Definition of Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning is a term that is often used in the academic arena but more recently it has started to pop up in the business world.

But what does it mean? To most people probably very little. Essentially what 'cognition' means is 'to know', gaining knowledge through thought or perception.

Cognitive learning is about enabling people to learn by using their reason, intuition and perception. This technique is often used to change peoples' behaviour. But people's behaviour is influenced by many factors such as culture, upbringing, education and motivation. Therefore cognitive learning involves understanding how these factors influence behaviour and then using this information to develop learning programmes.

So it is far more subtle than just telling people what you want them to do differently it involves presenting the message in such a way that it allows people to work out the answer themselves. This can be achieved a number of ways

• Response consequences - should you reward for demonstrating the right behaviour or punish for demonstrating the wrong behaviour? Which approach will achieve the required outcomes? In reality there needs to be a combination of both as people will be motivated by different things.
• Observation - observation is a very powerful learning tool as it enables us to see whether performing an action is desirable or not without making the mistake ourselves. Also employees will be more likely to demonstrate the right behaviours if they see managers and senior managers doing so.
• Symbolism - allows us to create mental pictures and act out scenarios so that we can think through the consequences without actually performing it.

Therefore cognitive awareness involves using cognitive learning techniques which are then used to make informed decisions about how to deal with new or similar situations.

This may sound complicated but in reality its how we learn.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/365039

Learning From Failures

By human nature, we are subject to commit mistakes. Sometimes we are able to do wrong things that have bad consequences. But it does not mean that we are evil, or cannot be trusted ever afterward.

Here's one thing that I'd like to share. When the times comes that you begin to live the life of your dreams, there will always be obstacles, doubters, mistakes and setbacks along the way. The one that hurts the most is when your own family have no faith in you. They don't believe in your capacity and competence to reach your dreams. But with hard work, perseverance and self-confidence; you can achieve whatever you want to have in life. Of course, it should be couple with prayers and action.

Basically, we learn from our failure, not from our success. But what's important is that we learn from them and move on with life. Never let the result of one mistake define us. If we do, we will be crippled through our lifetime.

Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to not make the same mistake twice because by doing so, we are not learning at all. Try stepping backward, after making a wrong turn, it is a step in the right direction. We have to change what we need to change in our life.

Admit that we commit mistakes but the bottom line is how we are able to rectify them by not doing the same mistake again. However, the danger lies in letting those mistakes make us. Make us believe we can't put things right. Make us think there's no hope. Make us give up. Make us helpless.

Everyone makes mistakes, but not all are brave enough to own them. It takes a lot of guts to accept our mistakes. Trying to be perfect is a hypocrite's life. Pretending to be flawless is nothing because deep inside we know that we have committed errors for once in our life.

If you can't accept it to yourself, then, there's no use of regretting it because it will just make your life miserable. Remember, as long as you are live, you still have the chance to fix them.

In fact, a moment of brilliance is not good enough to pay for your mistakes. It's about taking responsibility for the consequence of your actions so that when someone points out your past mistakes, you can tell them that I become what I am today because of my previous pitfalls and I am not ashamed of them. I accept them as my inspiration to strive hard and succeed in life rather than destroy my whole being.

In reality, the more mistakes we made and learned from, the less we judge other's mistakes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9822027

Embrace Competitive Advantage With An Online Learning Management System

In today's modern world, technological advancements have enabled organizations to leverage the use of online learning platforms to create, organize and share training courses. Industry leaders face a plethora of challenges with emerging industry needs, regulatory changes and business economy. Therefore, it is important to use Enterprise Learning Management System (LMS) to impart competent knowledge to learners across the globe. Adopting e-learning strategies for workplace training is the primary concern for organizations. Using e-learning to create engaging training courses helps reducing the time required to initiate training without mitigating the impact of those efforts. Consequently, it helps alleviating time challenges that organizations from varied industry verticals face.

Growing Need of Training at the Workplace

In today's dynamic market conditions, increasing demands of customers for products and services have driven prices down, thereby increasing pressure to decrease costs. The current economic conditions are very competitive and the market is undergoing constant state of change. Knowledge, expertise and data analysis are the critical factors for organizational success. Companies need to adapt to competency per the changing business circumstances. They need to improve their performance levels to attain competitive edge, optimize client bases and increase revenues. Online LMS is one of the significant facets of advanced technology which is gaining a lot of ground in businesses. Some of the features of enterprise network technology are discussed below:

• Utilization of online learning platforms to deliver training courses helps remove barriers towards business growth. It helps learners to collaborate efficiently and share their ideas for knowledge transparency.
• Modern learning environment helps to cater to the customized needs of all including proficient employees as well as millennial generation.
• E-learning via LMS fosters enhanced collaboration among employees from different teams and departments.
• Training can be provided via virtual conferences, thereby reducing costs and time associated with corporate training.
• Employees connect more with a greater sense of learning empowerment. This helps in boosting employee engagement and retention level. Better collaboration leads to better business, thereby providing effective training for onboarding employees as well as existing ones.
• E-Learning supports innovation which leads in better knowledge management and decision making. With improved knowledge sharing, the chances to respond to evolving customers' needs also increases.

With increasing industry challenges, training has become the top priority. Improving your workforce efficiency can be invaluable as organizations work to enhance their business productivity. E-Learning solutions drive optimum workplace education by making courses available using an extensive range of tools. It is a more interactive and lucrative training process that simplifies workforce training initiatives.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9811611

Age is Not a Barrier to Learning

Before we support or oppose any of the opinions whether or not age is a barrier to learning, I want us to critically consider and examine with all intent the meaning of the three noun words that made up the sentence - Age, Barrier and Learning.

The first among the words is Age. Age has to do with period, epoch, mature, grow old or become old. As a man, we should not forget that growing old or maturation is attached with a lot of responsibilities.

