Amanda Penn, Author at Shortform Books

Why Do I Make So Many Mistakes? A Checklist Can Help

In the 21st century, we can do things that were unthinkable not long ago. Yet highly trained, experienced, and capable people regularly make avoidable mistakes. You may be wondering, Why do I make so many mistakes? After experiencing his own mistakes and observing those of colleagues, Boston surgeon Atul Gawande set out to learn why smart people make avoidable errors and, more importantly, to find a way to prevent them. The result is The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, in which Gawande proposes a simple solution: a checklist. Learn how to use it to prevent yourself from making avoidable

Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam—The Horrifying Reality

What was Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam like? How did Tim O’Brien’s depiction of the Vietnam War in The Things They Carried demonstrate wider themes of the brutality of war and the power of storytelling? We’ll cover how Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam depicts wider themes of war and discuss the main themes of The Things They Carried.

Power of Nonverbal Communication: How to Spread Your Ideas

What is the power of nonverbal communication? How does the nonverbal communication of others affect your decisions? We’ll cover the power of nonverbal communication and discuss why your biases may not be your own, but rather adopted based on someone else’s nonverbal signals.

The Things They Carried—”Night Life”: Why the Medic Goes Mad

What happens in the chapter in The Things They Carried called “Night Life”? How does “Night Life” demonstrate the ways war can make a soldier go crazy? We’ll look at the basic elements of this chapter from The Things They Carried, “Night Life,” and discuss how seeing your fellows die, one after the other, can lead to paranoia.

Submittal Schedule: What It Is and Why You Might Need One

What is a submittal schedule? Why is it crucial that engineers and contractors use them? What can the rest of us learn from the submittal schedule about how to work efficiently? A submittal schedule is a type of checklist that specifies when people need to communicate, about what, and with whom. The submittal schedule typically dictates that various experts speak to each other on specific dates regarding progress in specific areas, as well as who needed to share, or submit, information before the next steps can proceed. We’ll look at how the need for submittal schedules in contracting arose and

13 The Things They Carried Characters: Analysis and Themes

Who are the main The Things They Carried characters? How do their stories demonstrate both the humanity of soldiers and the dehumanizing effects of war? The Things They Carried is a collection of interconnected short stories about the experiences of a company of young American men serving in the Vietnam War. We’ll cover the primary The Things They Carried characters and their main scenes in the book.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere: America’s First Influencer?

What happened during the midnight ride of Paul Revere? Why was Paul Revere so successful in spreading his message? Why haven’t you heard of his counterpart, William Dawes? Why is he a major influencer in the history of America? What can modern influencers learn from him? We’ll cover why the midnight ride of Paul Revere was so successful, and what it teaches us about the best way to communicate and spread our ideas.

The Things They Carried—”The Lives of the Dead”: Chapter Guide

What happens in the chapter in The Things They Carried called “The Lives of the Dead”? How does “The Lives of the Dead” show the origins of author/narrator O’Brien’s writing style and his belief in the power of storytelling? We’ll look at the basic elements of this chapter in The Things They Carried, “The Lives of the Dead,” and look at how a childhood love led to the narrator’s desire to write stories.

Why Do We Make Mistakes? The Most Common Reason (+Solution)

Today we can do amazing things: we can predict hurricanes and tornadoes, we can build skyscrapers of all shapes, and we can save people from heart attacks and severe injuries that would have been fatal a few decades ago.Yet highly trained, experienced, and capable people regularly make avoidable mistakes. You may be left wondering, Why do we make mistakes? We’ll cover Boston surgeon Atul Gawande’s process as he sets out to learn why smart people make avoidable errors and how to prevent them.

Martha—The Things They Carried: Why Cross Blames Her

Who is Martha in The Things They Carried? What are the most important scenes involving her in the book? Martha is a character in The Things They Carried who only appears in the memories of First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. Cross is in love with Martha, and he clings to his love to help him get through the war. We’ll cover the spectral presence of Martha in The Things They Carried and look at how this character impacts the events of the book.