I once attended a training session for middle and senior managers from various companies, where a lecturer from the Peking University XX Positioning Center was invited to talk about internet thinking and corporate transformation. In one afternoon, I filled a page with notes: A page of lecture notes The lecture was indeed brilliant, but I was left wanting more. However, the cost of further training courses was staggering. What to do? Is there a way to achieve learning goals through self-reading? The lecturer strongly recommended the book 'Positioning' throughout the training, so I decided to start with that book.

Step 1: Confirm the Theme and Collect a Book List

So I began the process of finding a book list, roughly like this: 1. First, I searched Baidu for 'Positioning' Douban search for the topic you want to read about 2. After finding the book's page on Douban, I checked the rating—wow, 8.2, quite good! I also discovered that this book was published jointly by the Peking University XX Center and Trout & Partners China, and the lecturer's cases were reflected in the book. Douban's rating is a valuable reference 3. What else might people who like this book also like? You can start from one book and find a bunch of recommended books of the same type. Online review: "To this day, 'Positioning' has sold over 200,000 copies in China. Works that trace the development of positioning theory, such as 'Marketing Warfare,' 'Marketing Revolution,' 'The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,' 'Focus,' 'Public Relations First, Advertising Second,' and 'The Origin of Brands,' have also been published domestically. Now everyone talks about positioning, but few truly understand it." See, there are several books. Well, besides buying cat food for Liuyi, I still have some money left, so I might as well buy them all! At this point, you might ask, "You bought so many books again—can you even finish them? Don't they cost money?" Well, let me explain why I spend money on so many books. Because I think the lecture was good, and the positioning concept is indeed useful to me. But the center's course costs 108,000 yuan and requires going to Beijing. So, if I can buy a few books and understand even 20% of it, wouldn't that be worth it? As for whether I can finish reading them—if you've read my article 'Read a Book in 30 Minutes,' you might change your mind. Mwah! Without mastering speed reading, thematic reading can become 'being ganged up on.' Once the books arrived, my thematic reading began! First, I need to decide what to research. Let's go with 'How positioning and related knowledge apply to personal and corporate branding.' Since it's a new field, I'm not entirely clear, but I think I can focus and clarify through the next steps. Confirm a theme and general questions, then dig in.

Step 2: Conduct Thematic Reading

(1) First, scan-read using the method from 'Read a Book in 30 Minutes' to quickly go through all the books on the list. This process may eliminate some books, because after a 30-minute read, I find that a book may not be closely related to my theme. Well, miss, you may be beautiful and tall, but sorry, this time I'm looking for a male. Sorry about that. This process may also confirm a protagonist—the main book you'll focus on—while others become supporting characters. What does the protagonist do? It is the core book for this thematic reading, the one you consider the best on the list. What do supporting characters do? Their task is to provide chapters that echo the theme, extending and supplementing the protagonist's content. Image from Jianshu App (2) Then confirm chapters and identify common theme keywords After the first step of speed reading, you've marked the important chapters in each book (using sticky notes is a good way). By carefully studying the protagonist book, let the supporting characters cooperate. "Ah, this chapter in this book is what another book talks about—and this chapter is also in this book—" Index sticky notes for the thematic reading book list (3) Finally, output a mind map to find answers Drawing a mind map for thematic reading usually follows a mature framework: 5W2H. The theme you're researching expands from what it is, how to do it, where it applies, when to use it, who uses it, etc. This process also helps you go back and gather information from the protagonist and supporting characters. Mind map for thematic reading

Step 3: Share the Theme

Any learning without sharing is incomplete. You need to verify whether you truly understand! My personal experience is to initiate a thematic reading in a friend circle, promise a completion deadline, and the completion marker is 'I will give a 30-minute theme sharing in the group.' Yes, if I fail, I pay a fine of 100 yuan... Yes, without monetary punishment, procrastination cannot be cured conservatively. You can write a thematic article explaining the topic. You can also do a talk like Luo Zhenyu's 'Logic Show'; I've tried sharing on Red Dot, and the recorded audio can be further disseminated to get feedback. These shares not only validate your results but also earn you tips—killing two birds with one stone. Conclusion: Thematic reading is a method often recommended by big V's. It is the highest stage of reading in 'How to Read a Book,' and is strongly recommended by Uncle Qiuye and Zhan Falcon from the Ten O'Clock Reading Club. Requirements for the practitioner: First, good looks (of course!); second, a time limit. You can do thematic reading once a month or set a week to complete it. If not completed within the time limit, the thematic reading is declared a failure. Its benefits: Highly purposeful, powerful, like a machine gun on a WWI battlefield, killing countless enemies. It's normal to eliminate 10 books in one thematic reading. So if you want a comprehensive introduction to an unfamiliar professional field, thematic reading is the best way. Its drawbacks: Without a good foundation in speed reading, and if you're greedy for quantity, it can easily become superficial, producing nothing in the end. In that case, it's better to read one book thoroughly and understand it before moving on. Its scope: Thematic reading is not only suitable for business books; professional books might also work with this method. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope some friends can try and share their experiences. Using thematic reading, you can concentrate on digesting an author's or a field's knowledge. In professional research, this should be common, but it's less used in 'civilian' contexts. My thematic reading started with one book and expanded, but now that I've built my own knowledge system, I make targeted plans: My thematic reading map When I want to understand internet thinking, I bring in Li Shanyou's 'Four Books of Ascending'; when I want to learn about innovation, I find the 'Innovator's Dilemma' series. This way, I buy books by theme, spending about 200-300 each time, but it allows me to absorb current ideas even in a small city. What, your wife is strict? Well, go to the library, and remember not to scribble in the books. What's the use of reading so many books?—You forget most of what you've read, but what you remember becomes who you are now. Article reposted from: Buma Marketing Person -END- Featured Content Click the title below to read directly: [Practical Guide to Route Sales Rep Customer Relationship Management (with 228-page PPT training tutorial for grassroots sales reps download)]