Book Description

Granville N. Toogood is a top executive communications expert, as well as an established speaker, trainer, and writer. Before starting his own company in 1982, Mr. Toogood was a television reporter and network news producer for NBC and ABC. Today he works with a long list of blue-chip clients and has served as a consultant to 38 of the Fortune 50 CEOs, as well as thousands of senior-level executives, elected officials, and diplomats throughout the world. This book is based on his acclaimed corporate workshops in executive communications. Mr. Toogood resides in Darien, Connecticut. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A Great Choice for Help Speaking
Granville Toogood's "The Articulate Executive" is a quite excellent introduction to public speaking in a variety of forms. Toogood is an accomplished communications consultant and has distilled his advice into a very readable book that will help almost anyone improve not just their communication style, but also their impact.

Toogood covers all the bases, from basic public speaking, to presentation, to handling the media. His POWER formula offers a simplified approach to effective speaking that's approachable by all of us. He offers real-world advice - such as time your speeches to be no longer than 18 minutes - that is often missing from other books.

Most importantly, his book is easily readable. It features short chapters with a lot of punch. And although some chapters build on contents of previous ones, it's easy to read the book a chapter at a time, or even find just the chapter the deals with the topic you need. While written for the beginning communicator, most non-professional speakers will find a lot of value in this work. It was an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

Articulation: A Key to Making Things Happen
The key to success, I believe lies in effective personal communication.

In a world that increasingly relies on technology to respond to other human beings, a personal response results in results - deals are made; red tape is cut; decisions are made. Yet we live in a world where the ability to communicate personally with each other seems to be on the decline.

Granville Toogood has written one of the best books on the subject I have ever read. The Articulate Executive should be required reading for every business student, project manager, teacher and politician. By taking the time to adhere to his simple P. O. W. E. R. formula, leaders would see their effectiveness soar.

P. Power - Start Strong.
O. One Theme.
W. Windows to illustrate your theme.
E. Ear - Your presentation should be conversational.
R. Retention - End your presentation with a call to action.

If you plan to be successful, then public speaking is something you cannot avoid. If you plan to speak, do your audience a favor and spend some time with this book. Your career and your audience will be grateful.

Learning How to Speak in Public
Book Review: Granville N. Toogood's, The Articulate Executive

Jack Llewelyn, who was the CEO of Ocean Spray Cranberries, described Granville N. Toogood's The Articulate Executive (1995), as a "... required reading for every board room, class room, and living room in the country." When reading Toogood's book reviews, I was astonished that a book about public speaking could be so highly touted. Haven taken public speaking courses before, I wondered if The Articulate Executive could possibly "cure" my fear of public speaking. After reading the book's introduction, I realized that I was not the only one who fears a public audience. Not only developing college students, like myself, but also well established CEO's, corporate managers, and important individuals from all walks of life share in the popular fear of speaking in public. "Polls tell us that public speaking for some people can actually be scarier than death" (Toogood, p. 7). Therefore, I wonder, can a book help reduce an individual's fear of public speaking and aid in his or her quest to become a better public speaker? In this book Granville Toogood helps the reader become a more effective communicator and overall the book educates the reader about the steps each individual should take to present a good presentation.
In today's business world, public speaking can be a key to success. The author describes how most people would prefer having a root canal rather than speaking in public. Toogood says, "that people who view public speaking as a bad thing...are amazed to find that public speaking can actually be fun-and well worth the time and effort" (Toogood p. 3). The author describes how public speaking is to be viewed as an opportunity rather than an unpleasant and tedious job that has to be done. Furthermore, Toogood emphases in the first chapter of The Articulate Executive that an advantage in any business relationship will usually go to the "articulate, well-organized, and thoughtful" business player (p. 7). Consequently, "seizing opportunities" is the first concept that Toogood presents as a potential key to business success.
The author also talks about controlling the presentation. Toogood states "The presentation should always be an opportunity rather than an obstacle or chore. When you are in command of your presentation, you come across as a leader" (Toogood, p. 167). The author introduces the reader to the POWER formula. Which is essential to follow; this formula ensures that the speaker has the groundwork of a good presentation. The presenter should also give the speech the way he or she speaks, making the presentation conversational and easy to follow for the audience. The author also introduces us to the "18-minute Wall", i.e., the audience will only be able to pay attention for 18 minutes. It is also important to remember the "18-minute Wall" when organizing the presentation to meet the timing requirements. There is also the "8-second rule", this rule will help the speaker come up with the theme of the presentation. This rule will also help the presenter remove any unnecessary clichés and come across as being straightforward. After the presenter has the making for a great presentation, it is essential to make good use of body language and to dress appropriate for the occasion. Finally, the correct use of visual aids is essential for any presentation, and they should not dominate the presentation. In my opinion, Toogood has given me the correct set of guidelines to follow, and his advice will help his readers to come across as leaders and become better public speakers.