Now let us consider barrier. Barrier is synonymous with fence, blockade, obstruction, obstacle, hurdle and difficulty. Note that of all these synonyms, there is none of the words that can permanently put a stop to a determined mind. With determination, they are seen by winners as challenges and not the end of a road. I belong to the category of people that sees those words as challenges but not a final end. In fact the only final end that I recognized is death. And any body that stops leaning whether death or alive is death in as far as I am concern.

Learning on the other hand means education or acquisition of knowledge. If you agree with me that leaning is synonymous with education and can some times be used interchangeably without penalties, leaning could also be classified into three types like education: Formal education, ( formal leaning), non formal education ( non formal leaning) and informal education ( informal learning).

Now that these words had been considered and clearly elucidated one can now comfortably hold an opinion whether or not age is a barrier to education, however I will be indifferent to support or oppose in a hast because as a pragmatist, I believe in saying things the way they are but not the way they look like. Considering a formal leaning system which is an organized way of learning in a four wall of an institution, age could be a barrier. For instance, It is an extremely determined person that can enroll in a formal system of education at the age of forty. A forty years old person is already saddled with a lot of responsibilities which could constitute a barrier to leaning in a formal system at that age. At this age some of the barrier could be marriage, children, funding, as well as work.

According to Age Concern Northern Ireland policy position paper, older people should have equality of opportunities to further their education, develop new skills and talents. That means there are some opportunities that older people supposed to be exposed to or share with the young ones but are denied due to their age. Having said that, it is not enough to admit that age is a barrier to learn, because formal learning is just only one aspect of learning.

Since leaning comprises Formal, non formal and informal learning, learning could be seen as part of life, an occurrence that takes place from cradle to grave. It means that one starts to learn as early as possible until death.

Considering that learning is from cradle to death, we have to take some illustration to prove the point. A child learn how to cry, drink water and even suck breast right from the very day he/she is born. The child continues to learn like that until formal learning age when the child will be registered in a formal school system.

Age is not a barrier to learning because some people that dropped out of school due to one reason or another often register for public examination such as General Certificate for Education (G. C. E.) even at forty and still go back to school for further studies. If age is a barrier to learning, those that left school before 1970 in Nigeria would not have known how to use computers, because computers were not taught in Nigeria schools before 1970.

Further more, some people learn and acquire one or two skills even at their late fifties. It could be game, or any other pleasurable skills.

In addition, Professor Pat Utomi said in one of his media interview with AIT that a professor that did not attend up to two seminars per annual is not qualified to stand and lecture in any classroom because what he will be giving out to learners will be staled, obsolete and poisonous to the nation. According to him every lecturer, whether a professor or not should be sponsored to attend two or more seminars every year either by the government or his or her employer. This connotes that even as a professor who might have been forty and above is still mandated to learn by the law of dynamism.

Who? Whether infant or adult, young or old that has not learned one or two things today. A man dies right from the very minute he stops to learn. In the office we learn, in the religious houses, learning takes place, in the market places we learn, and even at home we learn. Traveling and tourism is also part of learning. How can age be a barrier to leaning when learning never stops until man dies?

In conclusion, you can agree with me after going through the points about age and learning hitherto elucidated that no matter age may try to be a barrier to formal system of learning, it is not enough to say age is a barrier to leaning. The only thing that is permanent in life is change, and it is only learning that sustained change in that status.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1480957

Machine Learning

is a new trending field these days and is an application of artificial intelligence. It uses certain statistical algorithms to make computers work in a certain way without being explicitly programmed. The algorithms receive an input value and predict an output for this by the use of certain statistical methods. The main aim of machine learning is to create intelligent machines which can think and work like human beings.

Requirements of creating good machine learning systems

So what is required for creating such intelligent systems? Following are the things required in creating such machine learning systems:

Data - Input data is required for predicting the output.

Algorithms - Machine Learning is dependent on certain statistical algorithms to determine data patterns.

Automation - It is the ability to make systems operate automatically.

Iteration - The complete process is an iterative i.e. repetition of the process.

Scalability - The capacity of the machine can be increased or decreased in size and scale.

Modeling - The models are created according to the demand by the process of modeling.

Methods of Machine Learning

The methods are classified into certain categories. These are:

Supervised Learning - In this method, input and output is provided to the computer along with feedback during the training. The accuracy of predictions by the computer during training is also analyzed. The main goal of this training is to make computers learn how to map input to the output.

Unsupervised Learning - In this case, no such training is provided leaving computers to find the output on its own. Unsupervised learning is mostly applied on transactional data. It is used in more complex tasks. It uses another approach of iteration known as deep learning to arrive at some conclusions.

Reinforcement Learning - This type of learning uses three components namely - agent, environment, action. An agent is the one that perceives its surroundings, an environment is the one with which an agent interacts and acts in that environment. The main goal in reinforcement learning is to find the best possible policy.

How does machine learning work?

Machine learning makes use of processes similar to that of data mining. The algorithms are described in terms of target function(f) that maps input variable (x) to an output variable (y). This can be represented as:

y=f(x)

There is also an error e which is the independent of the input variable x. Thus the more generalized form of the equation is:

y=f(x) + e

The common type of machine learning is to learn the mapping of x to y for predictions. This method is known as predictive modeling to make most accurate predictions. There are various assumptions for this function.

Applications of Machine Learning

Following are some of the applications:

• Cognitive Services
• Medical Services
• Language Processing
• Business Management
• Image Recognition
• Face Detection
• Video Games

Benefits of Machine Learning

Everything is dependent on these systems. Find out what are the benefits of this.

Decision making is faster - It provides the best possible outcomes by prioritizing the routine decision-making processes.

Adaptability - It provides the ability to adapt to new changing environment rapidly. The environment changes rapidly due to the fact that data is being constantly updated.

