutes, you'll start to crash, and you won't be able to concentrate much. So, instead of reaching for the nearest chocolate bar, keep some 'brain food' in sight. This includes dried fruits, nuts and seeds.

Number 3. Eliminate distractions Got a text from your bestie? Can’t resist the group chat banter? While this innocent checking of your phone might seem like nothing, it’s really hindering your chances of getting a good study session in. So, to work smarter instead of harder, eliminate all distractions! To help you do so, download site blocking apps and put your phone on silent. Get rid of your consoles and switch off your TV to ensure that nothing other than your study materials are in sight.

Number 4. Have a designated study space Having a designated space to study is important. Your brain will acknowledge that when you enter that area, it’s time to study. So, choosing your study spot is a hard task – it needs to be somewhere that’s calming and free of distractions. For some this could be the school library or a local coffee shop, but others might find comfort from their bedroom. Whatever your choice is, just make sure that it's well-equipped with everything that you need.

Number 5: Use color codes and diagrams Different colors can improve your memory and help you focus. Green improves efficiency; orange lifts your mood, while blue boosts productivity. So, incorporating these colors into your study materials can do wonders. Alternatively, you could use diagrams to help your visual memory which can be recalled during an exam.

Number 6. Getcreative As well as using colours, there are plenty of other fun techniques to help you remember your facts. Are you into hip-hop music? Why not become a lyrical genius and create your own rap? Prefer a pop banger? A Bieber tempo could work. Whether it is rhymes or riddles, find a creative method that will help you remember those hard facts and will keep you singing all the way to your exam.

Number 7. Use gum to jog your memory I know this sounds ridiculous but using gum to help you read faster and jog your memory is a REAL thing. According to scientists, chewing increases your heart rate, which delivers oxygen to the brain and improves cognitive memory.

Number 8. Find a study group Turn your study session into a social event and engage in some group revision. Not only will you get to see your favorite classmates, but you'll also learn a lot from a study group. You can engage in revision activities like cue cards and testing to help you absorb the information.

Number nine. Take regular breaks Let's face - it even geniuses can't focus for hours on end. To help you stay productive, you need to allow yourself to break regularly. This doesn't mean that you should study for 15 minutes and then proceed to watch Stranger Things for three hours. Instead, the most effective technique is the Pomodoro Technique where you study for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. After you've repeated this four times, you should then take a 15-30 minute break.

Number 10. Get enough sleep who needs sleep when you have energy drinks, right?! WRONG! While staying up all night to get in some last-minute revision might seem like a good idea, it won't be effective. When you sleep, your brain takes in and stores any information, so when you're sleep-deprived you won't remember much of what you read the night before. Now that you're well equipped with the best ways to study, what's stopping you from acing your test? By adopting these great habits, you'll be well on your way to student success. But if you're looking for some tips and tricks, visit CareerAddict.com for more advice. Snd don't forget to like the video and click on the subscribe button to get more insightful tips!
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Important Tips and Tricks to Learn Faster

Hello - I am Seiiti Arata and this is a special video for my friends that want an answer to the question “How to learn faster?” How to Learn Faster It’s a good question, isn’t it? Especially during the interesting times that we live in, with zillions of pieces of information at the tip of our fingers. We are living in the age of information: information is everywhere, there is mountains of it. All that’s missing is the opportunity to take notice of it all. It feels as if there isn't enough time. That’s why it’s crucial to know How to Learn Faster.

Important Tips and Tricks to Learn Faster


We have created a course specially for this. For those of you who want to know How to Learn Faster. It’s a course that’s completely based on study techniques, but that has a completely different approach: it’s an extremely practical course. This emphasis has been put on practice because I came to a realisation of a huge paradox. There have been several books written on how to study. The goal of reading these books is to learn, that is, the reader is learning how to learn.


If you go to your nearest bookstore, you’ll find several books on this topic. I’ve read practically every single one and discovered a common pattern. There are two categories: either the book is thin, or it’s as hefty as a brick. The thin books on learning are very superficial, filled with advice like “eating bananas and nuts is good for the brain”... while the thicker books are usually over three hundred pages long, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that over 80% of the content is just pure waffle.

