You are here: Home → Resources → Intelligent Strategy for the Effective Acquisition of Knowledge - INSEAK®

Intelligent Strategy for the Effective Acquisition of Knowledge - INSEAK®

The Intelligent Strategy for the Effective Acquisition of Knowledge (INSEAK®) is a powerful strategy that can be applied to ALL of the documents we choose or have to read. It is based around the principle that we do not need to read everything that we are sent or given. On the contrary, one of the first freedoms that INSEAK allows us is the recognition that a great deal of the information that we receive, and which then piles up on our desks, shelves and email boxes, may not be relevant or appropriate for us to read at all.

The INSEAK system defines three 'states':

State 1: Incoming document - assessment required

When a document arrives on your desk you are in a neutral state - you do not know whether the documents, reports, books, magazines and emails that you have been sent require your attention or not. Your first and immediate objective then is to find out whether these documents need to be read, need to be delegated or can be ditched.

To help you make this assessment, INSEAK provides you with three fast and powerful tools

  • the initial evaluation
  • the rapid pre-read
  • the draft Mind Map

State 2: Preliminary understanding

After you have conducted your initial assessment you arrive at the second state which INSEAK defines as preliminary understanding. You now know which documents need your attention and, broadly, what they cover. However, you are still in assessment mode and having gained your preliminary understanding you now have to decide at what speed, and to what depth, you need to read those documents which you have determined are important.

You have another batch of techniques which you can use in this process:

  • skimming
  • scanning
  • speed reading

The critical understanding here is that while, for some documents, you may just need to skim read, for others you will choose to go through a series of reads each of which is more detailed. In this respect you are building up and reinforcing your knowledge as you proceed and this process of multi-layering is a key characteristic of the INSEAK approach.

State 3: New knowledge assimilated

This is the final state. You now have everything you need or want from the document in question. Of course you may have chosen to miss some sections out completely or skimmed or scanned other sections, but the key thing is that you have met YOUR objectives.

INSEAK® is a registered trade mark of Illumine® Limited

^ Back to top