Women in Political Leadership Essay Example for Free

Women in Political Leadership Essay In this paper I will examine female political leadership. As a male growing up with a single mom that worked hard for equality, I understand firsthand the struggle that some women are met with. If we analyze the recent years, we can see that there has been numerous women that are soaring into leadership ranks in government. I find the leadership tactics of women prime ministers and heads of state; to have patterns that have emerged for women engaging in political positions in different section of the globe, when it comes to wealth, approach and communication relations. In addition, I will be making a distinction between the leadership techniques of women politicians within conventional societies with those directing resistance actions, as a result having a diverse resources and limitations in the way of organization and communication opportunities that are obtainable. Therefore, this paper will also confer the responsibility of ethical investment as a source for female opposition leaders, in specific in undemocratic framework. Female Heads of Government and the Use of Force  There is a great significance of the connection involving a high percentage of women in the legislative body and reduction in military expenditure, sex does affect this. Though, it is the widespread number of women in government that have a larger impression on military expenses than the sex of the particular leader. Just as the election of one African American president, has not ended a history of racism and tumultuous race relations, one female in office cannot make a notably change in the patterns of the administration. It will take an increase in the women legislative body of government that we will confirm whether there is a progression in the direction of reduced militarism. Gallagher (1993) projected three constructive conclusions of more women coming into the political arena: more collaborative policies, more diplomatic strategies and directives, and more democratic viewpoints and ideals within the government.

Synthesis of New Coordination Polymers or MOFs

Synthesis of New Coordination Polymers or MOFs 1.1 Design Principles Coordination polymers also known as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) or metal-coordination networks are compounds constructed from organic ligands and metal ions connected through coordination bonds and other weak chemical bonds which can extend infinitely into one two or three dimensions [1-3]. The arrangement of the components in coordination polymers mostly exists only in solid state which results from coordination interactions and weaker forces forming a smaller molecular units and growth occurs through self-assembly processes to give the final overall structure (Fig. 1) [4]. There are four different kinds of building blocks of which coordination polymers are built; ligands, metal ions or clusters, counter anions and solvent molecules. Metal ions which are called nodes or connectors and ligands which act as linkers are the main components [7]. They are the starting reagents which form the principal framework of the coordination polymer. The important characteristics of connectors and linkers are the number and orientation of their binding sites. Transition-metal ions are the most widely used connectors in the construction of coordination polymers. The choice of the metal and its oxidation state will determine the coordination geometries, which can be linear, T- or Y-shaped, tetrahedral, square-planar, square-pyramidal, trigonal-bipyramidal, octahedral, trigonal-prismatic, pentagonal-bipyramidal, and the corresponding distorted forms. Lanthanide ions are less used because of the high coordination number and variability coordination environment. However, th e large coordination numbers from 7 to 10 and the polyhedral coordination geometry of the lanthanide ions will create new and unusual network topologies. In addition, coordinatively unsaturated lanthanide ion centers can be generated by the removal of coordinated solvent molecules. The vacant sites could be utilized in chemical adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and sensors [8,9]. Multidentate carboxylate functionalities provide rigid frameworks due to their ability to chelate metal ions and lock in to M-O-C clusters, which are referred as secondary building units (SBUs). Instead of employing one transition metal ion at a network vertex, SBUs can produce extended frameworks of high structural stability. Metal-complex connectors have the advantage of controlling the bond angles and restricting the number of coordination sites; sites for no use can be blocked by chelating or macrocyclic ligands directly bound to a metal connector, and therefore, leave specific sites free for linkers [25,10,11]. Linkers are categorized in to three: inorganic, organic, and organic-inorganic hybrid types. Halides (F, Cl, Br, and I) are the smallest