Innovation - It uses advanced algorithms that improve the overall decision-making capacity. This helps in developing innovative business services and models.

Insight - It helps in understanding unique data patterns and based on which specific actions can be taken.

Business growth - With machine learning overall business process and workflow will be faster and hence this would contribute to the overall business growth and acceleration.

Outcome will be good - With this the quality of the outcome will be improved with lesser chances of error.

Deep Learning

Deep Learning is a part of the broader field machine learning and is based on data representation learning. It is based on the interpretation of artificial neural network. Deep Learning algorithm uses many layers of processing. Each layer uses the output of previous layer as an input to itself. The algorithm used can be supervised algorithm or unsupervised algorithm.

Deep Neural Network

Deep Neural Network is a type of Artificial Neural Network with multiple layers which are hidden between the input layer and the output layer. This concept is known as feature hierarchy and it tends to increase the complexity and abstraction of data. This gives network the ability to handle very large, high-dimensional data sets having millions of parameters.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9791961

Customize Learning And Technology Using LMS Software

With the increased popularity of e-learning, organizations are directed to use the right platform to deliver training content. It is the right time for organizations to reinvent their learning strategies to leave a powerful impact on learners. A Learning Management System (LMS) is an interactive platform to manage content and provide a customized learning experience. LMS software is a complete package to deliver efficient e-courseware to learners using Internet-based technology. It helps ensure compliance, improve learner participation, assess performance, and meet multiple business goals.

The Need to Leverage LMSs with E-Learning

Today, the needs of modern learners are increasing rapidly. So, it has become crucial for organizations to choose the right LMS software per the learning needs and business requirements. The Learning Management Systems makes the content interesting by incorporating videos, images, and forum threads. Here are a few reasons why every learner should use an LMS:

Easy to access LMS from mobile devices:

After content is uploaded on an LMS, a majority of its intended audience can access the content by signing in from smartphones, tablets, or any other mobile devices. This is the prime reason why Learning Management Systems are important for learners based in different locations and time zones.

Consistent learning:

Using an LMS, it is possible to maintain the consistency of learning content. As the information is updated, it can be easily communicated to learners, keeping track of all their records.

Reduced learning costs and time:

When the content is created on an LMS, it can be delivered per the learners' convenience. This saves time, which can be used for other tasks at the workplace. In addition, e-learning helps save the costs related to trainers, infrastructure, and printing paper.

Timely upgrades:

Content included in training programs is easy to upgrade on a quarterly or an annual basis. Because the LMS displays all the information at a centralized location, the changes can be implemented easily.

Customized content:

By integrating a few customized features, such as videos, graphics, and audio files, e-learning can be personalized per the needs of different learners.

How an LMS is Useful for Different Domains

The most-effective learning methods are based on the use of the perfect LMS to deliver e-learning content. An LMS serves different audiences, such as new employee hires in an organization or for students in schools and colleges. Let us talk about these in brief:

In Schools: Today, schools and colleges are adapting to using LMS software because e-learning is taking the world of education by storm. 

The benefits are:

• Tailored approach: An LMS is useful to deliver online learning content per the needs of each student, giving them equal opportunities to learn and adapt.
• Enhanced student interaction: Tools such as chat or forums integrated with the Learning Management Systems enable students to ask questions from teachers and boost their confidence.
• Parents' involvement: Learning Management Systems have a supporting feature for parents as well. They can sign in to the system and track their child's reports and attendance, and interact with teachers for a better parent-teacher-student relationship.

In Organizations: Organizations use LMS software to create an onboarding platform for new hires. 

The benefits are:

• Time-saving: Instead of wasting hours on training employees, they create e-learning sessions and get their employees up to speed.
• Improved results: Employees seek in-depth knowledge during training sessions, which ensures the optimal performance of learners and enhanced business growth.
• Tailored approach: The LMSs used by organizations are flexible enough to be used per learners' requirements to deliver customized training.With the help of LMSs, organizations can easily update, organize, and deliver online content with the support of excellent e-learning solutions. Today, more and more organizations are looking to incorporate Learning Management Systems in their learning systems to reap multiple benefits and offer an enriched learning experience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9728427

What Is Your Learning Culture?

Many years ago, I was helping a startup organization plan their recruitment strategy. It was clear to me that their job announcements needed to alert potential applicants to the fact that there were no systems or procedures in place. The new hire would have to be comfortable with the uncertainties (and exciting challenges) typical of a brand-new organization.

At that time, I was focused on the organizational culture of the new business. Now, it appears, we could have defined organizational culture more broadly to include its learning culture.

Oracle has defined a learning culture as a set of organizational values, conventions, processes, and practices that encourage individuals-and the organization as a whole-to increase knowledge, competence, and performance.

According to a white paper published by ej4 (a provider of online video training solutions), there are four common types of learning cultures: traditional, immersive, pioneering and free-form.

These cultures are differentiated by the degree that learning is either driven top-down by management or driven bottom-up by employees.

Traditional learning cultures want their employees to get up to speed on the organization's policies, procedures and performance expectations as quickly as possible. Management sets the learning agenda and provides the training, which is narrowly focused on the skills the employees will need.

Immersive cultures want their employees to get the whole picture of what the organization stands for, its history and values, and how it operates in the world. Management still sets the learning agenda and provides the training, but it is focused more broadly on what it means to be part of the organization.

Pioneering cultures want their employees to take the initiative on obtaining the skills they need. Management leaves the learning agenda to the employees, who are responsible for seeking out sources for their own training.

Free-form cultures want their employees to learn a variety of skills and even teach them to others in the organization. Management leaves the learning agenda to the employees, who may be encouraged or expected to take advantage of a wide variety of learning opportunities offered by the organization.

