Nobel International Fraternity Academy

Dr. Theodor W. Hänsch, professor at Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics at Ludwig-Maximilian’s University in Munich, Germany, endorsing Nobel Academy

11.12.2014 by Admin

Theodor Wolfgang Hänsch (born 30 October 1941) is a German physicist. He received one fourth of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics for “contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique”, sharing the prize with John L. Hall and Roy J. Glauber. Hänsch is Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik (quantum optics) and Professor of experimental physics and laser spectroscopy at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. He was awarded the Comstock Prize in Physics from the National Academy of Sciences in 1983.

After his visit to Azerbaijan, Dr. Thomas Hänsch pointed out that “It has been a moving experience to visit the historic Villa Petrolea in Baku, Azerbaijan, and to be reminded so vividly of the gigantic philanthropic achievements of the Nobel family.”

He also endorsed Philip Nobel, President of the Nobel International Academy, for his actions and ambitions of the Academy. “With your creation of the Nobel International Academy you are continuing this proud family tradition. By offering opportunities for education to students and scholars from all over the world, you are pursuing an enlightened goal which is most important for the future of mankind and our planet.” (Professor Theodor W. Hänsch)

We are very proud to be endorsed for our activities and continuing efforts that will open the door to education for students and scholars from all over the world.

Photo: Dr. Theodor W. Hänsch, professor at Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics at Ludwig-Maximilian’s University in Munich, Germany, speaks to a packed PHYS 112 on Oct. 31.

How to achieve your goals more efficiently?

14.11.2014 by Admin

Goals: Many of us have objectives and goals we are trying to reach in life. Those can vary from passing a degree to getting employment, setting up your own entrepreneurial venture or even health & fitness goals. To achieve goals, you must know what the actual goal is, which actions and resources it takes, how to implement those, what may hinder you and how to keep your motivation going. We’d like to share with you some tips on how to achieve your goals more efficiently.

1. Goals – SMART

In project management the SMART approach is a very common way of setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bond. Unless you can clearly define each of those, you may have troubles throughout the following steps and specifically when you will try to identify when you have achieved your goal at the end. A SMART goal for our online student for example may be studying one learning objective for each subject (Measurable) during one-week for 5 hours daily (Time-bond) by creating mind-maps (Specific) of the materials during the first 3 days and then implementing the contents of the mind maps over the following 3 days by taking quizzes or sample test questions on those learning objectives. Taking one day a week “off” makes it realistic since we all need the occasional break. Splitting the big task into smaller objectives of taking one learning unit at a time makes it more achievable as well.

2. Action plan and Resources

To achieve any goal, commitment and dedication is key. Seeing the big picture and being able to break it down into smaller components, will show the relevant actions it takes to turn the goal into reality. Breaking it down into minor milestones, the resources in terms of timing, maybe facilities, financial, human capital and other becomes evident. In the example of our online student, he will need a study room that is available to him during the hours he is most productive in the day (or night) and the support he gets from the faculty through our online platform.

3. Possible obstacles

No project or goal will ever be achieved without unexpected challenges that may make the road to success a bit bumpy. The first step is to be aware in advance that setbacks are normal and may come rather then letting them take you by surprise. Many possible obstacles can be foreseen in advance, have a plan B how to decrease their impact on your success of achieving the goal. In the example of our student, he may get a cold in autumn and not be able to study for several days onwards. As long as he has calculated extra weeks for his exam preparation in advance, such an obstacle will not hinder him achieving the final goal.

In our next blog post, we will share with you two remaining tips on how to achieve your goals more efficiently. In the meantime, let us know which you are trying to tackle; we’d love to hear from you.

Productivity – Are you always being productive?

27.10.2014 by Admin

Productivity: In today’s every day life we are constantly bombarded with information. Our smartphones, tablets, laptops, blogs, news feeds and many others are ways of keeping us constantly busy and engaged. But does being active and busy mean being productive? Probably not…..

Productivity is the way of doing things in a smart manner in an optimized time manner; many tools and apps can support us in that. Productivity is also about choosing what’s important and has to be done and what is rather a distraction. I was recently at a conference where someone approached me and said “I really like what you said about getting things done”. In my little speech I was indeed talking about doing things and getting things done as two different pairs of shoes. I am sure many of you have met people who are so seemingly busy but don’t seem to get a lot done. You have also probably met people who seem at ease but are very productive. Those see the core of productivity as getting things done and delivering results.

Let me give you a concrete example. You have signed up for an online course and as part of your graduation you have to pass an assignment. Now, to pass that successfully you need the technical knowledge, some research and critical thinking in that area to be able to produce your assignment. A productive person has a clear study plan in which he identifies the study schedule, the individual topics, the relevant readings leading to mind-maps of each study session. He will then schedule a review of the past mind-map during the next session to utilize the memory curve and memorize the contents of the previous sessions. He will then review the previous week’s mind maps, ideally from his memory since he will have memorized them by now. Now, let’s look at someone with low productivity. The person will sit down at random time, do some readings and maybe take some notes and repeat that over the course of a couple of weeks. The unproductive person will go back to the notes from the first session at some point and find that he doesn’t remember much. There we have it….productivity and getting results don’t come without one another.