and simplest of all linkers. CN and SCN have similar bridging ability to halides [12,13]. Typical organic ligands are shown in Fig. 2 consisting of neutral, anionic and cationic organic ligands. The organic ligands act as bridging organic groups between the metal ions. Most famous neutral ligands are pyrazine (pyz) and 4,4’-bpy [15-18]. An example of a coordination polymer with the 4,4’-bpy ligand is illustrated in Fig. 3. Recent efforts have been devoted to utilization of long bridging ligands with appropriate spacers [20-25]. Among the anionic organic ligands di-,[26-28] tri-,[26, 29-32] tetra-,[33,34] and hexacarboxylate [35,36] molecules are representative anionic linkers. Coordination polymers having nonsymmetric anionic ligands described as pyridine-X-COO (X=spacer) have been exhaustively studied [37]. 1,4-Dihydroxy-2,5-benzoquinone and its derivatives provide a variety of frameworks, in which they act as linear linkers [38]. Coordination polymers with cationic organic ligands are very rare, which is naturally a result of their very low coordination power for cationic metal ions [39–43]. Developed were novel cationic ligands based on N-aryl pyridinium and viologen derivatives and were successfully employed [39–41]. Counter ions are present in the coordination frameworks when neutral bridging ligands are used as linkers to keep the neutrality in the overall charge. Furthermore, other roles such as coordination and hydrogen bonding linker, guest for vacant spaces in the solid state are expected, eventually resulting in overall structure regulation. Solvent molecules are used not only for reaction media, but also the regulation of framework topology. It may co-crystallize, increasing the number of possible weak interactions in the final solid state packing, and can also act as guest molecules in the vacant space between polymer construct [7]. Synthesis Many new coordination polymers or MOFs have been synthesized in the last few years; however, their methods of preparation and synthesis were quite similar. Most of them are synthesized by employing a so called â€Å"modular synthesis†, in which a mixture of metal precursors and appropriate ligands are combined under mild conditions to provide a crystalline porous network [26]. In most of the resulting materials the solvent used during synthesis is removed by applying vacuum, heat, or exchange with volatile molecules, resulting in large pore volume and large surface area accessible to guest molecules. Synthetic methods such as solvothermal synthesis (conventional approach), microwave synthesis [45], sonication synthesis [46], mechanochemical synthesis [47], and solid start synthesis [48] have been developed. Despite the simplicity of the synthesis, there are several challenges in the preparation of new materials related to the optimization of the reaction conditions that lead t o the desired MOF, in high yield and crystallinity. The following parameters can influence MOFs’ optimization and synthesis: temperature, solvent compositions, reaction times, reagent ratios, reagent concentrations, and pH of the co-solvent solution [44]. Accordingly, any change in any of these parameters can result in large number of network connectivities, many of which are nonporous and have adverse effect on the gas storage and separation applications. Therefore, large numbers of reactions trails are required to discover the new desired MOFs in which the reaction parameters are systematically varied. As a result high throughput technologies have been employed for the synthesis of new MOFs in the recent years [49,50]. 1.2.1 Solvothermal Synthesis Solvothermal methods have been confirmed to be among the most effective and convenient routes under relatively mild conditions, in particular for the crystal growth of coordination polymers [50-52]. Solvothermal reactions are carried out in closed vessels under autogenous pressure above the boiling point of the solvent. In most cases, high-boiling organic solvents have been used for solvothermal reactions. The most commonly used being dimethyl formamide, diethyl formamide, acetonitrile, acetone, ethanol, and methanol etc. Mixtures of solvents have also been used to tune the solution polarity and the kinetics of solvent-ligand exchange, effecting enhanced crystal growth. Solvothermal reactions can be carried out in different temperature ranges, depending on the requirement of the reaction [53]. When water is used as the solvent, the reactions are referred to as hydrothermal. The hydrothermal method has been used successfully for the synthesis of an enormous number of inorganic compoun ds and inorganic organic hybrid materials [54]. Due to their unique advantageous properties such as high thermal stability, air and moisture non-sensitivity, non-volatility, low reactivity, and templating and charge balancing ability of ionic liquids, they can be chosen as solvothermal reaction media. Solvothermal synthesis in ionic liquids is specifically referred to as ionothermal synthesis [55]. The coordination polymer [Cu(I)(bpp)]BF4 [bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane] [56] was prepared by solvothermal reaction using the ionic liquid [bmim][BF4] (bmim = 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium). The synthesis methods employed for different structures of coordination polymers (MOFs) and their key findings are listed in Table 1. 