This provides at least one reason why new hires may complain about the lack of orientation and training they receive. All organizations, regardless of their learning culture, should provide effective orientation and onboarding for their new hires.

However, what form that takes may be very different in each learning culture. If the new employees come from a traditional learning culture and find themselves in a pioneering learning culture, their expectations for formal training programs will probably not be met.

As with any systematic classifications, all organizations may not fall into one of these four learning culture categories. Some organizations may incorporate aspects of different cultures at the same time, or change as changes occur in the organization.

In retrospect, my belief that a new hire needs to share the organization's culture and values was correct. I just didn't realize that the organization's culture includes how, what, when and why learning occurs.

So, can you identify your organization's learning culture?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9815133

Network Marketing Coach Shortcuts Learning Curve

Why have a network marketing coach? There is a Chinese proverb that says, "A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month's study of books." Very few people achieve great success without having personal coaches. Here is why we all need coaches.

A network marketing coach can give us perspective. We are too close to see things objectively. We are caught up in the emotions of the situation-the fear, the excitement, the wonder, the anxiety, and the confusion. A coach is detached and can see things from a distance. Experience plus time equals wisdom. A coach can give us the wisdom of a lifetime of experience.

Having a network marketing coach can give us proficiency. A mentor fills in the gaps of our ignorance. In mastering any new task, an experienced mentor can simplify the process, guide us through the complicated parts, help us avoid the pitfalls, and warn us about the dangers. A coach helps us avoid the school of hard knocks-the most expensive kind of education in terms of time, money, and emotional pain. A coach gives us a shortcut.

A network marketing coach gives us patience. In learning any new skill, there is a learning curve. A coach can teach us patience as we struggle through failure to achieve mastery. Do you know of any successful person who doesn't have a mentor?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4112105

Online Marketing - Learning to Leverage the Organic Power of Facebook

I started out on Facebook just as almost everyone else did. I opened an account, started finding other friends on the site and start communicating with them mostly by - I guess you could call it - Blog posting as a lot of what Facebook is really about at its base is a social platform - a blog site.

I was starting an online business and my initial focus when getting going was to write some articles, publish them to get known and then build them into books and market them on Amazon-Kindle. I did not have much more of a strategy than that in the beginning - I had just always wanted to write and publish a book. A bucket list item.

As I began to delve in further into the world of Facebook - and this spans time - over the last couple of years in fact - I became aware of just how powerful this platform really is from a business and product marketing perspective. And I have learned a lot about the platform to date - yet I am constantly learning more things I can do on it to further my brand awareness and even close sales right on the platform itself. With this in mind, I want to share with you some ideas for using Facebook that you may not have thought of. Here is an initial list of ideas to get you started.

First, you must absolutely have a business page if you are trying to market or sell anything on the platform. This is your first step. Facebook frowns on you using your personal consumer site to do any business marketing - so get this done. An additional tip: Don't limit yourself to just one business page - create several if you have different categories of things to sell. I am still working to build this all out myself but I have found the time to create a main business page for my website, an "Author" page for books I write, and a couple of pages for individual "business verticals" within my online business.

Why did I do this? It increases your ability to get found. People look for and follow business verticals through keyword searching. If you type for example "coloring books" into the Facebook search bar, your search will return: Coloring Book titled pages created by people, coloring book groups, people who use this keyword in their name and sub-title "about" lines, top posts and latest posts containing the keyword, videos that people have posted with the phrase in the titles, events relating to this phrase, etc. So creating business page verticals within your Facebook presence can be a very good idea.

Next tip - do a little research - use the Facebook search bar to check out different keyword phrases and when you find good ones that people actively search on - use them with associated hash tags in your business page posts to help people find you. Your "People Reached" numbers will go up.

Do you want to get people to your other online assets such as webpages? Start writing, posting and sharing Facebook "Notes" - basically here you are writing articles and posting them on Facebook. A couple very useful tips in this regard: Write the full "Blog Post" or "Article" on your web or blog site. Then, go to Facebook and in your "Note" write the blog/article summary and not the rest of it. Next, put a line in the Facebook post with a backlink to your web/blogsite complete article under some anchor text that says something like "Click Here to Read the Full Article". You are now driving traffic back to your business site where you can use lead magnets to capture e-mail addresses and you can sell them all your business products and services - as a bonus benefit, this helps to increase your website presence in the eyes of popular search engines like Google.

Find and join niche targeted groups. Then when you post related articles, videos, advertisement blurbs, shareable content, etc. "Share" them to these groups. This extends your brand awareness to potentially tens of thousands of people interested in the same topics that you are marketing to.

Go under the "Manage Tabs" button on your business page and add the "Shop" button to your page. Now, you can setup and highlight some of your best-selling products on your Facebook business page and you can share these products in your online posts. When people click to learn more, you can direct them back to your website and shopping cart to buy them by "tagging" the product image. FYI, a window opens up when tagging so you can enter the URL of the webpage you want to direct them to.

Another tab option I recently discovered and really like is the "Services" tab. Here you can market your time and services offered to others. I have used this feature on my Facebook business pages and I point these pages directly back to my online time-booking system webpage that I have built into my business website - I love this feature. If you are looking to get consulting or "Freelancing" jobs, here is a great way to increase your exposure and have people find you and book your time.

Post videos to Facebook directly. Facebook likes sharing videos. Again, as you publish these to Facebook, be sure to craft your video titles so they contain good useable keyword phrases and don't neglect the use of hash tags in your video description areas.

Take some time to explore the business pages of others in similar niches as yours and when you find popular ones, go under the "More" tab displayed just below or on their business page background image and then select the "Like as Your Page" button to link them back to your business page. Here's what this does for you:

First, you can't comment on another business page as your page unless you like it as your page first. When you do then comment on another page as your page, the post you create builds visibility for your business page so you can get more traffic to your own business. Lastly, you can start to see in your news feeds content published to that other page - helps you keep track of the goings on there and who is posting content to that page - and you never know, some of that content could useful to you.

