Guest Blogs

Knowitall.ch often invites local experts in their field to contribute to their own blogs on our site. This means not only you will benefit from the useful recommendations that we make on our News pages, but you can also profit from some of the great advice and tips that these experts have to make on their favorite subjects. Whilst each of these bloggers has been recommended to us at some point during the evolution of Know-it-all passport and knowitall.ch, obviously we are not able to test out all the suggestions they make on their blogs, nor do we necessarily agree with all their opinions. So if you do find one of their tips useful (or not!), do let us know!

To make these blogs more accessible to you, we have now decided to group them altogether in one section, entitled Guest Blogs, accessible from our main menu bar. We will also post the most recent blogs on the home page of our site in the right hand column.

We are still building up this area of the site, and are looking for bloggers in a number of sections, including Your Home, Travel, and Leisure, so if you feel you have a useful contribution to make in either of these areas, and have the time to submit blog entries approximately every month, then please get in touch!

: Published: 07 July 2024

Screenshot 2024 07 03 at 16.46.39 copy

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

Did you watch Emily Maitlis’s interview with Prince Andrew about his relationship with the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein? If not, did you see the wonderful film that has just come out – Scoop – about that interview?

Emily excels as an interviewer. She enters each conversation well prepared, focused and with a clear idea of how she wants to steer the conversation. Her strength also lies in her ability to listen to deepen her understanding and ask probing follow-up questions. This blend of preparation and flexibility is one of the reasons her interviews are so compelling.

You may not get to interview a member of the British royal family – few get that opportunity. However, her approach and techniques are worth observing, if you are asked to conduct an on-camera interview for your organization or company.

Over the past few months, I have trained a number of people on how to interview their CEOs, members of senior management teams or technical experts for videos to be posted on the company intranet, website or social media platforms.

: Published: 01 July 2024

heart Lisa Cirieco

By Philippa Dobree-Carey, From High School to Uni

University is an important milestone, a time of academic progress, personal development, and (hopefully) lifelong friendships. But let's face it, the transition from the familiar structure of high school to the independence and demands of university can be quite overwhelming for most students. Here are some insights from a recent UK student survey to give you a realistic picture of what your child might experience on campus, wherever they are, and some practical tips for you, as a parent, to help them thrive.

How Student Really Feel

While many students reported positive social experiences and a love of their chosen subjects, a significant proportion of students found university life stressful and overwhelming. Interestingly, although 71% were happy with their decision to go to university, only 35% felt that their experience met their expectations.

This highlights the importance of open communication with your child. Discussing their expectations and the potential challenges they may face in advance can help them manage stress and adjust to the realities of university life.

: Published: 26 May 2024

Tips from a Masterful Media Communicator

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

People often ask me who excels at talking to the media. My answer is Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of UNRWA – the UN Palestinian Relief Agency that employs 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip, and runs schools and social services.

Lazzarini has one of the most challenging jobs in the world, made even more difficult since the events of October 7th. Currently, he is banned by Israel from visiting Gaza, and his agency is not allowed to deliver much-needed food to the North of the strip where famine looms. Israel has also accused a dozen UNRWA staff of involvement in the Hamas attacks on Israel – allegations that remain unsubstantiated. 189 of his staff have so far lost their lives in the conflict.

Yet he remains cool, calm and collected when questioned by the media about those allegations, the effectiveness of the relief operations or the plight of the Palestinians.

I have analyzed some of the interviews he has done with major international broadcasters, Al Jazeera, Sky News and BBC, over the past six months, with a view to illustrating some of the techniques he uses that make him such an excellent interviewee.

: Published: 23 May 2024

study

By Philippa Dobree-Carey, From High School to Uni

Test anxiety can make exams stressful for students, but using a strategic, consistent approach using effective study techniques can boost their confidence. Here's how to keep calm and prepare effectively.

Start Early

Spread out revision of each subject over 5-10 days.
Create a study plan (days 1-7). Plan daily reviews with a mix of broad overviews, deep dives into complex topics, and revisiting older material. Here's a sample schedule:
Day 1-2: Big picture review, identify the areas that need more attention.
Day 3-4: Tackle the more complex topics, using active recall methods.
Day 5-6: Review both new and older material to maintain memory retention.
Day 7: Focus on areas of difficulty, refining understanding with active recall.
Organise revision sessions into manageable chunks to improve retention. Use spaced repetition (reviewing at increasing intervals) and active recall (testing yourself) techniques, such as:
— Write down questions from your notes or textbook and answer them without referring to the source.
— Practice explaining concepts: Imagine you're teaching the material to someone else and explain it out loud or write down a clear explanation.
— Make flashcards with key terms on one side and definitions or explanations on the other. Have the student test themself or have someone them while having breakfast, going to school in the car, travelling on the bus or train, or during break-times.
Practice test-taking techniques on past papers under timed conditions to help develop a time management strategy for the actual exam.
To avoid burnout or being overwhelmed, it is important to balance study time with downtime.

: Published: 25 April 2024

Click on image for the video recipe

There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of homemade Chicken and Dumplings! Everyone makes dumplings differently and, although these are not up to the standard of my Tennessee family, we still enjoy them!

This can be refrigerated once cooled down, or frozen. It is even better as leftover so make sure to double the recipe if you are feeding a crowd!

A funny story is when I hid a portion of the soup to give to one of my friends who was under the weather. I thought I would pull out all the old jars of chutneys and mustards and hide it behind there in a ziplock bag. That evening when I was just about to deliver it to her, I couldn't find the portion! I thought, "I remember putting here... where could it be?" I went to the kitchen garbage and found the empty ziplock bag in there! My son had found it and eaten it! When I confronted him later, he said, "I didn't know it was being saved for someone else." I repeated to him that I hid it there thinking no-one would move those jars to find it. I was very apologetic to my friend...