The author spends so much time telling a story that isn’t relevant, or giving very suspicious and questionable tips. If you’ve ever flipped through this kind of book, you might have noticed sections of “top tips” such as “do crossword puzzles and memory games to exercise your brain”. I must point out that there are specific foods that are good for the brain, and that there are also exercises that help you to train your memory. However, these results are small. I respect the authors of these books very much, and I think that they’re doing their best to help the reader.

However, with all due respect to these kinds of authors, there is a lot of scientific evidence out there that would prove much more effective in helping us to learn faster. The How to Learn Faster course will show you ways to multiply your reading speed by up to four times, as well as showing you positive study habits and how to work them into your daily routine.

Together, we will put an end to the negative habits that you may have picked up and show you effective techniques to help you to read better, get better grades, and review your work better. In order to be able to pass details about the course on to you, I must point out that this is a new course, and, because of that, there is a selection process for those of you that are interested in taking part in the course.

If you’re interested in finding out more about How to Learn Faster, click here: https://arata.se/applicationhowtolearn Just to be sure, here’s the address for registering your interest in the course: https://arata.se/applicationhowtolearn - on this page, there’s a form in which you can leave your email address. Please use the email address that you use most often, because I’ll be sending you a quick email to continue this conversation, and you’ll need it to be able to watch the second part of this video. Speak soon! I’m sure you’ll achieve great things with the How to Learn Faster course!
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Top Ways to Improve Your English Skills

Oh yeah I love reading. I love a good book. A good book. A good book and tea. Tea. Book and tea. Reading is easy. The smell. Oh I love it. Reading is hard. The people who’ve had me as their literature teacher know it: I’m not the kind of guy who says “oh reading is magic and amazing, it takes you into a beautiful world of magic and it’s like, magic.” No. I’m the one who says “reading is hard, and sometimes you don't feel like it, but you need to do it and it takes discipline” Let me put it that way: you could probably speak a decent English without reading.

Top Ways to Improve Your English Skills


HOWEVER, by reading you’ll improve your knowledge of the language DRAMATICALLY. Vocabulary use, spelling, syntax and sentence building, general knowledge… Everything. EVERYTHING There are so many benefits that I think it's really worth the effort. Let’s start! Tip number 1: Try to read anything you can. Shampoo labels, ingredients lists, microwave manuals. And don’t forget to activate subtitles whenever you’re watching something in English! Like, now for example. You can activate subtitles.

Somewhere. Tip number 2. Learn how to scan for keywords and just accept the fact you won’t understand everything. Sometimes I read stuff and I really struggle to understand… anything. Doesn’t matter. Overcoming that natural frustration of not being able to understand everything will bring a big boost to your English.


Tip number 3. Do some research. Before jumping into a text, do some preliminary research about the genre, the author, the topic, and the year when it was written. The more you know and understand about the general context, the easier it will be to understand advanced vocabulary.

Tip number 4. Don’t just read “for fun.” I mean, sometimes reading has to be hard, and that’s totally fine. If you want to improve your style and learn new words, you're gonna have to read things that you’re not used to read! So yeah, less Harry Potter and more Mrs. Dalloway.

Tip number 5. Read with a purpose. It truly helps to define the actual objective of your reading session instead of simply diving into something thinking "OH I JUST WANNA READ SOMETHING" Are you simply trying to understand the plot of a story? Or maybe the main arguments of an essay?

Tam: "Es'say? 'Essay!" [Arguing about the stress pattern of the word "essay"] Tam: "It's leviOOOsa not levioSAA" "It's LEVIOOOOSA" What was I saying? ...ot the main argument of an 'ESsay Are you trying to build up vocabulary about a specific topic? Or study the style and discover new structures to reuse in your own writing? Discipline your reading! That's all for today, get a GOOD BOOK now.
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Top 5 Tips to Broke College Students

Today I'm gonna give you five tips to learn how to trade, and even execute trades as a broke college student. Hey everyone, lead trader of StocksToTrade Tim Bowen here, be sure to subscribe, and ring the bell to be notified as soon as a new video hits. So today, we're gonna talk about learning how to trade and actually branching off in executing that first trade, even if you're a college student and particularly, if you're a broke college student like I was.