Short but Punchy
IF you need to give a speech next week and find no time to learn all the important presentation techique, do try this books! Short but punchy, it touches on almost eveyr aspect on presentation, from writing to delivering, from fear control to the secret of 8 second drill. Highly recommended

Insightful!
Greenville N. Toogood is a top executive communications expert, an established speaker (who used to be a TV reporter and network news producer), trainer, and writer, so he draws upon a vast amount of useful and successful tips for anyone interested in becoming a top-notch communicator. Although this book is written in a conversational, accessible style, you won't find any fluff and filler, just on-target training. He covers planning your talk, speech, or presentation; your delivery and appearance; and pitfalls to avoid. He tells you how to deal with visual aids, Q&A sessions, and even the media. The author stresses that the book's instructions can make anyone an effective and dazzling conversationalist, not just a great speechmaker, though both are well-rewarded skills. We [...] recommend this book to every professional, on every level, and to those who would like to excel as communicators.
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Book Description

Step-by-step guide to creating compelling, memorable presentations

A chart that once took ten hours to prepare can now be produced by anyone with ten minutes and a computer keyboard. What hasn't changed, however, are the basics behind creating a powerful visual - what to say, why to say it, and how to say it for the most impact. In Say It With Charts, Fourth Edition --the latest, cutting-edge edition of his best-selling presentation guide -- Gene Zelazny reveals time-tested tips for preparing effective presentations. Then, this presentation guru shows you how to combine those tips with today's hottest technologies for sharper, stronger visuals. Look to this comprehensive presentation encyclopedia for information on:

* How to prepare different types of charts -- pie, bar, column, line, or dot -- and when to use each
* Lettering size, color choice, appropriate chart types, and more
* Techniques for producing dramatic eVisuals using animation, scanned images, sound, video, and links to pertinent websites ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Good Little Book With Many Useful Ideas.
If you're interested in getting ideas on how to present ideas graphically, this is a good little book. As many other reviewers have pointed out, several of the articles were prepared by graphic designers (some by hand in fact) and not computer graphics packages. If you're looking for suggestions on how to present ideas graphically, this is perfectly fine,... even useful. However, if you're looking for information on how to prepare graphics using Excel, you're out of luck (however, there are dozens of other books that can help you). That's just not what this books is about. Instead, the book gives you several suggestions for expressing the relationship between various activities (flow charts, diagrams, etc) illustrating performance timelines (bar graphs, area graphs, etc), and other information. However, where this book really shines, is in showing you how to incorporate various illustrations into your graphics to make them truly unique and informative. The benefit of this book is in teaching you how to conceptialize and develop unique graphics -- not in telling you how to produce generic off-the-shelf graphics. I'd recommend this book, along with "Information Graphics" by Harris and "Digital Diagrams" by Bounford, to anyone interested in learning more about charts. Overall Grade: B+/A-

Great ideas
This book is a good arsenal to every executive who need to communicate in the form of charts. It opens up the minds to possibilities beyond cut and paste from Excel.

However I do agree with one of the reviewer that most of the charts in the books are drawn by graphic designers. This mean that although we can learn the most appropriate chart to use from the book, the is no way of making those charts with our basic computer software.

The message in the book is clear; great charts are more of science than arts.

helpful - nothing more need be said
Full disclosure - I used to work at IBM and as an entry level consultant with an MBA there the first thing you are is the .ppt whipping post. That being said, the IBM training program covers many of the concepts from this book. Why?? Simple, they work. Is it the be all and end all? No. The only thing that can help you assemble good content is practice, practice, practice - with a healthy dose of constructive criticism from someone that knows what they are talking about. I just got through a days worth of presentations last Friday to one of the most senior technology people at a major government agency. All I can say is that I really, really, really wish that the people presenting before and after me had taken 5 mintues to review this book before getting in front of that crowd - it would have prevented some spectacular flamouts.

Dissapointing
They have better charts in Excel templates.

Good for reference
I have to agree with one reviewer that the presentation of the information throughout some of "Say it with Charts" was a little childish. However, I found the reference pages to be quite valuable for helping you think outside the box of the types of charts and graphics that you put together to represent the message. ... Read more

Book Description

Do you have what it takes tosucceed in your career?

The secret of success is not what they taught you in school. What matters most is not IQ, not a business school degree, not even technical know-how or years of expertise. The single most important factor in job performance and advancement is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is actually a set of skills that anyone can acquire, and in this practical guide, Daniel Goleman identifies them, explains their importance, and shows how they can be fostered.

For leaders, emotional intelligence is almost 90 percent of what sets stars apart from the mediocre.As Goleman documents, it's the essential ingredient for reaching and staying at the top in any field, even in high-tech careers.And organizations that learn to operate in emotionally intelligent ways are the companies that will remain vital and dynamic in the competitive marketplace of today--and the future.

Comprehensively researched, crisply written, and packed with fascinating case histories of triumphs, disasters, and dramatic turnarounds, Working with Emotional Intelligence may be the most important business book you'll ever read.


... Read more

Reviews (55)

Steps to enhance success Emotionally!
How we need to over ride our emotions sometimes! Daniel Goleman's book is indeed an insight to cultivate one's mind emotionally. Understanding and raising emotional intelligence is essential to your success and leadership potentials. Daniel selects examples and anecdotes from the Fortune 500 companies which shows the competency to deal with various factors at workplace. The training tools, conflict management, building bonds and motivation, encouragement and inspirations are really necessary not with the IQs only but with the 'Emotional Intelligence skills' which enhance leadership to excel. The author shows the way how to manage feelings, interact, communicate and tackle with the issues in organization. Initiative, self control, optimism are some key factors of personal competency which make the emotional control board of the mind geared up to treat right, care and understand. A must read for every business. Its never an arrogance, ego or pride but be in tune with 'Emotional Intelligence'- Thats the trick of the trades for every savvy Leader.