In summary, keep at it - you can drive a lot of organic Facebook views to your website just by taking the time to explore and work Facebook with your posts, shares, group involvements, the use of hash tags in your posts, liking other business pages, commenting on other pages, opening your Facebook "Shop", etc.

The increased business exposure you receive from this extra effort, will earn you dividends.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9612435

Funnels in Marketing

What Are Funnels and How Do They Work?

In marketing, a funnel is a sales technique that is used to "capture" prospective buyers and customers. The "funnel" will attract people to the store (website, etc.). A low-priced product will be offered to attract the buyer's attention. When the buyer makes the purchase at the widest end or "layer" of the funnel, they will be led to the next level of the funnel. The funnel narrows as the customer goes through the "layers" of the funnel. The customer may stop at any level. That is, the customer may not progress through every layer.

"Layers" or Levels of the Funnel

Once the customer makes the first purchase, they are immediately taken to the next "layer" or level of the funnel. There, the buyer is offered another good deal. This next offer will enhance the first purchase in terms of add-ons that will make the first product so much better or easy to use. This product is generally slightly more expensive than the first product but not so much so that it scares the customer away.

Funnels "Upsell" the Product

The third layer of the funnel will, again, be more costly but will offer the purchaser a product that enhances the use of the first two. The first product does what it says it will do without purchasing the next products but the "upsell" products just make so much sense and the price does not usually add a whole lot more to the cost. The upsell product(s) may be one-time-purchase products or they may be a subscription or membership type of product where there is an ongoing regular payment, perhaps monthly or annually.

There can be many levels in the seller's funnel. If there is a membership or subscription funnel, it may be that the seller will add more layers (or more products) to the funnel as time goes on.

Example in Marketing

Purchasing a Motorcycle 

A buyer purchases a basic model of a motorcycle. Once the buyer has decided to purchase the bike, the salesman may work to upsell the product - leading the purchaser further into the funnel. The purchaser may decide to add a windscreen to the bike. The next add-on may be an upgrade on the seat to allow for a companion to ride behind on the bike. Perhaps then, the salesman will show the purchaser a comfortable backrest for the bike or dressier mirrors.

Not All Buyers Move Down The Funnel

Not all buyers will opt to purchase beyond the first layer of the funnel. That's okay, because they may eventually come back and add to the bike at a later date. They may not add to the bike later but they may come back to purchase the parallel products or accessories. These might be riding boots, a helmet, riding gloves or leathers. Once the seller determines how far the purchaser will travel down the funnel, they will remember this and further advertise to the buyer in future, announcing product sales, new products or whatever. By that time, the buyer may be ready to make other purchases.

End of the Funnel

The funnel in marketing often never really has an end. There is likely to be a new product, an improvement to the original product, an upgrade, a new style or model and so on. It is wise for the seller to continue to advertise to their customers on a regular basis. They do not want their customers to forget about them and they do want to keep their customers informed about the latest and greatest in their product line. In online marketing, sometimes the buyer will be referred to another seller's product whether or not the seller is still advertising their own product to the customer. An example of this would be affiliate marketing, where the referring seller will receive a percentage of the sale for the referral.

Watch for the Funnels

Next time you are purchasing, whether it be online or in a regular store, watch for the "funnel". Sometimes it is more obvious than others. In a grocery store, watch for the "funnel" as you go through the checkout. What about the magazines and candy for sale. They were not placed there just because there wasn't anywhere else to display them!!

ENJOY YOUR SHOPPING

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7486981

Law of Attraction Truths

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION MYSTERY

I am pretty confident you have heard of the law of attraction. And again, I know that you have been told that it is just the matter of thinking about what you want. You simply have to think about it and somehow it will land on your lap. Somehow..

This law of attraction thing is supposed to be easy, right? Well, if you believe all the talk going around about this topic, why are you not connecting the dots? Why are you not successful?

And why does it seem so HARD? Why do other people seem to make it look easy? Why? Why?

WHY IT DOES NOT WORK

A lot of so called law of attraction practitioners put excessive emphasis on the tools. An example would be that of a teacher who simply shows her students answers to solutions without showing them how they are calculated.

Secondly, these "practitioners" seem to gloss over a powerful concept i.e. BELIEFS.You see, our beliefs about ourselves, surroundings, abilities, possibilities etc determine where we end up in our lives.

A lot of people tend to think that the answer is somewhere in the distance. This leads to an addiction to self help materials. One ends up collecting and reading hundreds of self help books but still not benefiting anything whatsoever.

The above are some of the reasons why law of attraction does not seem to work for you.

MY STORY IN A NUTSHELL

For the longest of times, I was obsessed about self help books, especially the law of attraction narrative. The idea that one can just think in a certain way thereby changing one's life, for the better absolutely intrigued me. I was hooked.

I read and read any law of attraction book I can lay my hands on. I attended seminars, bought videos and countless books. But there was no improvement in my life. In fact, I was poorer for it because I was buying so much self help materials, to no avail.

I kept on asking myself "Why? What was I doing wrong?" Surely there was nothing wrong with what I was reading. Many people were using the same and succeeding. The answer was right under my nose.

THE SOLUTION

It turns out what we need to do in order to make the most of the law of attraction rule is to look within ourselves. We have to inspect our beliefs about ourselves. We have to realize that we do not have to read hundreds of books in order to get our lives in order.

As a matter of fact, we do not need anything outside ourselves. We are really not lacking in resources.

THE STEPS

Get to grips with what you want in your life. Do you want more money? Are you after a perfect relationship? Do you need a more harmonious life? You get the picture..

