Study skills- Section 2

DO HONG PHUONG, M.A.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
 Content

Part 1: Critical thinking

Part 2: Teamwork
Part 3: Communication
Part I: CRITICAL THINKING
 What is critical thinking?

• Critical thinking refers to the process of actively

analyzing, assessing, synthesizing, evaluating and
reflecting on information gathered from observation,
experience or communication
 Characteristics of Critical Thinkers
• Do not simply accept all ideas, theories and conclusions as facts.
• Have a mindset of questioning ideas and conclusions
• Seek alternative hypotheses, explanations, conclusions, plans, sources, etc.,
and be open to them
• Be well- informed
• Consider seriously points of view other than their own
 Critical thinkers:

• Care to present a position honestly and clearly, theirs as

well as others'.
• Care about others’ point of view and treat it with
respect.
Part II: TEAMWORK
 Team working skill means:

• making good on a mission and toward common goals

• exploring different perspectives
• helping individuals complement each other’ shortcomings and perfect
themselves
 Teamwork involves:

• working confidently within a group

• contributing ideas effectively
• taking a share of the responsibility
• being assertive
• accepting & learning from constructive criticism
• giving positive, constructive feedback to others
 Teamwork requires:

• Listening
• Questioning
• Persuading
• Respecting
• Helping
• Sharing
• Participating
 Part 3: Communication manners

1. Email etiquettes
2. Art of small talk
3. Networking
 1. Email etiquettes
• Always include a greeting in your email, such as “Dear
Professor” or “Hi Professor”.
• Include your name and class in the body of the email.
• Include a short, informative subject line that explains
what the email is about.
• Keep the email as brief as possible.
• If you miss a class, before emailing the teacher, always
check the syllabus and ask a classmate for notes.
• Don’t send attachments unless your professor has given
you permission to submit a draft or an assignment by
email.
• Never use decorative email stationary or fonts.
• Do make sure to sign the email with your full name
• Before hitting the send button, reread the message and
check for punctuation and spelling.
 2. Small talk- what is it for?

• Breaks the ice

• Establishes relationships
• Leads to “big talk” conversations
• Considered polite in American culture
 Small talk topics

• Appropriate: Weather, sports, events, TV, movies, fashion,

work…
• Inappropriate: Politics, war, disease, religion, coworkers…
 Small talk techniques
Echo questions: Repeat the verb to be, auxiliary verb, or use ‘do’ in the correct
tense if there is no auxiliary.
Examples:
• A: I can speak three languages.
• B: Can you?
• A: They went to Japan last week.
• B: Did they?
•
Echo words: Repeat key words back to the speaker helps to show interest in what the
speaker is saying
Examples:
• A: I have just brought a new sports car. It cost $100,000.
• B: $100,000?
• A: I travelled around south-east Asia for six months
• B: Six months?
Showing attention and agreement: show agreement and
sound curious about what the speaker is saying.
Useful expressions:
• Really?
• Yeah./ Yes./ Right./Sure.
• How interesting.
• Wow.
Wh-questions: ask follow-up questions. Remember to use
the other techniques along with asking Wh-questions to
avoid ‘grilling’ the other person.
Example:
• A: I went to the hospital yesterday.
• B: Why was that? Which hospital did you go to? What did
the doctor say?
 3. Networking
• Start in your comfort zone
• talking with people you know
• ask lots of open-ended questions
• show interest in the person’s responses
• request names of other people
• Attend networking events
• attending talks
• volunteering
• joining students’ clubs
• Make use of social network