The emotional competence framework
The author suggests five competencies in which we can manage ourselves:

Self awareness (Emotional Awareness, self-accessment, self-confidence)

Self Regulation (Self-Control, Trustworthiness, adaptiblity, innovation)

Motivation (achievement driven, commitment, initiative, optimism)

Empathy (understanding others, developing others, service oriented, politically aware),

Social skills (influence, conflict management, leadership, catalyst, building bonds, collaboration and cooperation, and team).

The book's frame-work focuses on the five competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social skills.

I liked the personal stories illustrating the positive effects of soft skills. The storie sources came from friends, associates, and research cases.

I disliked the conclusions drawn from the stories suggesting confidence in cause and effect of EQ results.

I liked what Dr Goleman was advocating about the importance of people skills: social radar, arts of influence, and collaboration and teams.

I disliked lack of detail methodology to achieve the desired results. I felt there was too much contrast between IQ verse EQ. The book provides a strong case argument for an investment in Emotional Intelligent.

One shocking point the author makes early in the book, states that the top 1 percent of the Emotionally Intelligent in the IT field are 1200 percent more productive. I would have liked to read more cases studies about these observations and conclusions for his study. That statement alone sparked a ton of curiousity about EQ. I'm very interested in learning how effective IT managers are in accessing the emotional needs of their employees and customers and how to implement EQ to improve performance.

I disliked the lack of practical application. There was a disconnect between converting ideas of EQ into action. I felt the book focused too much on the principles of EQ, rather than the practical application of EQ. Basically he did not effectively answer the question, " How can I uses the EQ in my job to make a difference." I didn't get the opportunity to say "cool EQ works for me"

I read both and picked the Quickbook
This book was recommended to me as a resource for emotional intelligence in the workplace. I was looking for something to give to managers here at my company and I also puchased the recommended title on this page, The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook. Working is alright and I can see how it was a good resource when it came out in 1998, but The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook is more up to date and far more practical. It also worked well for us because it comes with a free emotional intelligence test online.

Packed With Knowledge!
Daniel Goleman followed up his bestselling classic Emotional Intelligence with this equally classic sequel that focuses on how emotional intelligence is applied in the workplace. Insightful and richly detailed, Goleman's work educates and inspires without ever sounding trite or sappy, like some annoying quick-fix scheme. If you are leadership bound and think success is all about strategy and technique, this will provide some very useful insights into what people really think about managing and being managed. The most intriguing sections focus on the application of emotional intelligence at work, but it would be pretty useful at home, too (if we could just get out of the office). If you think that you don't need to be more aware of the emotional undercurrents all around you, we warn that you need to read this most of all.

Success is based on how you apply emotional intelligence
This is a wonderful book, and is truly an insightful look at what helps us to be successful in leadership positions in the workplace. The old model of senior management was based on owning all the information and knowledge and being able to understand what everyone does in fine detail, and was often the "promoted-up-through-the-ranks" type of leader. But with modern business involving so much change, and constantly shifting market demands and organizational structures, what worked well yesterday will not move the organization or your career ahead tomorrow.

The author uses as a platform the work on Emotional Intelligence, which unlike typically defined intelligence, focuses on the ability to apply emotional and inspirational information in a variety of social settings and through a vast array of relationships. It is this ability he concludes that predicts success in today's workplace.

Among the areas of discussion are five competencies in which our ability is revealed. The first is "Self Awareness" which includes emotional awareness, self-assessment, and self-confidence. How many times have we worked for or with someone who could not control their emotions and lacked the self awareness to understand how their actions impacted those around them? The importance of balancing performance while exhibiting the values of the organization through a positive culture has never been more in need. Many who have the intelligence to do the work, lack the emotional intelligence to build the relationships and culture needed to get the work done through others. The book explores these pitfalls and discusses suggestions for change.

The other areas are similar: "Self Regulation" (self-control, trustworthiness, adaptability, innovation), "Motivation" (achievement driven, commitment, initiative, and optimism), "Empathy" (understanding others, developing others, service oriented, politically aware), and "Social Skills" (influence, conflict management, leadership, catalyst, building bonds, collaboration and cooperation, and teamwork).

All of the five competencies are presented well, with examples and suggestions for improvement. Some reviewers have noted the lack of "scientific" type of analysis, but I feel that misses the point. The first hurdle to overcome if one wants to be as successful as possible is a basic awareness of the importance of interpersonal skills, and building strong working relationships with others. The opportunity for a purely autocratic style to operate in today's business is rare and therefore the majority of those leading businesses will need to focus on how they apply their EQ, not just their IQ.

This book does an excellent job at presenting what EQ success looks like and why it is important. It is not a step by step manual for improving one's business success, as that would ironically be an IQ approach. The book instead is a great eye-opener of the importance of emotions, and how we read others and interact with them. Highly recommended, and a great starting point for improving your ability to lead others in today's business environment. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the braille version of the timeless reference book. According to the St. Louis Dispatch, this "excellent book, which should go off to college with every freshman, is recognized as the best book of its kind we have." It should be the ". . . daily companion of anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who writes at all" (Greensboro Daily New). "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume" (The Boston Globe). Two volumes in braille. ... Read more

Reviews (195)