1.2.2 Microwave-assisted synthesis Microwave-assisted synthesis has attracted much attention as it provides a very rapid method for the synthesis of MOFs and has been used extensively to produce nanosize metal oxides [59]. Such processes involve heating a solution with microwaves for a period of about an hour to produce nanosized crystals. The microwave-assisted synthesis has been termed ‘microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis’ for the preparation of MOFs. Microwave-assisted processes generally produce the same qualities of crystals as those obtained by the regular solvothermal processes, but much quicker [60-64]. The first coordination polymer reported to be synthesized by microwave synthesis was Cr-MIL-100 [65]. The compound was synthesized in 4 h at 220 oC with 44% yield, which is comparable with that of conventional hydrothermal synthesis (220 oC and 4 days). The author expanded this method to synthesis of Cr-MIL-101 at 210 oC in less than 60 min, and reported similar physicochemical and textural properties compared with the standard material synthesized using the conventional electrical heating method [66]. Another coordination polymer, MOF-5, was also synthesized by applying microwave irradiation: increase in microwave irradiation time, power level, and concentration of the substrates beyond an optimal condition led to a reduction in synthesis time at the expense of crystal quality [67]. Microwave-assisted heating was found to be the method of choice to rapidly synthesize HKUST-1 crystals in the range of 10-20 ÃŽ ¼m in high yields (~90%) within 1 h [68]. Fe-MIL-53 [69], Fe-MIL-101-NH2 [7 0], IRMOF-3 (H2BDC-NH2) [71], and ZIF-8 (HMeIm) [72] were also synthesized using microwave-assisted synthesis method. 1.2.3 Sonochemical Synthesis Sonochemical methods can also achieve a reduction in crystallization time and significantly smaller particles size than those by the conventional solvothermal synthesis by homogeneous and accelerated nucleation [73,74]. A substrate solution mixture for a given MOF structure is introduced to a horn-type Pyrex reactor fitted to a sonicator bar with an adjustable power output without external cooling. After sonication, formation and collapse of bubbles will be formed in the solution which produces very high local temperatures (~5,000 K) and pressures (~1,000 bar) [74,75], and results in extremely fast heating and cooling rates (>1010 K/s) producing fine crystallites [76]. High-quality MOF-5 crystals in the 5-25ÃŽ ¼m range were obtained within 30min by sonochemical synthesis using NMP (1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) as the solvent [77]. Detailed characterization and comparison with a conventionally synthesized sample showed almost identical physical properties. HKUST-1 was also prepared using DMF/EtOH/H2O mixed-solution in an ultrasonic bath [78]. High-quality Mg-MOF-74 crystals (1,640m2/g BET surface area) with particle size of ca. 0.6 ÃŽ ¼m were successfully synthesized in 1 h by a sonochemical method after triethylamine (TEA) was added as a deprotonating agent. Interestingly, mesopores were formed, probably due to the competitive binding of TEA to Mg2+ ions [79]. ZIF-8 was prepared recently by a sonochemical method under the pH-adjusted synthesis conditions using NaOH and TEA [80]. Inexpensive industrial grade DMF was employed as a solvent. A small amount of TEA as a deprotonating agent was necessary to obtain ZIF-8 crystals when the resulting solution was subjected to an ultrasonic treatment for 1 h at a 60% power level. 1.2.4 Electrochemical Synthesis The electrochemical synthesis is based on metal ions continuously supplied through anodic dissolution as a metal source instead of metal salts, which react with the dissolved linker molecules and a conducting salt in the reaction medium. The metal deposition on the cathode is avoided by employing protic solvents, but in the process H2 is generated [81]. The electrochemical route is also possible to run a continuous process to obtain a higher solids content compared to normal batch reactions [76]. The first electrochemical synthesis of MOFs was reported in 2005 by researchers at BASF [82] for HKUST-1. Bulk copper plates are used as the anodes in an electrochemical cell with the H3BTC dissolved in methanol as solvent and a copper cathode. During a period of 150 min at a voltage of 12-19V and a currency of 1.3 A, a greenish blue precipitate was formed. After activation, a dark blue colored powder having surface area of 1,820m2/g was obtained. This work was further used in the ZIFs syntheses [81,83]. Recently, HKUST-1, ZIF-8, Al-MIL-100, Al-MIL-53, and Al- MIL-53-NH2 were synthesized via anodic dissolution in an electrochemical cell [84]. The synthesis parameters such as solvent, electrolyte, voltage-current density, and temperature on the synthesis yield and textural properties of the MOFs obtained, was investigated and the produced MOF structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, gas adsorption, atomic force microscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. 