أنشئ حسابًا أو سجّل الدخول للانضمام إلى مجتمعك المهني.
When someone is new in your department or you are involve in recruitment.
A talented individual in a group will be noticed by the following characteristics:
1. Well groomed, knows good manners and etiquettes
2. A smiling face with confidence and makes eye contact with the group to keep the discussion vibrant
3. Listens clearly and answer to the point in paced tone
4. Makes note of important points for discussion or write up later on
5. Raises points tactfully during the discussion to get his/her point heard or to get across the audience
How confident he or she is when he is when he speaks and the way he or she speaks.
Brainpower Scale (collectivist) scale.Torrance measure of innovative thinking (collectivist) scale.Wechsler scale to rate the intelligence of children (single scale).
By using our preconceived notions about the world and the sum total of our experiences. We judge people on first sight based on how they dress, walk, and carry themselves using mental schemas we have formed that correspond to types of situations and peopleFlash judgement is, in most situations, not the best idea. Yet we do it because it helps us. For instance based on the appearance of a person you could distance yourself from imminent danger. A well dressed person with a magnetic personality is someone that you may very well want to get to know better
agree with all expert answers above
Many community organizations focus on the needs or deficits of the community. Every community has needs and deficits that ought to be attended to.
But it is also possible to focus on assets and strengths -- emphasizing what the community does have, not what it doesn't. Those assets and strengths can be used to meet those same community needs; they can improve community life.
To draw upon a community's assets, we first have to find out what they are. So in this section, we will focus on identifying community assets and resources. We'll also show how they can be harnessed to meet community needs and to strengthen the community as a whole.
What is a community asset?Our definition is broad. A community asset (or community resource, a very similar term) is anything that can be used to improve the quality of community life. And this means:
One student of communities, John McKnight, has noted: "Every single person has capacities, abilities and gifts. Living a good life depends on whether those capacities can be used, abilities expressed and gifts given."
Why should you identify community assets?Community members of all stripes and from all sectors should be involved in identifying assets. One reason here is the commitment to participatory process that you'll find in most Community Tool Box sections. An even more important one, however, is that community members from a broad range of groups and populations are far more likely to identify assets that may not be apparent to everyone. The community's perception of what constitutes an asset or a resource is at least as legitimate as the "standard" list of institutions and people with specific skills.
A number of garbage-strewn, overgrown empty lots in a neighborhood can be seen as an eyesore and a neighborhood shame. But those lots can also be seen as open space that can be turned into playgrounds, pocket parks, and farmers' markets with volunteer labor that in itself provides a neighborhood community-building opportunity. Community perception is crucial, because seeing something as an asset can make it possible to use it as one.
When should we identify community assets?The techniques for identifying community assets aren't very hard. You don't need a lot of special training or expertise to do the job well.
Before you begin, though, you do need to answer some important questions. You can do this yourself, in the privacy of your own home. But we recommend strongly do so before you start. Here they are:
What is the size of the community you're concerned with?
An entire county? Town? Neighborhood? Housing development?
The bigger the community, the more work is involved - and you might need and probably different study methods for a large community than for a small one.
What people are available to do the work?
An individual? A small group of people? A larger organization? If you're starting out alone, it makes sense to reach out to others, get them excited about the project, and recruit them to work with you. (Unless your community is very small, identifying all or most of its assets is a big job for one person).
How much time do you have for the task or how much time can you allow?
Tonight? A week? A month? As much time as it takes?
The more time you have, the more assets you will be able to uncover.
What financial resources, if any, can you count on to support the work?
If available, resources for copying or printing and to support human resources (time) can be helpful.
What do you want to do with the results?
Will they be posted in an online directory? Contacted about an opportunity to take action? If so, what action, and how?
There are different approaches to identifying community assets. Each can be valid and useful. Which approach is right for you? The answer will depend in large part on your answers to the starting questions above. So, once again, answer them before you start.
But below are two basic approaches you could use in your own community. They complement each other. One of them focuses on the assets of groups -- specifically, associations, organizations, and institutions. The other focuses on individual people.
The central task here is to take an inventory of all the groups (associations, organizations, and institutions) that exist in your community. You want to make a list. But how do you figure out what goes on the list in the first place? Some suggestions follow:
Start the list with what you know. Write down anything that comes to mind. You can always correct your list later.
You can do this work by yourself; but it might be more useful and fun to work with others. Are there other people who could join you and make this a group project?
This is a great project for students or interns.
These can include:
Refine and revise your list.
