subject: Improving Your Industry Specific Knowledge Through Learning [print this page] Improving Your Industry Specific Knowledge Through Learning
Philip Holt suggests that as technology, research and knowledge speeds up, so should our own personal knowledge. Easier said than done!
Most of our knowledge is acquired through our own information gathering; through books that we have read, through courses we have taken, lectures we have attended, journals and manuals that we read, and of course now through the internet. Either way, 9 times out of 10 it is through the power of the written word that we gain and expand our knowledge base.
Learning and obtaining knowledge all takes time, no matter how accessible it all is nowadays. And this world we live in is fast-paced, there's barely any time for applying a clear strategy to improving our knowledge base. So how can you improve your knowledge gathering?
Well, the real key is to improve reading skills.
How to improve reading skills:
1. Learn to read with a purpose
There are lots and lots of reasons why different people read. Some just love to escape reality with a good book, some find the written language beautiful and so they are absorbed into books that hold great syntax, others have a real interest in a particular subject matter and find that really fuels this interest, and for some it is about developing their own writing by learning from the published skills of others. Whatever drives you to read, it is important that you define your own purpose for reading something before you begin. This is particularly true if you are reading industry-specific text to support your understanding of your current job or future career. Are you reading the text because you want to get a more general, greater feel for the industry itself? Or are you reading it because you feel that it will provide you with the answer to a specific question? Both are valid reasons to read the text; but the first purpose will require a fuller read of the full text and the second will instead require a skim read of the text up until the point where you pinpoint the information you really need.
2. Don't over read
Again, remember your purpose and only read as much information as required to fulfil it. You can often tell if a book or article is going to provide you with the information you need, or whether you're going to find it of interest to you by reading the first and last paragraphs. Try this, and if the article or text doesn't seem to fit your purpose...move on!
3. Read interactively
Underline or highlight pieces of information that are useful and mark these pages so that you can quickly find them again. Makes notes as you read through the text and skim read until you find elements of information that are particularly helpful. You may also find that mind maps work really well for you, and many people prefer using mind maps to taking notes. Finally, think about learning to speed read - it's amazing how much time this skill can save!
Do you need help with your company's documentation? Then use the professionalbusiness writing, editing and proofreadingservices from Words Worth Reading Ltd.