1.2.5 Mechanochemical Synthesis Mechanochemical synthesis involves breakage of intramolecular bonds mechanically followed by a chemical transformation [80]. Synthesis of porous MOF by mechanochemical reaction was reported first in 2006 [89]. Mechanochemical reactions can occur at room temperature under solvent-free conditions, which has an advantage in avoiding organic solvents [90]. Quantitative yields of small MOF particles can be obtained in short reaction times, normally in the range of 10-60min. Mostly, metal oxides were found to be preferred than metal salts as a starting material, which results in water as the only side product [80]. The critical contribution of moisture in mechanochemical synthesis of pillared type MOFs was recently reported by Kitagawa group [91]. Liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) involves addition of small amounts of solvents which can lead to acceleration of mechanochemical reactions due to an increase of mobility of the reactants on the molecular level [92,93]. The liquid can also work as a structure-directing agent. However, mechanochemical synthesis is limited to specific MOF types only and large amount of product is difficult to obtain. While a mechanochemical reaction between H3BTC and copper acetate produces HKUST-1, reaction using copper formate resulted in a previously unknown phase, potentially due to templating effects of the different acid byproducts formed [93]. Recently, a mechanochemical approach was also applied for ZIF synthesis using combinations of ZnO and imidazole (HIm), 2-methylimidazole (HMeIm), and 2-ethylimidazole (HEtIm) as the starting material within 30-60min reaction time [94].

Use of Juxtaposition In Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- William Shakesp

Within Shakespeare's Hamlet, juxtaposition is used to achieve many purposes such as to enhance mood, re-establish themes and to illustrate characterization. The characters of Hamlet and Ophelia are an example of how Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to clearly illustrate traits of his characters. However, he not only juxtaposes the character against others but also to themselves in their speech. Moreover, in the gravedigger scene in Act 5, Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to enhance the theme and message of the scene. Additionally, the use of juxtaposition creates one of the most important themes of the play, contrast. Shakespeare uses much juxtaposition to personify his characters. This helps to give the audience a greater understanding of the relationships of the characters both to themselves and to other characters in the play. Ophelia and Hamlet are greatly juxtaposed against each other in Hamlet. Ophelia’s role in the play is the foil to both Hamlet and to her brother Laetres. In the play Ophelia is the catalyst, the means of Laertes and Hamlets actions and she acts like a mirror and enables the audience to view them though a more heroic perspective. Throughout the play, Ophelia sparks events and although she isn’t a well developed nor a main character her part in the play is crucial. As the catalyst she causes the battle at the end of the play, as she did “persuade revenge” on Hamlet by Laertes. Hamlet’s feign of madness and talk about suicide, becomes Ophelia’s reality as she falls into depression and madness and when Hamlet kills her father, she eventually commits suicide. Ophelia’s psychological presence and breakdown is necessary to allow Hamlet to overthrow his current characterization. As to the audience, it is ... ...e tension from Ophelia’s death and the ever-increasing tension and complexity of the plot. It is also an important milestone for Hamlet as he comes in terms with the fact that death is the ultimate equalizer and later in the scene Hamlet imagines how that even “Alexander the great‘s body would of turned into dust, which could have been used to make loam, and that loam could have been used to plug a beer-barrel. This readies Hamlet to die in the final scene, knowing the death is universal, equalizing and more importantly, that everyone dies. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is filled with juxtapositions. All of the characters have foils and are juxtaposed not only against other characters, but also to themselves through their soliloquies. The themes are also juxtaposed against each other to give greater meaning to them and to introduce another theme, the theme of contrast.