Top 5 Tips to Broke College Students


If you know my bio, I actually tried trading mutual funds back in the mutual fund boom in the mid-to-late nineties. I started out putting 50 dollars a month into these mutual funds an it never worked out. The beauty of low price stocks is you can make it work. Tip number one is, listen, as I mentioned, I started out trying to trade mutual funds in the nineties, the internet kinda existed, but there wasn't that much out there.

It was Usenet newsgroups, and email lists, that dates me, maybe you might've had a IRC chat channel back then, but take advantage of the technology we're in. I talk about this all the time, I think this is the greatest period in history of mankind, you can learn anything, you can find out about anything, you're watching a video, teaching you how to learn how to trade. This was not accessible to me 25 years-ago when I was in college.


Use YouTube, we've got hundreds of videos on our channel, that are great to learn, use the SteadyTrade Podcast, check out steadytrade.com, you can listen to learn how to trade, while you're on the treadmill, while you're driving, maybe you've gotta job that you don't necessarily have to engage with, you can listen to that podcast, and there's other great podcasts out there. Absorb as much free information as you can, don't discount the value of all of this out there, just grind, absorb, live it, love it, I've been watching stocks since I was in the fourth grade, and if I had the tools that you have today as a college student, when I was in college, wow, I wonder what I could've accomplished when I was 22 years-old, versus 35 years-old.

Second thing I want you to do is listen, I know everybody wants to make money today, you wanna make those trades today, you wanna get rich today, remember stock trading is not a get-rich-quick scheme, this is something you build over time but, something I wanna talk to you about is please pay off debts first. You're going to struggle when you get started. Anybody that tells you that you're gonna find instant success in day trading, run away. This is hard. There's a million of different things to learn, you have to make mistakes over, and over, and over again before the learn the lessons, before you build the discipline to make the right decisions, if you're paying interest, if you've got those debts while you're learning, it's just gonna make it that much harder.

Absorb the information, study paper-trade, but put that money to work, reducing your debt, it lowers your stress, it lowers your burn-rate, and it just makes everything easier when you don't have to worry about those debts and paying interest is just throwing money away, it's reducing your buying power, reducing your trading power, by giving money to someone else. Third thing, I talked about taking time and paying down those debts, but this is the biggest thing and this goes for anything, if you've stumbled across this video because you want to learn to trade, or you wanna learn to be an architect, or you wanna learn how to be a sculpture, I don't care what it is, start today. One of my favorite sayings is, it says the best time to plant a tree is 20 years-ago, the second-best time is today.

Take advantage of your youth, take advantage of today, and start learning. As I mentioned in lesson one, there's always these resources, there's books, I've got hundreds of trading books, there's educational videos, there's YouTube, there's podcasts, there's all of this information out there and the best time to start is today, and there's no time like the present, and if you can get that 1% better a day, that is exponentially better. 1% better a day over a year, is 3600% better, because you're slowly growing, slowing growing better each and every day. Fourth thing I want you to do is pick a broker that's great for you.

With StocksToTrade we've got what's called Tradier, it's a great low-cost broker. We actually have a deal with them, where it's $15 a month for unlimited trades. Remember, if you're getting started, if you're that new trader, expenses matter, minimize your expenses as much as possible. Tradier is a great choice to get started, and you know what, Robin Hood, I know sometimes is portrayed good and bad in the media, but when it comes to just actually pressing buttons, learning the mechanics of trades, Robin Hood's a great choice, it's free, there are downsides, there are market orders only, there are sometimes selling off your order-flow, but when you're just getting started, getting the mechanics of actually entering a trade, keep your costs as low as possible, and look at these discount brokers like Tradier, or even Robin Hood.

