IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOVEL CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19)

With regard to the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19), please go to this new blog site for up-to-date information:

https://newsaboutcovid19.blogspot.com/

I suspect many people either haven't noticed the news about this unsuspected threat to our health.  Most would have little 'respect' for what another pandemic (such as the Spanish Flu of 1918 that killed more than 30 million people globally) would mean for our borderless world today. 

However, as of yesterday, medical experts are now considering it the early stages of a new global pandemic -- although only 1,114 have reportedly died in 28 countries (and on three large cruise ships mored out in the ocean). 

The most serious problem is that China hides the truth to save face, especially in these dark economic times.  But they have closed their entire border with Russia at this time so that may indicate they are taking this more seriously than they are saying!

I've been researching the progress of the disease regularly, since it was first reported widely on 23 January 2020, and keep a spreadsheet of changes as I discover them. 

Also, in the www.WeakDayDevotion.com you can find updates daily regarding general and specific information about this serious threat and am happy to share new information with you, as I discover it.  I will endeavour to keep this blog article updated as well.

I fear California and New York especially, with all the homelessness and growing deterioration of sanitation will become increasingly dangerous. 

Important Links for Resource Information

(NOTE:  Words underlined have a link you can click embedded and they will take you to more details.  Also, I provide the actual link itself that you can copy and paste into your browser, if you would prefer to do this.  

A.  Here is some general information about the behaviour of the disease and basic protective strategies:

Urgent – IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE NOVEL CORONA VIRUS:

Or copy and paste this link into your browser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5AbqlCHuc&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1T_EodoJy5AruR8OObewB1-GyfvvSMGl8tVCyZ803tcoluTK_IGIDQC-s

B.  VERY IMPORTANT LINK (1 hour and 7 minutes, but well worth the time for some insights as to how we are where we are today from two US/Chinese experts, who share some credible opinions on why this information has been withheld):  

Or copy and paste this link into your browser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBxZ1XIYmGc&list=TLPQMDMwMjIwMjCf_PKQJOfDTQ&index=3

As information grows, more information is now available.  I've found two, what seems credible sources of dynamic statistics, but the one from China is no longer being updated:

C.  JOHN HOPKINS USA

• Click:  Latest Update:   (source John Hopkins)  Or copy and paste this link into your browser:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

D.  Also, if you are interested in the details from a medical researcher’s point of view, Dr. John Campbell in the UK has been following and documenting the facts from the beginning.  He takes a little getting used to, but his information is sound:  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF9IOB2TExg3QIBupFtBDxg

Current Statistics for 13 February 2020 at 7PM in Sydney:

• ·        Discovered in 28 countries
• ·        60,414 reported, confirmed cases
•        8,043 in critical condition 
• ·        1,370 reported deaths (all in China but two - one in The Philippines and one in Hong Kong)

How the Virus Spreads  

Every day there are new discoveries.  As of today, one early symptom other than feeling like you're coming down with the flu is that in many cases you will have diarrhoea and an increasingly high fever. 

The virus is thought to spread:

a.   During an average 2-14-day incubation period when the infected person has no symptoms

b.   For an average of 10-14 days after an infected person has recovered because they remain infectious during this time and without symptoms.
c.  Those who have recovered from the virus can be reinfected in that there does not seem to be any lasting protection after recovery - no antibodies seem to be formed.

d.   Through droplets from person-to-person from sneezing or coughing when they do not cover their mouth.

e.   Through faecal material -- when someone with the virus, does not wash their hands properly after using the toilet and touches surfaces or shakes hands with someone (The virus can live up to nine days on a surface)

f.   When someone, who has not washed their hands properly with soap, uses an air dryer to dry their hands which can aerate (mix with air) the virus and others nearby inhale the virus. 
g.  Through pipes and air conditioners from infected people for up to nine days (such as in large apartment complexes or cruise boats).

NOTE:  Research shows that the average person touches their face about 400 times a day without thinking about the spread of any pathogen / disease.  This is especially of concern as it is spread when someone touches their eye after they have touched something where the virus is.  

Finally, the first case anyone is sure of was diagnosed (but not reported) on 3 December.  The first reported cases were reported on 23 January.  This was after China held an open, New Year’s banquet for 40,000-families (about 130,000 people). 

If you've not visited China, at these celebrations, most everyone uses their chopsticks to eat from communal/ shared bowls and plates.  The celebration was held before China banned travel outside the Wuhan Provence and before they admitted the disease existed. 