The main paper -- Essays Papers

The main paper In response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, there has been renewed interest in the creation of a national identification system, typically embodied in a "smart" ID card, as a component of a national counter-terrorism strategy. National ID cards have been advocated as a means to enhance national security, unmask potential terrorists, and guard against illegal immigrants. "The core issue can be expressed as a question: What actions should the federal government take to certify the identity of its citizens and other persons in its jurisdiction, and what role should computing technology play in that process? To deal with questions like this, lawmakers, leaders, and government agencies often begin the policymaking process by seeking the advice of expert panels"(CSC4735 Forum). In overall, there are many opinions that people agree with the national ID card; also many of them disagree with it too. In my opinion the national ID card system would not protect us from terrorism, but it would create a system of internal passports that would significantly diminish the freedom and privacy of law-abiding citizens. Larry Ellison, head of Oracle Corporation, the California based software company, has called for the development a national identification system and offered to donate the technology to make this possible. He proposed ID cards with embedded digitized thumbprints and photographs of all legal residents in the United States (Black). In recent ideas, ID cards have been linked to national registration systems, which in turn form the basis of government administration. In such systems the ID card becomes merely one visible component of a much larger system, with the advent of magnetic stripes and microprocess... ...debates over health are reform, the Clinton Administration also constantly stressed that it was opposed a national identifier. In 1999 Congress repealed a controversial provision in the Legal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which gave authorization to include Social Security Numbers on drivers' licenses. For conclusion, there are some reasons that discussed in this paper. I think the national ID card system would not protect us from terrorism, but it would create a system of internal passports that would significantly diminish the freedom and privacy of law-abiding citizens. So now imagine this. A police officer stops you in your car. Scan your license, matches your fingerprint with a central database and has immediate access to a plethora of information, including whether you are on a terrorist watch list. What would you think?

A Great Global Warming Swindle Essay

â€Å"A Great Global Warming Swindle† was a documentary which implied that the increase in the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide was not the cause of the increase in temperature. It states otherwise: the increasing amount of carbon dioxide is itself the result of the rising temperature. Generally, the documentary asserts that man-made global warming is a lie. Before our film showing, I have already watched Al Gore’s â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† twice. â€Å"A Great Global Warming Swindle† presented a whole lot different view and it quite made things a little bit confusing. I used to be a hundred and one percent sure that global warming is indeed mainly caused by the increased amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere but after watching the documentary, well it changes things because ideas get mixed up. And now, I am being presented two ideas which are contradicting each other. Based on my own understanding and knowledge about the idea, I strongly believe that carbon dioxide plays a major role in the currently rapid increase of global temperature. As far as I could remember, since elementary it has always been discussed in my science class that greenhouse gasses cause global warming and that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. It has been like that for like†¦ forever? My mother told me once that one time when she went to Baguio, snow fell. I really don’t know if she was telling the truth but being a child, I believed her. When she told me that story, I guess I was 5 years old. During those times, going out in the sun during 9 o’clock in the morning is still safe and it won’t bring you any harm. The sun’s rays were still â€Å"friendly†. Comparing those times to the present time, one would note that: there were lesser vehicles; electricity was not a â€Å"major major† commodity; we have more trees and forests; deforestation and kaingin were not that rampant†¦ generally, we were living a simple, eco-friendly and less innovative kind of life. Nowadays, our way of life has improved but it had adverse effects. The one that has been greatly affected was the environment. As our way of living continues to improve, so does the temperature. The temperature improves in the way that it continues increasing. As men find ways in improving their way of living, they intentionally and unintentionally destroy the environment — the increase in global temperature seems to go with it. Basing on what is happening today and on what had happened, it seems very logical that global warming may really be man-made. It seems to be caused greatly by man’s activities. Man has been destroying the Earth and global warming is one of the indicators that it is indeed in the verge of destruction. But the point of â€Å"A Great Global Warming Swindle† is that the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is much greater than the amount of carbon dioxide. So what? † you may ask. It matters because, as a matter of fact, water vapor itself is a greenhouse gas. This somehow piqued my curiosity. Was I wrong for believing that global warming is man-made? To feed man’s curiosity there are two things, among all innovations and inventions, that were proven to be very helpful — research and the internet. Though research in high school has deprived me of one factor essential in a person’s biological growth — that is sleep — I did a little of it to support my stand by basing on the opinions of others. Here is a summary of what I have read from different sources†¦ â€Å"†¦ Although the documentary was welcomed by global warming skeptics, it was criticized by scientific organizations and individual scientists (including two of the film’s contributors). The film’s critics argued that it had misused and fabricated data, relied on out-of-date research, employed misleading arguments, and misrepresented the position of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change†¦ †(Wikipedia. ) â€Å"†¦they completely misrepresented me. My views were distorted by the context in which they placed them. I was misled as to what it was going to be about. I was told about six months ago that this was to be a programme about how complicated it is to understand what is going on. If they had told me even the title of the programme, I would have absolutely refused to be on it. I am the one who has been swindled†¦ †(Professor Carl Wunsch, Pure Propaganda — The Great Global Warming. ) â€Å"†¦In other words, CO2 does not initiate the warmings, but acts as an amplifier once they are underway. † (Professor Severinghaus, Pure Propaganda — The Great Global Warming. ) According to some, the documentary might have wrongly presented or misinterpreted the ideas of the scientists and the data they have gathered. They might have spread absurd arguments and have caused great confusion, especially to the viewers. To others, the documentary might have been enlightenment to what is really happening. But in the end, it is up for us to choose which side we are going to believe. It does not matter if you are the only one who seems to have a different view compared to others. Always remember, there are no wrong opinions†¦ only those that oppose everyone else’s.