Fifth thing I want you to focus on is diversification. If you're young, if you're in college, man when I was in college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Pursue different interests. Even today, as a 45 year-old guy, I love to do construction, I've got rental properties, I do stock market education with StocksToTrade, I trade my own money, I've got multiple sources of income. Be willing to try everything, be willing to fail, I think that's one of the most important things as a young person that I want to tell to you, as an old guy, be willing to fail. That's important in trading, it's important in business.

Pursue your passions, pursue your ideas, and focus on creating as many sources of income as you can. If it's selling affiliate links on Apple, brings in a couple hundred bucks a month, you can drop that in your trading account, if it's just doing stuff on Instagram or YouTube, maybe you're doing videos on YouTube that's your hobby, if it brings in a few hundred bucks, that's money you can put in your trading account. And, if your trading's not going well, it's other income. You've got that day-job, those side hustles, maybe you're working construction on the side, maybe you've got a job in retail, keep your options open, 'cause you'll never know what could be the next big hit, and it gives you multiple areas to bring in income to help fill up that trading account. The sooner you can get that trading account built up, the sooner you can put that trading knowledge to work and start growing that account.

And realize the dream of all of us, of being that full-time stock trader. So let me know, are you in college? Drop me a comment below, and did you find these topics and these ideas helpful to you, as that inspiring stock trader. Thanks for watching our video, be sure to comment below with any trading related question, we love answering your questions. Also like, and share with your friends, and be sure to subscribe to be notified as soon as our next video hits. And if you're looking to expand your trading knowledge, don't forget to check out all our other videos, and be sure to click the trial below. Check out StocksToTrade, I think it is one the best, most rapidly advancing softwares out there, be sure to check out our trial.
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How to Study for an Oral Exam

Do you know what is one of the greatest fears of students across the world? Taking an oral exam. Oral exams are very scary, whether you’re answering your teacher on your own, or worse, in front of all your classmates. The fear of speaking in front of other people is very common. Fear of public speaking can be even greater than the fear of death. Now imagine having to speak publicly and be assessed on it in an oral exam.

That’s why in today’s conversation we’re going to look at what you can do to overcome your fear and prepare better when you’re studying for an oral exam. But before we get started, let me clear something up straight away. There’s no magic trick or hack that can give you a good result if you haven’t done your preparation beforehand. It’s almost impossible to get a good grade in any assessment without studying. That’s the first thing you need to realise: the only way to do well in an oral exam is to study and prepare.

How to Study for an Oral Exam


What we’re going to look at here is how to prepare in the best possible way. And the first step is to understand the importance of how you study. How you study is almost as important as what you’re studying. When you’re preparing for an oral exam, there are two levels you need to take into account. One is the content. The other is how that content is going to be used. When you have to go through an oral exam, you need to think and plan before opening your mouth and beginning to speak. If you’ve studied the content, the knowledge and information are already there, in your head.

What you need to do now is pass on that knowledge to the examiner verbally, orally. To do that, you need to plan your introduction, how you’re going to make your different points, give the different chunks of information in the correct order, using the right words and examples, and how to draw your conclusion. If you don’t plan how you’re going to get the content you know across, there’s a strong chance that you won’t be clearly understood. You might start to stumble over your words. Or repeat things that are already clear.


Maybe you’ll discuss concepts in the wrong order. And the sequence your argument follows is very important to ensure you make yourself understood. Maybe you’ll forget to mention important aspects that are crucial to reaching your conclusion. What you’re looking for, in any kind of communication, is to always attain the highest level of clarity you possibly can. Don’t try to overcomplicate things. Don’t use difficult jargon in a bid to impress. The clearer your idea is, the higher your communication will be rated.

Anyone looking to share valuable ideas doesn’t try to hide behind difficult words. That clarity should also come across in the way you articulate your words and use your voice. No need to speak fast, swallowing up your words. Be clear. Keep calm. In an oral exam, calm is perceived by the examiners as an extra indication that you really know what you’re talking about. Appearance matters when you’re in a situation where you’re presenting. And when you start to speak slowly and calmly, you’ll already stand out from the other students.