Realize that what prevents you from actually achieving your desires is yourself. Nothing or no one else.

Get to work. Working, in this instance, could mean a lot of things. But the idea is that what you are after will have to be received. So, working is the act of receiving what is coming to you.

Start experiencing the things you want. For instance, if you want a specific car, start driving it in your mind. Visualize its every detail i.e. colour, dashboard, tyres, seats etc. See every detail and yourself already driving it. Do this long enough and with absolute conviction and before you know it, you will receive it.

Expect to receive what you want. Do not even think about the possibility of failure. You cannot fail. Period

The law of attraction does work. All you need to realize is that it is one of the vehicles at your disposal to success. Use it and see miracles in our life.

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Neville Goddard's Law of Revision

Let's face it, there's a myriad of techniques people can wrap their mind around in order to make a goal or dream happen. Neville Goddard offered many ideas, but one in particular was to write a letter you'd like to receive from someone. Of course, the Internet age wasn't around when he proposed this.

So, I wrote down the email I wanted to receive from a client. It included a dollar amount. You see, we'd agreed on a deposit for my latest editing service, but his situation changed unexpectedly. Rather than our having the option to work on his manuscript until it was truly completed, we had to do the best both of us could. The deposit had to be the final fee. My personal integrity and respect for my client and his brilliant first novel led me to go beyond what he could pay for. I decided to use Neville's suggestion and composed an email from the client stating he'd pay me Z (more) rather than X, as agreed. I didn't limit the imaginary email to just my concerns, though; I had him inform me that his situation had improved.

I read this before I went to bed for five nights in a row. His email received on the sixth day stated he was going to pay me Z rather than X. The exact amount I'd written down.

At the same time I wrote his email, I wrote two others. Let me be clear: I didn't simply write what I wanted and waited, there was action involved. I want the other two, as well, and action is being taken to open a way for them to happen. There are times when I think an intention and it shows up, but either I turn up at the right place at the right time or do something else that allows me and my desired outcome to connect. Maybe you want to know more about the mechanics that makes this technique work. There are certainly enough sources for you to do some research on it.

Neville offered that instead of only thinking OF a thing, you should think FROM it. In other words, make it as real in your imagination as possible. Writing and reading a letter, imagining you really did receive it (or them), allows you to do this. If you'd like the link for the two recordings I listened to, email me and I'd be delighted to share them with you.

In the meantime, what kind of letter would you like to receive? Get pen and paper or your keyboard ready and put it down. Pick one thing per letter, though, so you're specific. It's almost a new year. What do you desire or intend?

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The Basics of Brain Training Explained

In a perpetual state of motion, the world is constantly bring about increasing challenges that serve to test your ability to overcome obstacles and your personal will to thrive, whether in your personal life, business or sports. Now more than ever before, competition is fierce. The are greater levels of competition and many more hurdles lie in your path. In reality, there is no such thing as a level playing field. There is a handful of individuals that have a significant advantage over the larger population even before the competition has begun. Your job is to do something about this. You need to be the first one to score, because once you do so you will have gained the advantage.

In the past it was possible to overpower and defeat competitors with mere muscle and brute force. Currently however, brute force alone will certainly not merit your success. In order to compete effectively you will need something else. You will need the ability to outsmart your competition in order to come out on top. You have likely undergone enough muscle training already. Now is the time to shift your focus and begin brain training.

There are numerous methods of brain training. Meditation is one of these, as is the completion of memory exercises and word puzzles. These methods however, can take a long time to produce significant results. This is problematic for those that are seeking results in the very near future. There is an alternative method of brain training however, that serves this function better than more traditional methods of training the brain: brainwave training.

Brainwaves are essentially the electrical impulses that arrive from the constant communication of the neurons in your brain. Brainwaves are typically classified by neurologists according to the various mental processes that they are in association with. Brain waves can range in frequency from 0.1 hertz to as high as 100 hertz. They are called Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma and Theta.

Relevant to brain training is the neurological discovery that the waves of the brain respond to external stimuli such as sound and light. These have the ability to mold brainwaves in such a way that it is possible to induce states of productivity, creativity and relaxation merely through brainwave stimulation. A person can become more intelligent, have more energy and become more creative through brainwave training.

Without brainwave training an individual will have to become a master of meditation to allow for the control of brainwaves at will. You could start as an apprentice to a yogi or an enlightened guru and invest many years in training in the secret art of meditation. This of course, is if you have the time to do so at your disposal and are interested in leading such a life. Alternatively, brainwave training allows the individual to gain mastery over the brain in as few as six months.

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Diet and Neuroplasticity

When people think about losing weight they automatically feel that diet and exercise are the keys to success. But if this were the case, wouldn't everybody have the body that they wanted? The truth is that the mantra "eat less, exercise more" simply doesn't work for most people. The reason behind this is that if you do not change your brain you will never achieve your weight loss goals. The process of changing your brain is called neuroplasticity.

The BrainChanging Diet is all about neuroplasticity. Neuroscientists will tell you that in your brain you have hard-wiring and soft-wiring. The hard-wiring in your brain ensures that structures are connected to one another. The soft-wiring refers to your brains ability to enact change determined by our experience in the world. Through neuroplasticity, our brain reorganizes and restructures itself in response to the demands that we place on it.

This capability is not very surprising. Without neuroplasticity we would not be able to learn anything. The area of your brain called the hippocampus has been dubbed the memory centre of your brain and neuroplasticity allows this area to reorganize itself by creating connections with other areas of your brain, and to restructure by growing more neurons (brain cells). It was only until scientists gave this process a name - neuroplasticity - that people began talk and think about it. Now it has become clear that in order to make any significant long term change in your life and your behavior, you must understand neuroplasticity and how to use it.