You can also break your list down in several different ways: alphabetically, geographically, by function, etc.
You now have an inventory of groups and group assets in your community -- the associations, organizations, and institutions that are a fundamental part of community life and that can be used for community improvement. That's an important step.
But what do you do now?
Compiling a list of key groups is one approach for identifying community assets. Another approach is to compile the assets of individuals. This can be challenging, because:
For both these reasons, identifying individual assets often takes place over a smaller community area such as a neighborhood.
But many of the above suggestions still apply. Here's how identifying individual community assets could be done in practice:
Answer the 5 "starting questions" previously given.
This step is the same as for studying the assets of groups.
Decide on the geographic area you want to cover.
Do you want to focus on a specific neighborhood or community? Or do you want a broad sampling of the community? Keep in mind the time and resources you have available as you make your decision.
Decide on how many people you are going to ask within that area.
Everyone? A certain fixed percentage? As many as you can find? Resolve this question in advance.
Draft some questions you want to ask that will get you the information you need.
Are you interested in skills, ("I can play the piano"), or interests ("I'd love to learn")?
If it is skills, what kind of skills -- academic, artistic, athletic, interpersonal, manual, office, organizing, parenting, vocational...? Human beings have many talents, and you probably want to narrow down your search, at least a little.
If interests, what kind as well? These too come in many and varied types.
Keep in mind:
Design a method by which these questions can be asked.
For example:
Each method has its pros and cons.
Try out your questions on a sample group.
Based on their answers and their suggestions, you will probably want to make revisions. That's a good idea, and a natural part of the process. Professional surveyors do the same thing, many times over.
Collect your data.
You've now got a territory to cover, some good questions that meet your needs, and a method for getting the answers. Good work. Now it's time to put your plan into practice and collect your data.
An added bonus: When you ask people about their talents and abilities, that can also help encourage people to share them with others. So your survey may not only be identifying assets, but also promoting their use.
Mapping community assetsOnce you have collected asset information, it's often especially helpful to put it on a map. Maps are good visual aids: seeing the data right in front of you often increases your insight and understanding. There are several ways to go about this:
One mapping method is to find a large street map of your community, with few other markings. (Your local Planning Department may help here, or you can probably print one out from Google Maps or some other similar site.) Then just mark with a dot, tag, or push-pin (maybe color-coded by type) the geographic location of the groups and organizations you have found. The patterns that emerge may surprise you. You may see, for example, that certain locations have different numbers or types of associations. Those areas where few associations exist may be good targets for community development later on.
This type of mapping can also be done by computer. Software programs are available to help you do this. These programs are more flexible and sophisticated than paper-and-pushpin mapping, for with them you can create "overlays," visually placing one category of map over another, and changing these visual patterns with the push of a button.
It's also possible to diagram your resources on a non-literal map, but one which can more clearly show the linkages among different categories of assets.
There are a number of ways of making a non-literal map. One common one is to start with an inner circle that lists physical spaces - buildings, parks, lakes, plazas - that can be used by the community or provide community services and functions. The next circle out lists community institutions - hospitals, schools and universities, libraries, etc. A circle around that second circle might include organizations connected to those institutions or doing related work. (An adult literacy program might be formally or informally tied to educational institutions, to the library, or to major employers, for example.) The next circle out might list services, the next informal groups, and the last individuals (either specific people or the types of skills and interests you are fairly sure you’ll find in the community.) Lines might be drawn between these assets to show how they’re connected, or to show how they’re connected to the group or individuals making the map.
Other non-literal map methods might involve pictures, a photographic record, even small models of buildings and public spaces. The method really doesn’t matter as much as the goal of plotting the community’s assets in a way that makes it clear how they might interconnect, and how they can be combined to meet needs or enhance community life.
Using the community assets you have identifiedWhether or not you map your assets, the next and most important step is to make sure the assets you have identified get used. There is value just in expanding your own personal awareness of what exists in your community, but by sharing your results, you can also expand the awareness of others.
The real value and payoff of identifying assets is in actions that will improve your community. You want to put your assets to work for you. If you have personal assets, such as savings, you probably don't want to hide them under a mattress. The same applies to the assets in your community. How can we maximize their return?
We'll itemize just a few possibilities below. Think about which might fit best for you, and what your own next steps might be:
Community assets should be reviewed on a regular basis. Asset identification should be a regular part of community life, so that community assets can be taken advantage of when they're needed.
Thanks
Thank you guys for your very informative answers.