This tiny difference can be decisive in oral exams and interviews where only the best applicants make the cut. Your examiner could be assessing dozens, maybe even hundreds of other people. The examiner is probably tired. It’s your duty to make the examiner’s job easier. So the first point is to pay extra attention to the way you talk, the way you pass on your knowledge orally. The clearer you are, the better. And the way you get that clarity is through practice. Practice until you get good at it. There’s a concept I explain in our course How To Learn Faster and this is it: truly mastering the content is one thing.

Being under the illusion of mastering the content is another. Unfortunately, we don’t have much clarity on the difference between truly knowing something, and thinking we know it. Here’s a good example: you’re trying to sing some song at karaoke. You choose a song you like, a song you’ve listened to hundreds of times before. You might even have sung it in the shower. The trouble is, once you’ve got the mic and need to start singing, you realise you don’t know the lyrics and have no idea how to sing certain bits of it.

That surprise uncovers the difference between knowing how to sing and thinking you know how to sing. Similarly, you might really know how to answer in an oral exam, or you might just think you know the right answers. To really know how to answer in an oral exam, you need to practice what you know and how you know it. First of all, you need to study the subject, same as you would for a written exam. Then, you need to practice speaking. Think about possible questions the examiner might ask and start to answer them orally. You can do this alone, or practice answering someone else, like a classmate, a friend or a relative.

It’s a good idea to film this practice with your phone. That way you can look back at the footage and identify where you need to improve. The more you practice, the better. For you to deliver an easy performance, your training has to be difficult. With deliberate practice, you’ll uncover the weaknesses and gaps in your knowledge. It’s important to be aware of the points on which you need to keep improving. And one of those points is probably using the right words. Use precise terminology. Now let’s look at this in more detail.

Any mastery of knowledge implies a set of technical terms which are crucial for professionals and students of the field to successfully communicate. During your oral exam, the questions will contain technical terms you’ll need to respond to. When you answer, you need to use all the technical terms in a precise way. If you avoid using technical terminology in your answer, you might give the impression that you’re not very secure in your knowledge. When you use the technical terms, you’re showing that you’ve really understood what’s being asked.

For instance, in a medical oral exam, I’m much better off saying: "ghrelin is a peptide hormone produced by the cells in the gastrointestinal tract which regulates the appetite." That will result in a much better grade than if I say something like: "we all have this substance inside our body that ends hunger by telling the brain that we’re full and can stop eating." You might say my second example was a clearer answer to the question. Sure, the second reply is much clearer if I’m talking to people outside of the medical field. Anyone can understand my second example. However, my first answer is also clear and it’s much more precise if my audience is composed of medical professors, in the context of an oral exam.

So it’s important to know who your audience is when you communicate. In the case of an oral exam in your first year at university, the vocabulary you use will be different from an oral exam as a postgrad. The worst is when you use a technical term inappropriately. To avoid this, it’s essential you set aside some time during your preparation to understand the correct usage of the technical terminology. To answer clearly, clarify the question. Just as you need to be clear when you answer in an oral exam, you also need to be sure you’ve understood the question clearly. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask your panel of examiners questions to make sure you’re answering the correct question. In case you’re not completely sure about the question, say something like that: "Excuse me, regarding the question about blah blah blah could you clarify in which context, A or B, you’d like me to answer?"

Another handy, generic way of saying this is: "I like that topic and I believe I’ve got different arguments to discuss.To be sure I’m approaching this the right way, could you please rephrase the question?" You can also rephrase the question yourself and say: "I want to be sure I’m about to answer your question properly. Could you please confirm that when you asked me about blah blah blah you wanted me to answer in relation to yada yada yada?" When you clarify the question like this, what you’re doing is putting yourself in the examiner’s shoes for a minute. And that’s exactly the point of our last tip.