Spending time on things is just spending time whereas structuring your approach, finding the most productive way around will safe your time and boost your productivity. How do you boost your productivity?

Public speaking tips – keep it short

12.10.2014 by Admin

Keep it short: Blaise Pascal once famously commented, “I have only made this letter rather long because I have not had time to make it shorter.” While it seems like the challenge of speaking with limited preparation would be finding enough to say, the opposite is often true. When at a loss for words, many of us underestimate the time we need — cramming in so many stories and points that we run well over our time and dilute our message. No one will appreciate your economy of words more than your listeners, so when in doubt, say less.

There’s no substitute for practice in offering impromptu remarks, and there are many things to consider when preparing for a great talk. But mastering a few basics, like those above, can make these public comments less stressful to prepare and easier for audiences to hear.

To succeed in keeping it short, we close the circle and go back to what we shared at the very beginning of our public speaking tips series, namely defining a structure. Know your intro, you main points and the supporting points for them and your conclusion. Don’t overdo it with detail, ideally have a clock in your eyesight to keep track of time or ask someone you know well from the audience to give you a sign at certain intervals.

We hope that our public speaking tips ranging from defining your structure, keeping your audience in mind, putting the punchline first, memorizing what to say not how to say it and keeping it short will equip you with some basic tools to prepare yourself for successful public speaking performances.

We’d love to here about your experience implementing any of those tips and how it went for you. Please share below.

Jean Jouzel, co –Peace Nobel Prize Winner in 2009 with Al Gore, endorsing Nobel Academy

30.09.2014 by Admin

Jean Jouzel, co-Peace Nobel Prize winner in 2009 with Al Gore, is a French glaciologist and climatologist. He is an authority on major climatic shifts based on his analysis of Antarctic and Greenland ice. He received with Claude Lorius the CNRS gold medal, the highest French scientific award. Jean Jouzel believes In the power of education and the opportunities which are opened to people who get access to education., impacting each individual’s fate, like his own.

“Being a descendent of a family of farmers since generations, I thoroughly enjoyed the education that was given to me from primary school to university and later on towards a PhD, who in turn opened up upon an exciting research career. My life is filled by these years of hard studies but they were also very happy. I wish that all young people could benefit from the same huge opportunities that I got, however, I know that many will not get it without a boost and adaptive aids. The actions conducted by the Nobel Academy in the field of higher education are likely to motivate young people and allow them to move forward”. (Jean Jouzel, co –Peace Nobel Prize Winner in 2009 with Al Gore)

Make sure to take your first action today towards the future you aspire and contact our programme advisors to support you choosing the right education for this journey.

Public Speaking tips – remember your audience

23.09.2014 by Admin

So far, we have covered some critical public speaking tips, namely how defining your structure and the power of a punchline will make you succeed at every public speaking occasion. The next public speaking tip is about your audience.

Remember your audience: All it takes is a few lines to make an audience feel acknowledged and a speech feel fresh. Tie the city in which you are speaking into your introduction. Draw parallels between the organization you’re addressing and one of the stories you tell. Mention someone by name, connecting them to the comments you’re offering. These are small gestures, but they make your remarks more tailored and relevant.

There is a significant difference on how you will present and the terminology you use based on who is in the audience. Scientists might want to hear one perspective, business people another and younger vs. more experienced listeners will also have a different set of expectations.

You can have the most competent presentation but if your audience is not educated enough on that topic, they will not get your message.

So make sure to put yourself in the shoes of your audience at all times and imagine what you would want to hear, if you were listening to someone giving a speech on that particular topic.

Public speaking tips – power of the punchline

17.09.2014 by Admin

In our series about public speaking tips, we are sharing with you today the next useful advice.

Put the punchline first: What is a punchline, you might want to ask? It is a profound statement, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to provoke a thought in the listeners. It is a powerful sentence that reveals the point of the speech, what it is you are really going to focus on.

Any presentation should have a clear thesis stated up front so that listeners can easily follow and interpret the comments that follow. We have seen many times presenters ramble through a speech with the audience wondering to the very end about the point of the comments. Giving a good business speech is not like telling a good joke. Don’t save the punch line for the end.

How do you prepare your punchline? There are several aspects to consider. Firstly, make sure it is straight to the point, clear and focused. You don’t want to have an explanation to follow your punchline but rather for your audience to grasp it immediately. Secondly, make it provocative. You want to trigger the audience’s interest and curiosity so that they want to listen more of what you are going to say. Lastly, make sure to include some humor where possible. Not every talk may allow and the circumstances for humor might not be appropriate, but if it fits, a humorous punchline is what will guarantee your the success performance.

Have a presentation coming up? What’s your punchline? We’d love to hear.

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