TEXTBOOKS DON'T HAVE TO BE BIG
While skimming through Stephen King's book ON WRITING, he highly recommended THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE. Taking his advice I searched for a copy and found one in a free bin--of all places! I looked at it and decided that it was so much better than any other textbook that I had seen that I decided to WRITE IT. Three pages a day for a month or so. It's a very short book, only about 80 pages or so. You learn everything from words that are often spelled wrong, to punctuation, to style, etc. Very blunt and to the point. No exercises in here, problems 1 - 10 all. Nope, you just read this book and enjoy it. Why, there's actually a little humor in it at times, which is pretty good for a textbook. Now I've heard some people say that this book is bad because it is saying to follow all these rules and don't stray from them. I think they got it all wrong. This book is essentially saying this: you can't blaze new trails in the English language without having a solid foundation in the basics first! This goes for ANYTHING. You don't suddenly set off an a 200 mile trek, you slowly work up to it, starting from the basics. After you have mastered the basics, then you can break free. One thing that this book continually points out is that it is OFTEN A MATTER OF EAR. Meaning that if you are experienced enough, you will know whether to stick to the traditional or whether to be liberal when phrasing something, for example. By far this is the most talked-about textbook that I've seen and the most valuable.

Great Little Book
A pithy little handbook that gives rules and examples to help you avoid the most common mistakes in writing, plus some smart advice on the finer points by a renowned essayist and children's writer. It is by far the single most useful book on writing. But it is not the last word. For those who wish to go further, I recommend these books in addition to Strunk & White: The Prentice Hall Handbook for Writers, for a review of basic grammar and syntax; Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, by Joseph M. Williams, for more detailed advice on constructing paragraphs; The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing, by Thomas Kane, for more general advice; and Garner's Modern American Usage, for intelligent, detailed, and up-to-date guidance on diction. All these books belong on the shelf of every serious writer.

(By the way, I agree with the previous reviewer that the third edition is slightly preferable to the current one.)

Useful book for writers and editors
For writers and those who work in publishing this little book contains a lot of matters worthy of consideration. It's not the most useful book I have on the subject (that honour goes to "Style Book" by Derek Wallace and Janet Hughes published in 1995) and I don't agree with everything the authors have to say, but it does contain a lot of useful tips, pointers and ways of polishing your text. You can't go wrong by giving it a careful read.

Your ticket to becoming a better writer
Few things can make you as self-conscious about your writing as reviewing a book that you feel has improved your writing. And few things are as silly as terribly written reviews praising such books. Hopefully, what I learned from this book will lead me to be able to write a review that will convince you to buy it.

Many years ago I decided that I wanted to be able to write better, but I didn't really know where to begin. I'd taken classes, but I was unsatisfied with what I had learned. I'd learned how to assemble different kinds of essays or papers, but I strongly felt that something was lacking on a more basic level. My writing lacked, well, style.

I happened to ask a professional writer I knew for advice. I asked him how one could become a better writer. The answer he gave me seemed completely underwhelming at the time: "Read the Elements of Style twice a month and compare its advice to your writing," he said. He suggested that I not merely read it once but that I read it continuously, as we all need to be reminded of the guidelines it provides. Writing is a skill that improves with constant practice, much like playing a musical instrument. Take your writing, apply the lessons and guidelines from this book, and see where you can improve things. While he insisted this was the most important advice I could receive, I remained skeptical.

Eventually, I had the good sense to give his advice a shot. Soon afterwards, I was a published writer. I still use this book and refer to it regularly. If you use it regularly in the way my mentor described, it will make you a better writer as well.

OUTSTANDING
Simply the most valuable book on my shelf. ... Read more

Download Description

In Presenting to Win: Persuading Your Audience Every Time, the world's #1 presentation consultant shows how to connect with even the toughest, most high-level audiences--and move them to action. Jerry Weissman shows presenters of all kinds how to dump tho ... Read more

Reviews (13)

It's really presenting to win
You may be a skilled presentator, but your so called "support material" may be working against you. I give presentations almost every day since I work as a consultant and the audience response is better since I started following the book's advise. The book's writting is easy to understand and can be read very fast. The advice the author gives is easy to follow and it translates into achievements in real life. This book should be required reading for everybody in college, I'm giving it to the personnel under me as required reading. It's a great book. It has some typos and as verything it could be improved, but it's a great book.

The real story in presenting
I teach courses in business writing, including lessons on presentations. When students ask for good books to continue learning, this is the book I recommend for presentations. I also suggest that it will help them with all of their communications at work. The ideas in the book are simple yet powerful. For example, the most important communications we do at work is convincing others, and a powerful way to do that is to tell them a story. It is fundamental human nature that storytelling awakens, relaxes, and engages those who are listening.

Unfortunately, the editing and packaging of the book are not as well done as is the presentation of the main ideas. The author has had one audience for years: entrepreneurs who are trying to convince bankers to back their IPOs. The publisher tried to take his ideas and make them applicable and accessible to all business people everywhere. They did not quite succeed, for a variety of reasons.

The text uses vocabulary and figures of speech that exclude those who are not older, male, American, entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. It uses basic words (graphics, verbal) in ways I found confusing. It has errors in grammar and punctuation, as well as inconsistent ways of presenting material. The book includes an unnecessary color insert. The end of the book received much less editorial attention than did the beginning of the book. As I read the first parts of the book, I was usually smiling and saying, "Ah hah!" As I read the latter parts of the book I found myself occasionally frowning and asking, "Huh?" And the whole book is replete with intrusive "sideboxes" that repeat parts of the text. I find this distracting and insulting. I know publishers love them, but I think their reasons for using them have more to do with "doing what everyone else is doing" than with proven efficacy for the intended audience. Overall I would say it's an adequate first draft of an excellent book.