Put yourself in the examiner’s and other students’ shoes. When you’re preparing for an oral exam, one of the best things you can do is to watch other oral exams, paying attention to the dynamics of questions and answers between the teachers and other students. This will allow you to understand what counts as good practice, and what you should avoid. You can do this in person or search for video recordings of oral examinations. When you find these, try to put yourself in the examiner’s shoes. What are you hoping to get out of a student ? How would you phrase your questions? What criteria would you use to assess the student in the fairest possible way? Then try putting yourself in the student’s shoes.

Imagine you’re that student answering the exam panel’s question. How would you meet the assessors’ expectations? How would you speak to ensure you’re conveying your ideas in the clearest possible way? What topics would you need to study to master the content that’s being covered? The more you practice this exercise of putting yourself in the examiner’s and other students’ shoes, the easier it will be to achieve a good grade in your oral exam. Knowing how to study for an oral exam is something very few students excel at. It’s not enough to have mastered your subject. You also need to pass on that knowledge orally as clearly as possible.

To do that, you need to prepare well and structure the best way to answer questions in your head beforehand. Then, you need to practice until you get good at it. Preferably by recording your trials to identify areas where you need to improve, such as the use of precise terminology. On the day of the oral exam, remember to clarify the exact question you were asked. And put yourself in the teachers’ and other students’ shoes to observe what’s best practice and what you need to avoid. These are just a few quick tips on learning how to learn.

If you’ve stayed here up to this point in the conversation, I’d like to point you in the direction of our course How To Learn Faster. This course will teach you more advanced techniques to do better not only in oral exams, but also in written exams, entrance exams and even when you’re looking for a better job or want to take your professional career to the next level.
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Most Important Tips to Making Most Out of Interships

Congratulations on your upcoming internship. Here's some tips to help you excel and create a lasting impression. Treat your internship like a 3-month interview. From an employer's perspective, you're demonstrating whether or not you'd be a successful job candidate in the future. Even if you're not interested in working for the organization full-time, you never know where connections you'll form might lead.

Most Important Tips to Making Most Out of Interships


Be like a sponge. Sponges soak up everything around them. At your internship, you will have many opportunities for professional development, including unique ones that those higher up in your organization may not even have.

For example, socialize with fellow interns or colleagues during break times. You can also show up to meetings a little bit early or stay a little late so you can learn more about the organization and industry from co-workers. You might even decide to keep a spreadsheet with information about the people you meet so that when you contact them in the future you remember who they are.


For many people, internships are a way to not only explore an industry but develop both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are teachable and measurable. For example, conversational proficiency in Arabic and the ability to use Adobe InDesign would qualify as hard skills. Soft skills are more subjective and could include traits such as leadership and problem-solving. To make the most out of your experience, set S.M.A.R.T. goals before your internship begins.

These are smaller goals that will help you achieve your long-term vision. In order for a goal to be S.M.A.R.T., it needs to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. S.M.A.R.T. goals allow you to check off tasks relevant to your personal and professional development. They hold you accountable. (upbeat music) Maybe you're a second-year with a smaller professional network.

For you, S.M.A.R.T. goal could be having lunch with five different co-workers individually by the end of the summer. Or maybe you're a third-year looking to master a new research technique. A relevant S.M.A.R.T. goal might be to run an experiment from start to finish on your own. Now for some do's and don'ts. Don't assume you know the dress code. Do you talk to your supervisor beforehand. What you wear will vary by industry, company, and job function.

Many organizations adopt a business casual dress code, which typically includes dress shirts or blouses, slacks, dresses or skirts that are below the knee, and dress shoes that cover all or most of the foot. Everything you wear should be free of wrinkles and holes. Don't assume you know all about the industry even if you've taken courses, done research, or had other internships.

Do ask your supervisor questions. They will have valuable industry and career insights. Additionally, clear communication will help you excel at your internship. Don't turn in a second rate job assignment. Do treat every task seriously. If it's a reading piece, search for typos. If it's a photograph, check the focus and composition. Don't sit idly or look at your phone. Do be proactive about your work. If you finish an assignment early, ask your supervisor if there's anything else you can do to help.

