Hannah Aster

SEO Team Lead

Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.

Expertise

Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing

The Making of Modern Nationalism in Europe

How did nationalism arise in Europe? What were the key factors that have led to its development? It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that Europe started to feel its own form of national pride—part of this was thanks to the Enlightenment. Another contributing factor was the realization that Latin wasn’t the “superior” language and that there were, in fact, many ancient languages in the world. Keep reading to learn more about the making of nationalism in Europe.

John Kotter: How to Communicate the Vision for Change

How can you effectively communicate your vision of change to your employees? What things should you avoid when you’re communicating the vision? According to Kotter, once you’ve developed a sense of urgency, assembled a credible and empowered coalition to lead the change effort, and articulated a clear vision that can anchor every decision and action taken within the organization, you’re ready to sell the change project to the broader organization. Continue below for tips on how to communicate your vision for change.

Redirecting Children’s Behavior—Without the Drama

What does it mean to redirect children’s behavior? What three strategies can you use to teach your child to behave appropriately? The book No-Drama Discipline explains the three steps to properly discipline your child. Step three is all about teaching (or redirecting) your child’s behavior. The authors provide three methods for doing this: notice—don’t criticize, create a dialogue, and try a conditional “yes.” Here is how to teach your child to follow the rules.

The Rise of Nationalism Amongst Linguistic Minorities

How did the new celebration of cultural identities and linguistic minorities affect the growth of nationalism? How did linguistic-based nationalism change the way many countries were run? According to Benedict Anderson, the author of Imagined Communities, the rise in linguistic nationalism has led to changes in how countries are run—primarily, many nations declared an official national language. Thanks to this change, many old dynasties lost their power. Here is how the rise of nationalism among linguistic minorities shaped how nations are run.

John Kotter’s Step 5: Remove Obstacles to Change

What are the most common obstacles to change in an organization? How can you overcome those obstacles? Whenever you try to make big changes, especially in an organization, roadblocks are inevitable. The biggest roadblock is usually the resistance to change among the junior and middle managers. Learn how to overcome these obstacles below.

Connecting With Your Kids: 3 Strategies for Bonding

Why is connecting with your kids a part of the No-Drama Discipline process? What three strategies can you use to make a connection? In their book No-Drama Discipline, Siegel and Bryson explain that the second step in their No-Drama Discipline method is to make a connection with your child. You can do that through touch (such as hugging), affirming their emotions, and listening while your child talks. Continue below to learn why making a connection with your child is important to the discipline process.

The Fine Line Between Nationalism and Racism

What is the difference between nationalism and racism? In what ways are the two concepts linked? In his book Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson claims that nationalism and racism are two completely different concepts, although they are often discussed together. However, since the book was written, some critics claim that nationalism and racism are inherently connected. Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between nationalism and racism.

The 4 Tendencies and How They Pair Up

What happens when you put members of the 4 tendencies together? Which pairs do well and which shouldn’t be in the same room? According to The Four Tendencies author Gretchen Rubin, some tendencies tend to get along better while some tend to butt heads when they’re together. While tendencies aren’t by any means an all-encompassing personality trait, you can generally tell if you’ll get along with a person based on their tendency. Here is how the 4 tendencies work together.

John Kotter: Drive Progress With Short-Term Wins

5 Steps to Practicing Empathy in the Workplace

Why is it important to celebrate short-term wins when leading change in an organization? How does reaching short-term benchmarks help employee morale? In his book Leading Change, John Kotter says that short-term wins are important because they allow employees to feel accomplished and give them something to celebrate—even if the project is far from being over. If you only set long-term goals, employees may become discouraged. Here is John Kotter’s advice for generating short-term wins.

B. Anderson: The Origins of National Consciousness

How did nationalism develop? What was it like to live in the pre-nationalist age? Political scientist and historian Benedict Anderson says that the ideology of “nationalism” is a fairly recent social construct. Before nationalism, people would identify themselves with their occupation, or village, and political communities were ruled by dynastic sovereigns rather than governments. Keep reading to learn about the origins of national consciousness, according to Benedict Anderson.