The usefulness of the ideas in this book almost justifies giving it a rating of 5 stars. The price is good, too. But an adjustment is necessary due to the audience bias, lackluster editing, and obtuse publishing. Despite all this, it is a very useful book on real-world business communication.

Real information you can use!
I purchased this book after the executives of my company raved about Jerry Weissman's work in helping them prepare for our IPO. Unlike many other books on this topic, I found it to be very useful because it provided a framework that was simple yet creative. The real-world examples he uses are great and they make it a more interesting read for those of us who enjoy learning more about the techniques used by successful people. Jerry is starting to conduct public seminars in the Bay Area but if you can't make it to a seminar, the book is a great alternative.

Packed with Knowledge!
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that's good, because you don't need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it - so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book's flaw is the author's tedious self-promotion, but he's a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

It seems having no typos isn't one of the deadly sins
Its a good book, but full of typos. Excessive typos creates will a subconscious skepticism of the credibility of the author while reading. It's ironic that a book on effective presentation contains so many typos, I would say more than I can will remember from any book at from a major publisher.

(The typos above were intended.) ... Read more

Book Description

A proven program for turning effective listening into a powerful business tool Managers and other employees spend more than 40 percent of their time listening to other people but often do it so poorly that the result is misunderstood instructions, misdirected projects, and erroneous actions—millions of dollars’ worth of mistakes just because most people don’t know how to listen. In this new edition of her classic guide to the art of effective listening, Madelyn Burley-Allen shows you how to acquire active, productive listening skills and put them to work for you—professionally, socially, and personally. With her time-tested techniques, you’ll learn how to:

• Eliminate distractions and improve your concentration on what is being said
• Locate key words, phrases, and ideas while listening
• Cut through your own listening biases
• Interpret body language clues
• Ask constructive, nonthreatening questions that elicit real information
• Get others to listen to you
• Master a whole range of listening skills that you can use on the job and in your personal life

Reviews (6)

A Good Guide
An easy to understand and implement guide to the art of listening. Some great advice and I recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their listening skills.

Excellent reference and guide
This book is written mainly for the business audience, but all the principles are applicable to every situation. The author is very good at explaining scenarios and solutions. Other authors spend the bulk of their time explaining why we need to listen, but Burley-Allen spends the bulk of her time explaining how to listen. That alone places this book on a more productive plane than most books on this topic. You'll be impressed with how things change in your inter-personal communication at work and at home with the adoption of even a few principles from this book.

What good is listening, if it's not effective?
With this exciting new Millenieum upon us, most all of us have had classes, lectures, and read books on expressing ourselves more effectively, public speaking and the list goes on. The problem now is "No One is Listening." Madelyn Burley-Allen's book Listening the Forgotten Skill is the perfect tool for helping us get back to the true meaning of listening. What good is all of this teaching, until you are taught how to listen. With this book you are taught how to communicate effectively and listen effectively as well. This is an excellent book for improving your lifestyle through listening.

Listening the Forgotten Skill-Something for Everyone
I just recently read this book, and was amazed at what I needed to learn, for professional and personal reasons. This book shows you areas where people, businesses and organizations are lacking in communication skills due to the fact that we don't listen and we are not being heard. In this book, the Author Madelyn Burley-Allen, with her years of research and teaching on this subject, she gives you ways of improving your listening communication skills as well as how to speak effectively so that you are listened to. This book provides vital solutions for improving your listening and communication skills. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is very informative and helpful and will continuely be a source of information in the future.

Great Book
I strongly recommend this book. To be quite honest I just fell in love with this book, it tought me things that I never knew about myself.

I've heard all this time and never really took the time to listen.Now, I understand what listening is and how it helped me enchance my abilities to communicate better and better. Everyone should read this book, great asset.

I have met Ms.Madelyn Burley-Allen and she is quite a charming lady. You learn when she speaks. ... Read more

Book Description

Why is the gap so great between our hopes, our intentions, even our decisions-and what we are actually able to bring about? Even when we are able to make important changes-in our own lives or the groups we lead at work-why are the changes are so frequently short-lived and we are soon back to business as usual? What can we do to transform this troubling reality?

In this intensely practical book, Harvard psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey take us on a carefully guided journey designed to help us answer these very questions. And not just generally, or in the abstract. They help each of us arrive at our own particular answers that can solve the puzzling gap between what we intend and what we are able to accomplish. How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work provides you with the tools to create a powerful new build-it-yourself mental technology.

... Read more

Reviews (5)

Superb treatment of the subject
The authors do a wonderful job of tying the science of languages and communication to the business of work and life. Filled with great examples from the world, it is easy to understand and digest.

Recommend also: "The Leader's Guide: 15 Essential Skills" (Ponder) and "7 Habits" (Covey)

Like a mirror to see yourself in
This book does for business leaders and their teams what the 7 Habits (Covey) did for individuals back in the 90s, but it goes a step forward: it's packed with case studies. I won't add to the discussion about the Seven Languages for Transformation, since my fellow reviewers have already gone into extensive detail about them. The key concept that the book left me was the idea of diving into conflicts to have them "solve" you, as opposed to running away from them or trying to solve them. The basis for this idea has to do with the learning opportunities that a conflict has to offer, and the opportunities of self-discovery to dig out blatant inconsistencies between what we say we care about and what our language and actions actually shows.