It makes a good impression and sharpens your skills. Do be mindful of what you post on social media, document your experience, and explore the area. Staying social media-savvy keeps your public image clean, because anything you post online can be found by current and future employers. Documenting your experience gives you a chance to develop a visual resume and portfolio, and if you're traveling to new city for your internship, exploration will help you determine whether or not you might like living there later on.

Next steps, at the end of your internship A the end of your internship, we hope you'll leave with at least with one professional connection. Invite your new contact to connect to LinkedIn and stay in touch. They could be the reference that helps you land your next job. At any point in your internship, know that the CLS is here for you. Sometimes challenges can arise such as unrealistic expectations, bias in the workplace, and budgeting concerns. If you have a question, don't be afraid to ask. We're here all year, including the summer. You can make an appointment with the CLS via Handshake, or call 641-269-4940 from 8 a.m. To 5 p.m. To browse our online resources, check out the CLS Grinnell share page.
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Most Important Puppy Training Games

Want to build a stronger bond with your puppy, pretty quickly? Watch this video for 2 fun games to play with your puppy that will help you two build a stronger bond together! Michele here with How to Train a Dream dog, I’m the creator of 30 Days to Puppy Perfection, our signature online puppy training program where you can train your puppy from the comfort of home!

For the best puppy training tips and tricks, subscribe to my channel and be sure to hit the bell to stay notified when I post new content each week If you're wondering how to get your puppy to tune in to you faster or come running when you call “come” then you need to work on building a better bond with your puppy today! By the end of this video, you’ll have 2 simple games you can play with your puppy anywhere.

Most Important Puppy Training Games


I’ve shared these games with thousands of my students and I want to share them with you too! The best way to get your puppy tuned in to you faster is to start training them! Training doesn’t have to be boring. I love to make training “game-like” so my puppies want to come back for more! Keep in mind your puppy doesn’t understand commands when you first bring them home. So if you’re asking them to do something and they aren’t responding, It isn’t that they are ignoring you, most times it’s because they don’t fully understand what you’re saying.

The games I’m sharing with you today start to get your puppy to want to learn what those “words” are when you teach them, because they will be more eager to learn from you when you’re having fun! Lets dive into


Game #1: Button Pusher The goal of this game is to get our puppy to touch our hands on command. This is a useful game to play when you need to keep your dog’s attention... say at the Vet’s office Or when you need to get your dog in or on something such as the scale and they are too focused on what’s going on beneath their feet. This game helps them refocus on you and “pushing the button” In this game, you're going to pretend your hands are the buttons on a vending machine.

One Hand will be the button and the other hand will be the dispenser. Grab your training treats and leash up your dog. I have a link to my favorite training treats in the description below. Start by rubbing a tiny bit of treat on the button hand and then take the other hand and hide it behind your back, the dispenser hand only comes out when your dog has “pushed the button” As soon as your dog sniffs your hand or bumps your hand with their nose you’re going to click (if you’re using a clicker) or use your verbal marker word such as “yes or “good” The clicker is also in the description below and you can grab yours there.

Remember click or mark the exact moment your dog bumps your hand and immediately deliver one treat to your pup, make sure you deliver the treat close to the button hand This helps your dog understand that bumping the button is exactly what you wanted them to do! Don’t try to push your button hand at your dog as this will likely get them to back away and not want to play the game again It’s important that you don’t say anything while you’re waiting for your pup to figure this out.

The only time you say anything is when your pup bumps your hand! You’ll want to get your pup to the point that they are rapid fire bumping your hand. Then you’ll know it’s time to switch hands. Once your dog fully understands what’s going on, you’re going to start to put the command “touch” to this game. You should only say “touch” when your dog actually touches your hand. Your dog does not know what “touch” means just yet.

You are in what we call the word association phase of learning. This means pairing a word with a behavior. This is how our dog eventually learns that when you say a word it means they should follow… we call that the command. You’ll be tempted to ask your dog to “touch” right out of the gate… don’t do it. Wait until they understand that touching your hand is the correct behavior before you start calling it something!