However, there are now credible doubts that many of the dates and numbers still today are not credible.  Those who initially began to identify the seriousness of the disease were arrested for speaking about it on social media, one of whom was the doctor who first identified it and he has now died.  

After this New Year’s banquet, it is estimated over five million individuals flew out of Wuhan Provence for Chinese New Year celebrations (think of Thanksgiving in the USA, when everyone has to go home) before they closed the city to travel.

How to Help Protect Yourself

Please take practical precautions (Matthew 10:16).  

There are still many unknowns about this new disease, that has been designated a pandemic (meaning world-wide consequences).  However, there are some things you can do to try to protect yourself, but need to be followed consistently during this time:

• 1.   Avoid crowded places and public transportation – so self-quarantine
• 2.   Avoid touching surfaces and shaking hands
• 3.   Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and scrubbing vigorously if you’ve been out or exposed to someone suspected of having the virus.
• 4.   It is coincidentally flu season, so many may feel ill and more than usual may want to go to the hospital or doctors.  Try to avoid this and if you feel you need help, call a health provider (doctor, clinic, hospital emergency room) rather than showing up and having to wait with other unwell people.
• 5.   Because this is a virus rather than a bacterium, the ‘virus germ’ is smaller than a bacteria, it is also protected by a barrier and does not die easily. 
• 6.   Hand sanitisers (that rely on alcohol) have not been found to be effective, although they do give a sense of doing something and may be most effective in reminding you to keep your hands away from your face.
• 7.   Face masks may be helpful, but they must be N-95 masks and must be worn correctly (Again, the virus is very small) and will slip through the smallest of cracks
• 8.   Glasses (or goggles) if you are near someone who is infected is recommended because eyes seem to be a window for the virus.  These droplets are small and travel through the air and may land on your face or eyes directly or be transferred to your eyes through inadvertent touching your eyes.

And an overview as of the 8^th February by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR0lgj0N2DI

NOTE:  It may be good to buy a few N-95 masks now while they are available and not priced for the market value (meaning when there is a great need someone will sell the masks but at a hugely inflated price).  It may be good to also have some other basic supplies on hand, as you may find yourself quarantined. 

My prayers are with you and I will update this article as new information becomes available.  Check here:  www.write4you.co (not com).

A Framework for Applying AI in the Enterprise

Though artificial intelligence (AI) will be increasingly used to produce new insights, transform decision making and drive improved business outcomes, many enterprise planners are not clear on what AI can do for their enterprise, and uncertain of how and where to begin using AI-based solutions.

Using AI to add value to the business is complicated. It requires an understanding of how this broad and rapidly evolving range of technologies can help and the best place(s) to deploy it.

Starting with a framework that divides the enterprise’s approach to AI into four major areas, learn how your organization can gain practical experience from AI pilots, experiments and early production systems — and then use it to revise plans and set realistic objectives for what AI can help you accomplish.

Don’t wait to jump in. AI-based features will be nearly pervasive in all new applications by 2020. Sign up now to access this complimentary Gartner research.

We need to invent a game that is a learning environment from the moment you enter and that mixes in the cryptocurrency idea…wait, that is what Second Life did….hummm.  Although, they didn’t quite get the cryptocurrency yet: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccacampbell1/2018/11/14/back-to-earth-is-merging-reality-and-fiction-gaming-with-crypto/#2adf2ef14025

How Taking Notes by Hand Improves Conceptual Memory

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Take a good look at this picture.  Although the leader of the meeting has a topic displayed, many of the attendees seem to be surfing for more ‘interesting’ material.  Having a BYOD (bring your own device) policy may seem modern, but it distracts and hampers your ability to remember what you are hearing.

We are all so bombarded by information every day and our brains are overloaded with short-term items.  You need techniques to move what you learn from short-term memory to long-term memory and be able to ‘locate’ that information when you need it.  This can’t happen without good gathering and storage habits! 

This short article will present some reasons why taking notes by hand (paper and writing implement) is an easy way to cement learnings for future recall from business meetings and classes. 

"Anything that creates active learning — generating understanding on your own — is very effective in retention. It basically means the learner needs to become more involved and more engaged, and less passive."[1]

Laptop Note-taking Research

A study[2] by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer looked at the note-taking habits of college students from Princeton and UCLA. Students watched a 15-minute TED talk video, taking notes along the way. Researchers compared those who took notes by hand and those who took notes on a laptop and found that while the factual recall of knowledge was similar, the conceptual recall had a clear winner. 