Developing Learning & Development Activities Essay

Training Plan The purpose of my training session was to equip delegates with the right skills and knowledge to understand the changes auto-enrolment brings and what they need to communicate to their employees. Prior to my training session I emailed the learners to gage their existing knowledge on auto enrolment. There was a mix in responses with a couple of people saying their knowledge was around 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, a few sitting on the fence who have an awareness of auto enrolment but did not know all the legalities, and a couple who’s companies had already gone through the process. From this feedback I decided to cover the basics of the auto enrolment process, as trying to aim my training session at those with an existing knowledge would therefore make it confusing and above those with less knowledge. My view is that even if you know what you’re doing, it never hurts to go back over the basics to ensure you’ve not missed anything so that was what I aimed to do with my training session. The principles of adult learning include getting the learners involved in the planning and evaluation of the training and making sure they understand the reason for learning something. I feel these principles were reflected in my training session by communicating with them prior to the session to gage their knowledge; this meant they knew what to expect and by giving their feedback it helped to mould what level the session would be aimed at. The main resource available for the session was the whiteboard. I used this as the foundation of my training session by creating a PowerPoint presentation to use as a visual aid and form the basis of the session. I used both forms of assessment methods within my session; for a formative assessment I created a quiz on the categories of employees. I went through the theory and the facts first then tested what they had understood by putting the theory into practice. By the end of the quiz all learners were getting the questions right and ensured me they had a clear understanding on  the different categories. As a summative assessment I asked them to what extent they thought the training session had given them a better understanding of the pension changes on my feedback form. Comparing this to their knowledge rating from my email prior to the session, I can evaluate that everyone has benefited from the session as scores were either 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Structure and sequence Trying to cover the basics of auto enrolment in 30 minutes was certainly a challenge, so I tried to structure my activities to ensure we moved through the various activities quickly whilst ensuring they were still all effective. Firstly I welcomed the group and created rapport (by tempting them with chocolate!), then spent a couple of minutes explaining the learning outcomes of the session. The first part of my teaching was to explain the four different categories as this is the foundation of auto enrolment. I covered the theory first with the PowerPoint acting as a visual aid then put the knowledge learnt into practice. I firmly believe Confucius was correct when he said ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember and I do and I understand’. My learners heard the theory, they saw the different categories on the chart and could probably remember the names, but when I tested their knowledge in the game it was the ‘doing’ that ensured they remembered the differ ent categories. Individual and Environmental Factors When planning my training session a factor that influenced it was my own knowledge of auto enrolment. Like others I taught, I had already gone through the process at work so had learnt the basic principles, however at my workplace we split the process out to make it easier. My role at work was the communication side, whilst the payroll manager was responsible for making sure all eligible employees were enrolled. In case my learners asked questions I did more research into auto enrolment to ensure that I had sound knowledge. To create the legal requirements in communications I also researched other company’s communications to get a feel of ‘best practice’.  