Once your dog starts to understand that touch means bump your hand… this can take anywhere from 30-100 repetitions, then I want you to start to ask your pup for the “touch” command As soon as they bump your hand you’ll click and use your marker word. Your dog now knows how to touch on command! Play this game in different rooms or locations and at various times with different levels of distractions going on.

Always start with low-level distractions and gradually work up to higher level distractions. We want our dog more focused on us and the Button Pushing game than anything else going on all around them! Next up is a super fun game that I want you to take very slow. This game is introduced in phases and should not be played all at once or all on the same day. Lets dive into

Game #2: Target The goal of this game is to get your pup to run and touch the target pad on cue this is actually one of the games we start with when we introduced our dogs to the sport of agility... But today we are going to use it a little differently! You can use the target to get your puppy more focused on you at the vets office, or send them away from the door when company comes over.

Toss the target away and make them go to the target instead of racing to the guests and jumping all over them! You could even use it to lure your dog back to you if they got loose since they will know how to play this fun game! It’s also just a really fun game to play with your dog anywhere since the target is easy to pack up and take with you where ever you go. In this game you're going to grab a target, I use a white or yellow tub drain cover. I put the link to a good “target” in the description below. You want to use something that can be easily seen by your dog, can be tossed away from you without rolling away or getting blown away if you’re playing outside.

The drain covers make an excellent target! Ok, you’ve got your target and your training treats right? Make sure to leash up your dog… We leash our dogs up because they may get confused and walk away. We want to keep them engaged, and with a little help, they will be able to figure this game out in record time! Phase one is all about teaching them to bump the target that you’re holding in your hand. Make sure you hold the target so your dog can’t actually touches your hand. If you’ve played the “Button Pusher” game first, they will likely want to try to get to your hand as that’s the last game they learned.

You may need to tilt your hand or maneuver it so they only bump the target. When they do, click and mark that with your clicker and “yes” or “good” Remember your treat hand goes behind you until it’s time to deliver the reward. Once they have a solid understanding of bumping it in one hand, switch hands. Phase 2 is all about teaching them the word “target” This means you’re going to only say the word when they are actually touching the target. As their nose touches the target say “target” Do this several times until they understand that touching the target is what you want.

Phase 3 I want you to hold the target in several positions and get your dog to follow the command “target” Remember when they touch the target...immediate click and reward Phase 4 this will be played another day, maybe tomorrow. It’s important to let the previous phases or steps sink in before playing this next phase of the game. In phase 4, we want to teach them that the target can also be touched when it’s on the floor, so you’re going to put the target on the floor in front of you and point to the target while asking for the command Now this part is huge!!

Do not feed them from your hand after they have touched or bumped the target. Only feed them from on the target! The goal is to get them to go to the target and stay at the target, not come running back to our hand. Eventually, we are going to toss the target away from us, and they will have to go to it and touch it on command, not come running back to you every time. DO NOT PUSH AHEAD - this is very common as we get excited about the new skill our dog is learning… and we tend to push too fast In order for your dog to get to the point of tossing it away from you, you’re going to slowly increase the distance between you and the target gradually.

So day 1 might be right in front of you and day 2 might be a foot away, day 3 might be 2 feet away from you and so on. Remember, you’re still feeding from the “target” not your hand. Now there are several other games we can play once your dog knows “target” but we’ll save those for another video!! Remember go slow when introducing these games to your dog.

Don’t forget there is a difference between the word association phase and the command phase. If you’re looking for additional training tips and tricks for you and your puppy be sure to join my Facebook Group: Puppy Training With Michele Lennon Make sure you subscribe to my channel too, you don’t want to miss when more games or training videos come out! If you like this video, please let me know by hitting the like button, and share it with another new puppy owner so they can learn about puppy training games too! Oh I almost forgot… If you’re interested in learning more about how you can train your puppy at home, and you want to know what 30 Days to Puppy Perfection is all about… just click the link in the description.
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