So how do we do this? After all until very recently we really didn't know the adult brain was even capable of real structural change. We used to think that learning was all about thinking and the "mental mind", when in reality our brains actually change physically as we live and learn. Simon LeVay summarized this brilliantly with the statement "the mind is just the brain doing it's job". With this new knowledge we can use strategies that can effect real changes in our minds and our behaviors instead of just subtle "tweeks" that typically take place on a day to day basis.

Most people consider learning to be the conscious acquisition of new knowledge or skills. For example studying math problems, balancing on a bike or mastering a piece of music. In reality the vast majority of learning takes place in our brain while we are unaware or even asleep. Our brain is always monitoring our experiences and emotions and making associations so we can make predictions and plans about the future. This is neuroplasticity. You can't turn it off, and you have limited awareness of it most of the time. But there have been many new and exciting studies that show us that we do have a lot of control over this neuroplastic process. This means that your brain can change for the good, but it can also change for the bad. Changing for good literally means both change in a positive direction AND change for a lifetime.

What does neuroplasticity or brainchanging have to do with eating? Eating is one our very first actions and it is repeated over and over again throughout our lifetime. So we make some very strong eating habits which translate to very strong brain associations. Habits are formed by repeating things over and over and they are reinforced by other experiences that support a particular behavior. We know that eating is a highly rewarding action - it needs to be because it is crucial to our survival. So we are always driven to seek food when we are hungry but our brain also rewards us whenever we eat. Well some of life's rewards are small and some are much much more. Of course usually our brain thinks more is better and much more of a good thing is better still. Who wouldn't rather be rewarded with dollar than a nickel? The same hold's true with eating rewards. The basic reward of eating is easily supplemented or amplified by other life experiences.

Lets take an example from your childhood. Excited, and raring to go you take your new bike out for a spin but during the adventure you fall off and hurt your knee. You feel the pain and start to cry. Your mother soothes you, brings you in and gives you an ice cream. All of a sudden you feel better and want to go out and play again. In your brain this translates to, "when I feel bad or something bad happens I can eat some ice-cream and I will feel better!". Now this one incident will not create an addiction. But every time you eat an ice-cream to feel better, that connection in your brain strengthens and makes it more and more likely that the next time you feel bad you AUTOMATICALLY think - "I want ice-cream!"

This process is called myelination or "Neurons that fire together wire together". Every time that you feel bad and use food to feel better you strengthen that connection in your brain. Your brain is all about efficiency. So every time you do something your brain tries to make it a little bit easier for you to do it the next time - you might know this as "Practice makes Perfect". Over time these connections become so habitual and unconscious that we are not even aware of them. This is the power of neuroplasticity. So it is probably more accurate to say "Practice makes Permanent."

There is a flip side. In an attempt to be efficient, strong associations can convert a tangled underbrush of connections into your brain into a well worn easy to follow path. This well worn path can get you "into a rut". Neuroplasticity is not only the process we use to learn by strengthening brain associations it is also the process we use to "unlearn" by weakening associations. Neuroplastic change will only happen if you weaken associations over time and at the same time replace old automatic behaviors with new and better habits. As far as your brain is concerned one of the governing principles is "use it or lose it". But because we are unaware of many of our habits we must make an effort to bring the behaviors we want to change to our conscious awareness. We must practice mindfulness when we want to make intentional neuroplastic changes. Just as "neurons that fire together wire together creating strong habits" the converse "neurons that fire apart wire apart" is an important rule of neuroplasticity. This is great news. If you have learned to love certain foods that you just can't stop eating, you can also unlearn them through the process of brainchanging.

Remember, simply telling yourself "I am not going to eat my favorite food" is not going to work because you are fighting a learned behavior. The neurobiological pathway is carved into the very structures of your brain tissue. Simply dieting and willpower alone will really have no chance of bringing about long term weight loss.

If you can identify these pathways in your brain which create the behaviors that hinder your weight loss goals you can alter them by restructuring your brain. You can put neuroplasticity to work for you, because remember, you are always BrainChanging.

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Could A 'Reading Whisperer' Change Lives And Improve Student Behaviour and Academic Success?

ANYONE who can hear and speak can learn to crack the reading and spelling code using the alphabetic code, for quicker understanding and skill acquisition. Reading and spelling are unique in that skills needed to crack the English alphabetic code must be taught directly, systematically and explicitly. Children cannot 'discover' reading and spelling without guided teaching. However to reach the highest number of children teachers should not only be taught about reading and spelling but 'how' to teach it. This means transitioning from a teacher with knowledge into a 'reading whisperer'.

Since the widespread fame of the Dog Whisperer a 'whisperer' has become used to describe someone with a natural empathy and understanding of a particular subject. They are not only highly knowledgeable but can also connect with the person, group or people or animals he wishes to work with. He is able to bring about change by using this connection, so that the 'learner' works with him rather than against him. Increased self-confidence and calmness of the 'learner' are often by-products. A 'Reading Whisperer' could therefore be used as a term to describe someone who truly understands the reading (and spelling) process, as it relates to the English language and can also connect to students learning to read and spell, in order to bring about success for that individual, regardless of their unique difficulties or needs.

Reading Whisperers would have the ability to really 'reach' individuals who are already often lacking in confidence and motivation. In order to learn students would first need to develop an excellent rapport with a teacher, and trust them. This would need to be a teacher who has empathy for each individual and who approaches their students by listening to them and understanding their emotional state regarding the reading and spelling process. As so many children who are reading also have behavioural difficulties, as shown by numerous studies, this is vital. These children are often already 'switched off' and lacking in motivation to learn to read.

The 'methodology' used by a 'reading whisperer' is much easier once they have established this relationship, often seen in inspirational teachers, for whom this 'whispering' ability seems to come naturally. However this is something all educators can learn from, and incorporate into their own teaching.