By doing this I ensured I was confident in what I was teaching and was not afraid to allow questions from learners. Another individual factor was to adapt my teaching style to suit adult learners. Training does not fall within my remit at work, and the only experience I have of leading sessions is through Girls’ Brigade. Whilst I have attended many training sessions these have all covered the methods of engaging children rather than adults. My initial thought for my training session was to create a ‘corner’s game’ for learning about the categories of employees and getting people up moving around the room. However I tried to put myself in my learner’s shoes and think what I would feel comfortable doing, and instead realised that running around the room and standing in the right corner is what children prefer doing. Therefore I adapted my game to be done with flashcards to ensure there was still an element of fun in my training session but I wasn’t making anyone feel uncomfortable. An external factor that influenced my session was the time limit. This affected all my preparation and planning as I was constantly thinking of ways to make things shorter so I could ensure I covered everything thoroughly. Had I had more time to play with I could have covered the basics in much more details but instead I decided to try and wet the appetite of the learners, then give them instructions of where to find out more. The layout of the room could have been changed (with some difficulty) but prior to the session I decided that leaving it in the horseshoe layout was the best option. This ensured everyone had a good view of the PowerPoint and during the quiz I was able to quickly glance around the group to ensure everyone had the correct answer. This was also another factor of why I decided to change the quiz to flashcards from the corners as the tables would have proved difficult to move to ensure there was enough room for everyone to move around safely. Positive learning environment In my training session I ensured I created a positive learning environment by creating rapport with the learners at the beginning of the session. I feel this is the key to a good training session as unless you’ve established a  relationship with the trainer, learners are unlikely to speak up when they do not understand something or if there’s an issue. Another way of ensuring there was a positive atmosphere was making sure I had thought over the principles of adult learning before deciding on the elements of my session, as had these been aimed at children instead of adults I could have easily made my learners feel uncomfortable and therefore not engaged in the training session. Feedback from learners All of the feedback I received from my learners was positive. As mentioned previously, all of them said they had a better understanding of the pension changes because of my training session. There was mixed responses from the question ‘how likely are you to apply the knowledge learnt today in your workplace’, but those who have scored lower on this question left a comment explaining that it’s because it doesn’t fall within their remit at work. When asked ‘what was the part of the training they enjoyed the most’, all of the learners said either the quiz or the legal requirements. These were the two learner activities in my training session which shows that the activities that got the learners doing something practical was the best way of learning. When asked for improvements to the session, the only comments I received were ‘more time’ and ‘the handout at the beginning would have been useful – but I understand why this was not done’. As I had included the quiz answers on the presentation I made the decision to not give the handout until the hand, otherwise it would not have been as effective. On reflection, I could have omitted those slides from the handout so they could have had it from the beginning to make notes from if they wished. Effectiveness of the activity My own perception of the training session was that it was a good mix of activities and tutor input. My past experience is that just listening to a trainer for 30 minutes is ineffective as after around 10 minutes most adults switch off, especially if it is something they are not 100% interested in. I put this into practice in my session as I know myself that auto enrolment is  not the most interesting subject, so had I stood and talked to the learners for 30 minutes most of them would have been asleep! However, by asking for participation – and warning them about that up front – meant that they stayed engaged throughout the session. Recommendations for the future Were I to use this training session again in the future I would extend it to an hours session to allow more time for questions and answers and to expand more on key points. Although I felt I covered the basics in a short space of time quite well, I could have emphasised more on the ‘anomalies’, like temporary and zero hour contract employees. I quickly glossed over the subject but would have liked to spend the time discussing it in more depth with the learners. As mentioned earlier, my other change would be to adapt the handout so it was suitable to give out at the beginning of the session. This would allow the learners to have something to make notes on and move through at their own pace. As they make their own notes, it does often open the time up for more questions from learners meaning you can meet their needs more thoroughly.