Overall, the book is a very easy read, whether you do it in order to seriously implement its suggested methodology (and it is one serious set of ideas it carries) or just as a mirror to help you laugh at your so-called professional commitments.

Basic psychology for business people
Did you ever hear of something called "secondary gain"?

"Secondary gain" is the "hidden", possibly unconscious, reason why a person acts in a way that may, to an external observer, appear to be self-defeating. For example, Joe Bloggs frequently, and apparently sincerely, expresses a desire to lose weight - but he never does.
Why?
Because Joe has an unspoken belief that he will be safe from mugging so long as he looks big enough to wrestle a bull.

This isn't exactly rocket science. The genius of this book is that Kegan and Lahey have taken the "secondary gain" principle and repackaged it (without the usual psycho-babble) in a way that, hopefully, will appeal to the business community at large.

To this end they have developed a means by which people can quickly and easily - if they are willing - uncover what the authors call the "competing commitment" that undermines a person's declared commitment in a given situation.

For example, manager Fred Katz has the declared commitment of empowering his subordinates. Yet he briefs his people on a strictly "need to know" basis (and of course only Fred knows what his people "need" to know).

Using Kegan and Lahey's approach, described in detail in this book, Fred might discover that he has a competing commitment to gain promotion by demonstrating his indispensability. This he can only achieve, as he sees it, by keeping his people dependent on him as the one person in the department who has access to the "big picture".

Will this self-knowledge guarantee that Fred changes his behaviour?
Not necessarily. But at least he has a better understanding of his situation and is in a position to look for ways of achieving *both* commitments (empowerment AND promotion) in a constructive and non-conflicting manner.

Along with the main thrust of the book, the authors make a number of observations that are absolutely key elements of better management skills, including:

- sometimes it's better to let a problem ride, giving yourself a chance to learn from it, rather than trying to "fix" every little blip the moment it appears
- "The changing that people do because others make them costs an organisation a very dear price and is much shorter lived than the changing people do because they have first changed their minds"

This is a book that EVERY manager can benefit from reading, even those who think they have already achieved optimum performance.

My one criticism of the book - the reason why I have only given it four stars - is that flow of the text is regularly interrupted by lapses into poor grammar and sentence construction. And this despite, one assumes, the attentions of a professional editor.
How, for example, did this paragraph ever get into print?:

"But how exactly might we further creating and practicing this language in real life work (as opposed to merely illustrating it)?"

And a few lines later:

"Whatever salable [sic] product they have produced ..."

Surely even a basic scan of the text with a decent spelling/grammar checker would have been sufficient to pick up items like this?

Tools for removing Roadblocks to change
As author of the book "The evolving Self", Kegan is amongst the select few that have written about life's transformations. He really figured out how and why people are "committed" to resist change. Now Kegan offers tools to "transform" from one level to the next. Most of the time, when confronted to change, a little voice inside us will tell us why not the change. According to Kegan & Lahey, this voice speaks with 7 tongues. One could even say that these "voices" make us immune to change. Luckily, for each of the 7 languages, this book offers a powerful antidote.

What I like about the book is that it's practical. It includes exercises and models that you can apply in your day to day practice. As such I recommend it to people who want to get through a transformational stage themselves (as a how-to book) or who want to help others.

What I regretted is that there in no reference section nor any footnotes (contrary to Kegan's other excellent books). In other words, this book makes it seem that the authors "invented" all this, while there are several other books (including my own) that offer solutions to several of the roadblocks mentioned here. To make the reader aware that there are other books helping to get through roadblocks, I especially want to mention Donald Mitchell's "The 2,000 percent solution", which is more practical for a business context. But to be fair, this book also includes some new material I haven't seen elsewhere.

Recommended!

Patrick E.C. Merlevede - author of "7 Steps to Emotional intelligence"

Seven International "Languages"
Kegan and Lahey explain that their book "is about the possibility of extraordinary change in individuals and organizations. It locates an unexpected source of boundless energy to bring these changes into being" and then assert that "if we want deeper understanding of the prospect of change, we must pay closer attention to our own powerful inclinations not [italics] to change. This attention may help us discover within ourselves the force and beauty of a hidden immune system, the dynamic process by which we tend to prevent change, by which we manufacture continuously the antigens of change." I am convinced that most human limits are self-imposed...that in Pogo's words, "We have met the enemy and he is us." The authors do indeed focus on what they call "an unexpected source of boundless energy" which significant change requires.

Throughout the book, they examine what they call "Seven Languages for Transformation" and suggest how to gain fluency in each. Four are Internal Languages: Commitment, Personal Responsibility, Competing Commitments ("Diagnosing the Immunity to Change"), and Assumptions We Hold ("Disturbing the Immunity to Change"). Fluency in these four enables us to build "The New Machine." There are also three Social Languages: Ongoing Regard, Public Agreement, and Deconstructive Criticism. Fluency in these three enables us to maintain and upgrade "The New Machine."

It is important to keep in mind that we communicate with others as well as with ourselves in three primary ways: body language, tone of voice, and content (ie what we verbalize). Decades of scientific research reveals that, in face-to-face contact, body language has the greatest impact, followed (at a significant distance) by tone of voice and then content. In voice-to-voice contact (eg during a telephone conversation), tone of voice has perhaps three times greater impact than does what is verbalized. I mention all this by way of suggesting that HOW we communicate with others and (especially) with ourselves has a major impact on behavior. Hence the importance of replacing a negative attitude. with a positive attitude. For example, to replace the Language of Complaint with the Language of Commitment.