Those who took notes by hand did significantly better on understanding concepts.

Beyond a better understanding of concepts, a no-laptop rule helps with focus and attention, and surprisingly improves handwriting (you must be able to decipher your notes for later). 

The graph below illustrates the difference in individual performance between those who took notes by hand and those who took notes on a laptop during classes and meetings.  Findings demonstrated that while factual recall of information is similar, conceptual recall is significantly better for those who take notes by hand (connecting ideas for better recall and retrieval from long-term memory).

The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard

Your brain is continually upgrading what is stored in it by your everyday experiences as well as formal learning situations.  Handwriting helps you more deeply ‘encode’ what you are trying to learn because it gives you time to push the learning further into memory.

    Click on the pen: 

Handwriting Literally Rewires Your Brain by  

The Upgrade With Makai Allbert (9 min 47 sec)

How We Remember

Basically, there are two modes of thinking that result in the different ways memories are stored.    

·         Focused – when you concentrate on the topic at hand and eliminate as many distractions as possible – like cramming for an exam.  This mode activates superficial, short-term memory.  (Short-term memory is like a big bucket.  As it gets full, it spills out information.  This information is lost from memory.)

·         Diffused – a more relaxed style, a more neural-resting state.  During this mode, ideas travel along regular and familiar patterns and activate deep, long-term memory. (Long-term memory is like containers where information is stored more securely.  These memories are stored in ‘somewhat’ orderly ways for future retrieval.)

If you want to remember the things you are learning, you need to establish connections within your brain between focused (short-term) and diffused (long-term storage).  If not, the learnings evaporate out of the focused bucket.  

For a thought to stay put, those new thoughts need space to stretch out and ‘search broadly’ to make sensible and strong connections.  Taking notes by hand or a bit of momentary daydreaming or looking into the distance gives this short-term/ long-term memory process time to do just that.

One of the great lessons I learned from great leaders such as Ted Turner and Richard Branson was that you should never feel awkward take notes by hand while you are listening to someone.  Not only would it help remember what others said it also was a good way of letting others know you were truly listening.  Plus. later you can use those same nuggets of wisdom to strengthened your future.

Brain Exercising

In conclusion, your brain is somewhat like a muscle.  When you go to a class or into a business meeting, it is like going to the gym.  To remember best, you need to practice both sets (different types of exercises for the muscles – focused learning) and repetitions (diffused, relaxed learning) to increase strength of retrieval. 

Next article will feature note-taking methods that are easy and effective.

References

Books:

Copyright © 1995, DePorter, Bobbi, (with Hernacki, Mike), Quantum Learning, Unleash the Genius Within You, Judy Piatkus Publishers LTD, London

Copyright © 2014, Brown, Peter C with Roediger III, Henry L and McDaniel, Mark A., Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning,

Articles:

Halber, Deborah, ‘Making Memories’, BrainFacts.org, 27 September 2018: http://www.brainfacts.org/Thinking-Sensing-and-Behaving/Learning-and-Memory/2018/Making-Memories-092718 

Mueller, Pam A; Oppenheimer, Daniel M, ‘The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard’, 23 April 2014, Sage Journals:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614524581

Shen, Yifan, ‘Effective Tips on Taking Notes in Class’:  https://www.artofsmart.com.au/effective-tips-take-notes-class/

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[1] Roediger, Henry and McDaniel, Mark, Washington University research papers on learning and memory. 

[2] Lee, Kevan, ‘9 Science-Backed Methods for More Productive Meetings, FastCompany, 21 July 2014.

Return to a Gas War Mentality

I found this article today in one of my clipping services and it made me stop and consider a few things.  Yes, we all want to be smart with our funds, but this may be a bit of a wake-up call for all of us.

Click on the Morton Salt Box for the article:

I believe the name brands are (or were) a "seal" of quality and care. 

Recovering resources, making them safe, parcelling and packaging them takes time and money – therefore staff, operational infrastructure, health and safety, etc., all of which increase in cost as an organisation prospers. 

As a child, I remember the fun of finding the cheapest gasoline.  We would drive around for an hour and many times we would find a gas station on each of the four corners of a cross street, each offering gas at different prices.  This was where the expression “gas war” comes from.

If we all just buy products at the cheapest price, quality deteriorates.  Can you imagine how eventually this may result in a return to times when food and other products weren't safe> 

Branding was just that -- a mark that indicated a particular brand had high quality and purity standards, over others.  This used to be a differentiator that made a company number one amongst all competitors!

