Tip #30. Be a life-long learner.

Pedagogical.

Now, that's a word I never thought I would use in a sentence. In fact, until a couple of months ago. I didn't even know what it meant. Once I learned the definition, I resolutely promised not to insert that piece of academic jargon into the white paper I was writing. Ha.

See final draft, paragraph 2:

"The $350 million market for LMSs [learning management systems] is populated by more than 140 vendors whose mission is to support best practices in the preferred pedagogical approach of colleges and universities.[2]

So why is a word I have come to actively detest placed so high in the content of this paper? One reason: It is the language of the reader (academics who are evaluating LMSs). Not only did I have to learn it, through extensive research, I had to speak it.

Writing a white paper is like being a graduate student in a subject you may or may not have studied before. It takes a life-long love of learning and genuine curiosity about any assigned subject. (The Chicago Manual of Style bookmarked to the citations section is also useful.)