What the authors provide is a cohesive and comprehensive process by which to recognize, understand, and then eliminate various barriers to personal and then to organizational change. In recent years, organizations throughout the world have invested hundreds of millions (billions?) of dollars in the improvement of systems of various kinds. What is sometimes overlooked or at least underestimated (at great cost in terms of hours as well as dollars) are the negative attitudes of those involved in change initiatives. Kegan and Lahey eloquently and convincingly suggest specific strategies to transform those attitudes through fluency in seven "languages" within the curriculum of what they view as a "new technology" of learning. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out O'Toole's Leading Change and Senge's The Dance of Change. ... Read more

Book Description

Special Edition Using Crystal Reports is a reference guide designed to provide hands-on experience with the latest release of the product suite. The latest version of the Crystal Reporting Suite, delivers vast enhancements that drive upgrades from licensees who'll seek a reference to help them migrate. As Crystal Decisions insiders, the authors bring unique and valuable real-world perspectives on implementations and use of the Crystal Reports product.

The book includes content, tutorials and samples for reporting within the Microsoft Visual Studio.NET environment and on the SAP Business Information Warehouse. New content on report distribution, and integration into the secured managed reporting solution known as Crystal Enterprise 10, is also now included in this definitive user guide.

Book Description

Technical Communication represents the works of five highly respected authors, all writing in their areas of expertise. Scientific examples and assignments within a social context are used for a realistic view of communication issues. This is the only text to extensively address argument, including reasoning, credibility, persuasion, decision making, problem solving, and critical thinking. The topic of audience is also addressed more thoroughly than in any other text. The book covers the traditional parts of the technical communication course but has been updated greatly to respond to the demands that the computer places on communicating. ... Read more

Book Description

"Blog" is short for "Web log"—an online site with time-dated postings, maintained by one or more posters, that features links and commentary. But that is like saying a car is a means of transportation featuring four wheels. Millions are changing their habits when it comes to information acquisition, and the blogosphere has appeared so suddenly as to surprise even the most sophisticated of analysts. In Blog, best-selling author Hugh Hewitt helps you catch up with and get ahead of this phenomenon.

Up until now no influential blogger has written a definitive book about this phenomenon. Since Hugh Hewitt's blog site—HughHewitt—was launched in early 2002, more than 10 million people have visited this site. Why does this visitor traffic matter? People’s attentions are up for grabs. If you depend upon the steady trust of others, suddenly you have an audience waiting to hear from you. The race is underway, though, to gain mindspace and to be part of the blogosphere readers’ habits and to position yourself as well as your business or organization at the forefront of this information movement.

Book Description

Human systems and organizations move in the direction of what they study--is the premise and focus of this practical handbook.The book is composed of generic interview questions central to the "Discovery" phase of the Appreciative Inquiry process.Appreciative interview questions such as those discussed in this book seek to discover who and what the organization is, at its best. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

When there is no one else - use this book !
Approach this book as a point of departure for writing your own unique questions and you will be delighted. I was !

Whenever possible, I always move towards engaging members of the community or team or organization with which I'm working in the co-writing of the appreciative protocol. Such a co-constructionist approach invariably leads to more vibrant language, terms and phrases that are part of the culture yet expand it - and generally a better set of questions than anything I produce on my own. (and of course such a process also builds internal capability!)

But sometimes my best efforts to enage the client system come to no avail and so I find myself sitting in my hotel room in front of my laptop, facing a blank page. It is at those moments that this book really shines for me. The questions listed here serve as a stimulant, a point of departure and as a surrogate for a co-creator(s).

If you understand Appreciative Inquiry, and if you have learned the skills of question development, then this book is a gem for those times when no one else is around. !

Not So Good
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a means of planning change by focusing on the positive rather than the negative in organizations (or in an individual's life for that matter). The Discovery phase (Step 1 in the process) relies in large measure on obtaining input from stakeholders and that in turn requires having the right questions to encourage people to open up positively about past experience, the present situation, and future hopes and dreams.

This "encyclopedia" lists sample questions, usually three per topic, on a variety of issues that are arranged alphabetically (like an encyclopedia). I have two problems. One is that the topics might have better been grouped, e.g., those dealing with Mission and Vision, those dealing with Marketing (customers, products, quality), and so on. The other problem I have is that the questions after a while all sound somewhat similar. This would have been a more useful book, I think, if more space had been devoted to how to frame and ask questions. That particular chapter is rather brief but helpful.

Unfortunately the last 70 pages (of a 150-page book) could have been almost entirely eliminated. A chapter gives a template for a sample interview. It then makes it concrete by simply adding the phrase "the Human Resources Department at XYZ company" in the "Company Name" space of the template. There then follow four copies of the same blank template for the reader's use. Why four copies I don't know, unless the reader doesn't have a computer or copy machine. Is one supposed to cut out each copy for use? One simple chapter explaining the template would have been fine. The "sample interview" was a total waste, as were the four copies of the same template presented earlier.

While, as a planning consultant I think AI is a good tool for information gathering and assessment, I don't think I would find myself reaching for this book on a regular or even seldom basis.

I think the book to be written has to do with gathering positive information from people but also dealing with negative information. People will share positive experiences and hopes and are too infrequently asked for them, but they will also want to "vent" with negative information and an AI researcher needs to know how to react to and absorb and use that as well. The danger is that AI becomes a reaction to negativity (we all love to complain) and so simply tips the scales in the other direction rather than achieving balance in gaining people's contributions for change. ... Read more

Book Description

From the editors at the world-renowned Associated Press, a guide to the proper use of punctuation--from the apostrophe to the semicolon.

