the encouragement lounge: March 2013

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Good Powerpoint Design by Garr Reynolds

Many of you are preparing slides for end-of-semester presentations. Here is terrific advice from Garr Reynolds. I worked through his book "Presentation Zen" while I was a doc student and I believe that my powerpoint design skills improved significantly. For a short version of his strategy, visit

What is good powerpoint design?

For more, check out his book: "Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)" by Garr Reynolds. (New Riders 2011)

Sending you good energy for the work!
Harriet

Photo by HLS

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Proofreading tips

Hi all,

Grammar Girl is an excellent resource to help you sort out grammar questions and to understand writing feedback that you might get from your professors. Here's a terrific grammar girl post that will help you improve your writing:

Proofreading Tips

Cheering you on in your work!
Harriet

Photo by HLS

Working adult students, on my mind...

I hope this blog will be helpful to friends and others involved in a variety of endeavors. However, I created the blog with students in mind and continue to develop it with that specific group as my focus.

I believe that with the increase in evening, weekend, and low-residency programs, students are working more and more in isolation. If we were all full-time students on campus, we would have the informal support that comes with being able to go down the hall and talk with a colleague, etc. But instead, we are working late nights and weekends at home in front of the laptop.

With that in mind, I hope the encouragement lounge provides brief moments of respite and energizing connection. This does not at all replace valuable face-to-face contact. Many aspects of the academic journey can only be addressed via in-depth conversations with colleagues and teachers. And I would always rather sit down and talk with someone than to communicate online. Nonetheless, my aim is to give you one more channel for quick hits of support.