NLP

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a way of organizing and understanding the structure of subjective experience and is concerned with the ways in which people process information but not necessarily with the specific content of that information. Information is processed primarily in three modes: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The sensory modalities used in a given task and their sequence are critical to the performance of that task. Persons who are extremely skilled at a task will have radically different processing sequences than those who perform poorly on that same task. Understanding the structure by which the skilled person processes information, through the observation of eye scanning patterns and linguistic patterns, allows programs (similar to computer programs) to be codified, which can be taught to other persons (Andreas, 1996). Developed in 1975 by Richard Bandler, a mathematician, and John Grinder, a linguist, NLP has been clinically demonstrated as a powerful technology for engendering change. From their studies Bandler and Grinder developed skills of modeling that allow one person to identify in a specific fashion the structural elements of another's behavior and to teach that structure to yet a third person (Andreas, 1996). Gregory Bateson postulated four logical levels of learning. The first level is the level of content, and this is the level at which most people spend their lives. Here one learns how to tie one's shoes, cook a meal, drive a car, and so on. Some people become acquainted with second-level learning: the learning of context, or learning how to learn. People who operate at the second logical level of learning may rapidly learn any new content-specific area, because they are capable of moving through the learning process in an efficient, effective manner. In rare cases, persons may rise to the third logical level of learning, the learning of how to learn context. In this case one is operating at a level of contextual pattern recognition; one is able to easily identify and operate on the structure of any experience. It is at this level that Bandler and Grinder operate when they are modeling (or teaching modeling to) some one. Bateson reserved his fourth class of learning for those accomplished persons like yogis and Zen masters. One NLP technique is anchoring which is used to describe a process by which memory and its responses become associated with some stimulus. This happens when the anchor leads by reflex to the anchored response occurring. The stimulus can be neutral or out of conscious awareness. The response may be either negative or positive. Anchors are similar to classical conditioning (Ready, 2004). The process of disrupting a pattern of thought from one that leads to an unwanted behavior to one that leads to a desired behavior is known as swishing. Another process is reframing in which an element of communication is presented so as to shift an individual’s perception of the meanings associated with words. Reframing is defined as a process where an element of communication is presented to shift the individual’s perception of meanings or frames. A six-step reframe distinguishes between an underlying intention and consequent behavior to achieve intentions by different and successful behavior. Ecology is concerned with the relationship between a client and their environments. It also is concerned how a proposed goal or change might relate to their relationships and their environment (Ready, 2004). NLP offers many methods for getting rid of addictions. An effective technique is called the â€Å"swish† pattern. Using this method, a person’s unconscious will automatically use negative, addiction producing mental pictures, to create relaxing mental pictures. Addictions can be cured in NLP because it is a form of ‘near waking state' hypnosis. In NLP we can ‘adjust' our internal sensory representations making them more powerful. NLP also helps us to model good behavior. Anchoring is a powerful method of fighting addictions. In this especially one takes the long, deep breath and to touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth at the same time. This sets up a connection between the sensorised mental icon and the physical act of touching the roof of your mouth with the tongue as well as taking that deep breath (Lankton, 2004). In NLP it is recognized that human beings all code time in different ways. Each person has his own mental timelines. The past is represented in some right-handers represent at some point way towards their left. It is possible to use NLP techniques to manipulate internal sensory representations. Negative internal sensory representations like addictions. Addictions can also be removed by being moved further back into the past along the timeline. This helps change the present and future mindset of the client in relation to the original internal sensory representation. This results in past traumas being reduced. Addictions can be treated by providing the customer with a response option that is more powerful, accessible and immediate than the drug itself. Another method is the compulsion blow-out which solves cravings. Another method is the guilt resolution process which is used for clean up of motivations and secondary gain (Lankton, 2004). One of the most successful methods is the six step reframe which works by using assistance from the unconscious mind. The process has been criticized for fragmenting the personality (Sterman, 2004). This approach reaches down to access a level of experience that is helpful to redirect conscious and unconscious energies in a central direction. If a positive experience is structured it will compete successfully against a problem state. The competing experiences must have value and indicate towards a better positive future. The brain consists of a maze of circuits. Positive and negative affect are mutually dependant on each other. In order for a positive affect to have maximum effect, it must be developed for dealing with a problem. A crucial program is the process of anchoring. Participants are taught to anchor states that are without content. During the process of creating and anchoring the state all types of contextual information is reduced. In recent years science has given us insight on the problems of addiction and substance abuse. These researches have discovered a close relationship between drug addictions, behavioral addictions, compulsions and more normal patterns of reward and motivation. Drug and behavioral addictions are problems related to craving. The mechanism of craving is mediated by neurons in the midbrain that produce dopamine on to be placed on a trance. NLP is a great technique to fight addictions and behavior. There are many examples of NLP helping out people suffering from substance abuse and addictions. References: Andreas, Steve (1996). NLP: The New Technology of Achievement. US: Harper Paperbacks. Ready, Romilla (2004). Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Dummies. US: For Dummies . Lankton, Stephen R. (2004). Practical Magic:: A Translation of Basic Neuro-Linguistic Programming Into Clinical Psychotherapy . US: Crown House Publishing. Sterman, Chelly M., Ed. (2004). Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Alcoholism Treatment. US: Haworth Press.