"Reading competence is foundational, not only for school-based learning, but also for children's behavioural and psychosocial wellbeing, further education and training, occupational success, productive and fulfilling participation in social and economic activity, as well as for the nation's social and economic future" AU National Inquiry into the Teaching of Reading 2005.

However the statistics for high levels of reading difficulties are alarming, in all countries. In the United States for example around 34% of children are below expected literacy levels at grade 4. As reading levels at grade 3 predict with around 80% accuracy how they will do in high school this is something we should not ignore. We need to offer our children more. They cannot start reading to learn if still learning to read in grade 3 and 4. It might be useful therefore to explore the concept of developing 'reading whisperers' in today's society. Those who know the theory but can also effectively teach this.

All government reports recommend that a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics is used as the foundation for early reading teaching. This is also often called 'Synthetic Phonics'. However many struggling or non-readers are very confused with terminology and concepts. It is why a Reading Whisperer could offer them a 'fresh start' to reading and spelling, and make everything as easy to understand as possible. In our English language we use a range of sounds, when speaking, to create words. In order to move away from the concept of alphabet 'letters' (the names do not help a child to read or spell) a 'Reading Whisperer' might choose to call these 'Sound Pics'. Simply put, that pictures of sounds (letters) represent the spoken sounds of our words.

A whisperer will start with the spoken language - as this is the foundation for reading and spelling. Reading and spelling are simply used to record our spoken words. So they may teach by starting with the child and what they already know. A 'Reading Whisperer' could help the child 'crack the code' by working it out for themselves through quality instruction. 'Sound Pics' could help children better understand the concepts and skills required to read and spell with confidence. This is demonstrated for example on the Read Australia YouTube channel where a ten year old child who is not spelling (and therefore struggles to write) is shown how learning the 130 or so 'sound pics' in the English language (the alphabetic code) will help him. The clips indicates that teachers can confuse children by teaching 'sounds' incorrectly - eg that in the word 'frog' there are 3 sound fr + o + g. There aren't.
There are 4 sound pics - f+r+o+g. The word 'ship' has 3 sound pics however- sh + o + p.

A 'Reading Whisperer' could make a huge difference as they do not just understand how to identify issues but also what to do about them. Think of the best soccer players in the world. They may have enormous talent and knowledge of the game, but could they ALSO share this with others, and coach others to play at the same level? Only a few could become 'Soccer Whisperers'!

Reading Whisperers would no doubt focus very much on auditory discrimination at first- rather than what's on paper- and have been trained to listen to each child and to assess their learning styles, emotional and verbal intelligence.

Anyone who struggles with reading and spelling will talk of the shame that comes from not being able to decode. And yet a Reading Whisperer would not give up on them- they would teach with passion, actually giving any non-reader the skills they need. And yet many teachers focus on comprehension, fluency and vocabulary. If you can't read a word however you can't possible learn it's meaning.

Programs such as the Your Baby Can Read program (under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising) encourages parents to believe that 'reading' is linked with memorising sight words - also known as 'flash cards', and that doing this will somehow help the child with their reading skills. It won't shape reading and spelling brains. The time spent with the child is helpful, but this isn't reading - and certainly won't help the child to learn to spell. The thousands of toddlers apparently reading, as shown on clips uploaded by proud parents to YouTube, show how many fall for this marketing nonsense, and are willing to part with their money in the quest to develop early readers. They believe that their child is actually reading because he can look at a word and tell them what it 'says'. Often the child can heardly even say the word as their language skills are not yet developed. You can see a popular YouTube clip where a toddler says 'belbow' when looking at the word elbow, and has been taught to then touch her elbow. What a great party trick! But this isn't reading. The idea of children learning to read by memorising sight words is also known as the 'whole language approach' which has been discredited by reading professionals for well over a decade. However it seems to 'work' when parents are led to believe that memorising flashcards is actually reading. If the child being taught the word 'elbow' as a sight word has such dedicated parents they could, instead, be spending the time teaching their toddler to actually read and spell. For free! They too could learn to be 'reading whisperers'.

Shown below a 'real' word. How do you work it out if you can't memorise it as a sight word, or guess what it is from the pictures, or by 'leaving it out and then working it out from the context of the sentence?' - as so many teachers advise struggling readers.

Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonopte ephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon

How did YOU read this word? You decoded it. It doesn't matter if you don't know that it is a fictional dish mentioned in Aristophanes' comedy Assemblywomen! At least you could read it. A reading whisperer would realise that this is what is important; giving children the skills to FIRST be able to read the word, by using de-coding skills. If this word was listed in the Your Baby Can Read program we would raise eyebrows. Why are we not doing the same for shorter words, such as 'elbow'. The concept is the same. Memory only takes you so far. At some point you have to actually learn to read and spell!

We know that poor reading achievement and delinquency go hand in hand. Some US prisons are apparently using Year 3 and 4 reading scores as a way, in part, to predict future intake requirements. Schools talk of how poor the behaviour is of so many of their students who also cannot work in a classroom setting as they cannot keep up with their peers. It is understandable that 'acting out' is preferable to looking 'stupid'. A Reading Whisperer would connect with those youths, and teach them to read and spell because they would want to learn under this guidance. Under an approach of kindness and acceptance rather than judgement. Again, this is why learning to be a 'reading whisperer' changes lives. They can reach the kids others can't. And also help adults who have struggled their whole lives. Imagine their future when they finally learn to 'crack the code'.

We should, as a society, recognise how important reading and spelling is to the very fabric of our existence. Anyone who can learn to read can then read to learn. There should be proactive preventative approaches in place to ensure that every child is able to read and spell by 6, and attempts to help those who are older, and struggling. One way to do this is for Reading Whisperers to share their secrets, their knowledge, their strategies. The ripple effect of change would be life changing for so many.

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