I would hope that has continued.  However, I fear the breaking point comes when brand based/ quality organisations feel they must start cutting out this or that, to ensure they can survive as cheap products flood the market and use as their only difference low cost. 

The trusted brand may begin to search for, and cut corners to meet the competition, their quality then plummets – all that is left is a gas war and the consumer is the loser in the end. 

Let’s not get too carried away with this idea!

Timeless Love

Doesn't it seem rather special to meet a couple nowadays where the individuals have chosen to stay together longer than a few years?   Do you ever notice older couples holding hands walking in a shop or going to an event who "seem" to still be in love?  I do, and it makes me feel all fluffy and happy inside.  

It reminds me of how I thought love was supposed to and would last forever.

I watched the emotional and acrimonious "relationship" my parents rumbled around in and always hoped for better.  Something more "Father Knows Best" or "Donna Reed" or even "Leave It To Beaver".  But we do not get what we wish for ... we get what we need as we are growing up, so we are better and stronger than we would have been if we had only gotten what we wished for.

 I was surprised, though, when I discovered that there was a huge love there between my parents.  It had drawn them together (well probably more like lust and convenience at first) and held them there supporting each other...even if sometimes reluctantly and resentfully.  

I know they both had unfulfilled dreams and unsatisfied desires, yet they managed the "to death do you part" bit for nearly 45 years when my Daddy passed away into Glory...the last day of the year in 1979.

Anyway, I thought this was rather poignant and thought-provoking for all of us to consider and maybe inspire us to turn to our spouses (and even sweet and special friends) and thank them for their faithfulness and loyalty.  It is a rare quality today. 

Four Things to Know About World Mental Health Day

October 10th is World Mental Health Day - a time to focus your attention on the growing problem of mental illness and its major effects in people's lives-- and the growing stresses facing employees serving customers in non-face-to-face roles.  

Did you realize it's estimated that one in every four adults will experience mental health difficulties at one time or another.  

Snapshotz Online's research with 1,700 organisations worldwide, points to one critical factor that could improve mental health within every customer contact centre.  Over three-quarters (78%) of senior executives and contact centre leaders are not fully aware of the physical and emotional impact of dealing with customers regularly.

Increase in self-service channels has amplified pressures for customer service employees.  Many customer, who can't or don't want to manage self-service channels call for help.  By the time they reach one of your customer service representatives their frustration level (and anger) may have reached a tipping point.

This compounds stress for those measured on quickly meeting customer satisfaction targets.  Over time, these difficult exchanges can affect employee self-esteem, decrease  productivity, increase lateness, illness and absenteeism.  Employees who do show up to work every day carry a heavier load of responsibilities and thus even more stress.  In the end, stress is a major factor in many mental health situations.

In the best centres we've audited, the way to break the cycle is involvement of senior staff. 

1.          They must be aware of the challenges.  In The Customer Response Management Handbook , the author recommends senior staff set aside a few hours regularly (if possible once a week) to listen in (ideally double jacking) to customer calls with some of the employees.  We have seen that this one change alone can make a huge difference with decision making throughout the organisation.

2.          There must be adequate budget set aside for a good wellness program.  One highly regarded group is Wellness First, in Australia/ NZ.  They have a great track record setting up practical and cost effective programs.  They specialise in customer service centres and cover basics such as resilience, eating well, drinking enough water, exercising, having a healthy social network, as a start. 

3.          Ensure team leaders and managers are taught to recognise the signs of physical and mental stress with customer service employees.

4.          Finally, encourage staff to feel comfortable and safe to ask for help when things seem overwhelming.

Work Health and Safety (WH&S) goes beyond ergonomics and lunch breaks.  Healthy employees are the greatest resource a business has.  The benefits of good physical and mental health include:

·         High levels of staff engagement (being on time and ready to work)

·         Increased energy and enthusiasm to resolve customer queries

·         Customers sense the positive attitude and customer satisfaction soars

·         Service levels increase

·         Products and services are delivered more accurately and timely

·         Better harmony with other internal departments

·         More frequently meeting performance, revenue and cost-cutting targets

Reach out to us if you would like to know more about this topic or if you would like to become part of the Snapshotz Online assessment, Snapshotz Remotability and Professional Certification Programs.  We are here to help you improve your work-life balance and the results from your customer service efforts.

Loss of Focus in the Shallows

Is the Internet another way our value of responsibility is slipping away?

More to come...