More people write for the Associated Press than for any other news service, and more writers take their style and word-usage cues from this world-famous institution than from any other journalism source. In the no-nonsense, authoritative tradition of the best-selling AP Stylebook, the top editors at the AP have now written the definitive guide to punctuation. From the when and how of the ampersand to the rules for dashes, slashes, and brackets; from the correct moment for the overused exclamation point to the rules of engagement for the semicolon, The AP Guide to Punctuation is an invaluable and easy-to-use guide to the most important aspect of clear and persuasive writing. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Efficient and entertaining, but slim for my personal taste
Written with lively and direct prose, Rene J. Cappon's guide to punctuation succeeds in being a useful resourse for the busy journalist. No reader need fear about getting bogged down in the finer points of periods. If such a situation threatens to occur, Capon is quick to suggest a workaround. This leaves the stickiest questions even stickier, a real prickle for someone as persnickety as me. But for the journalist, or journalism student, I heartily recommend it.

To those looking for a deeper understanding of punctuation, I caution against this slim tome. Organized into seventeen chapters by punctuation, some of them no more than a half of a page ('The Ampersand') and some as many as sixteen ('The Comma'), the AP GUIDE TO PUNCTUATION lacks the philosophical depth and historical background of recent bestseller EATS, SHOOTS, & LEAVES as well as the dry grammar books of days past. The examples, while fun, are not nearly as comprehensive as one expects in any book that bills itself as a reference.

By way of example, here is the entire entry for Irregular Plurals under 'The Apostrophe':

---

Irregular plurals also take the apostrophe: children's hour, women's rights, gentlemen's traditions, men's club, and so do nouns that are the same in singular: the single moose's antlers, the deer's track, the two corps' travels. The apostrophe stays whether the meaning is singular or plural.

---

No mention is made that it is preferable to disambiguate the singular and plural in such cases. Especially in journalistic writing, where clarity and simplicity are the twin grails of good style.

A dedicated journalist might prefer a true grammar of the English language or the complete and comprehensive AP STYLE BOOK. While they may be dry, they will certainly go a good deal further in answering the questions that arise in all aspects of writing.

A Graceful, Witty Guide to Punctuation
As a professional editor for nearly two decades, I heartily recommend this book. Cappon's writing is clear, funny, and creative, and he makes the nuances of punctuation memorable. His reasoning is logical, and his explanations and examples are very helpful. Interestingly, though this is an Associated Press publication, some of the style differs from the official A.P. Stylebook. So if A.P. is your background, be aware of this.

Cappon is a terrific writer, and anyone else who writes would benefit immensely from this lucid guide to punctuation.

Don't buy this book!
If you had any doubts that the media suffers from EXTREME left-wing bias, this book on punctuation should erase them.

Rarely does the author pass an opportunity to make rude, offensive comments about President Bush or Republicans in general. Maybe that's your bag, but in a book on punctuation, I'm really not looking for political commentary, and especially not that slant.

I can only think that the AP "guru" failed to score a big book contract of his own, and so buried his bleeding heart in this one. ... Read more

Book Description

For busy fundraisers, writing letters of appeal can be confusing and laborious. Now, a guide from the nation's premier letter-writing tutor--direct mail expert Mal Warwick--shows fundraisers what makes the best letters work. Whether its general advice about the most effective mail strategies, or specific advice for those interested in the details of a direct mail campaign, Warwick keeps fundraisers on track when he reminds: "You're writing for results--not a Pulitzer Prize."

In How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters, Warwick's step-by-step model for writing a successful appeal walks you through the critical stages; his topics range from laying the groundwork for a prosperous campaign all the way through to the importance of thanking donors. Supported by an extensive collection of model letters, Warwick's no-nonsense, jargon-free work has helped thousands of fundraisers achieve results.

... Read more

Reviews (6)

Every Non-Profit Should Have This Book
Fundraising is a very specialized area of copywriting and marketing. Unlike the more common direct mail letter wherein you are selling a product or service, fundraising often offers nothing more to the receipient than a chance to feel good about doing good.

As a consequence, fundraising letters for charities and oher non-profits literally have their own rules that vary from the traditional approach to direct mail. Warwick is the recognized master of this field and is a legend in fundraising circles.

Every charitiable organization and non-profit group should have this book on their shelf, or have a copywriter available to them that does. And even if you aren't going to apply the principles in the book to fundraising, its still a great guide to writing effective marketing copy.

The best book of its kind ...
There are many many books and courses on how to write a funding proposal but few out there on how to write and develop your organization's annual campaign. Fortunately Mal Warwick's is the only book you'll ever need. Thorough, loaded with examples, not only of solicitation letters but follow up and thank you letters as well -- if you're a development professional this is one book you must have on your shelf. Using Mal Warwick's books and website, along with a great deal of marketing reading, I successfully redesigned my organization's membership campaign - raising our overall donations by 33% the first year and an additional 25% the second year.
While geared to annual campaigns/individual donors, this book will also aid you in writing foundation proposals - particularly to those smaller foundations that may merely require a letter proposal. Mal takes the best of both worlds - marketing and nonprofit management - and gives you a guide that the development professional will refer to daily. With the thousands of foundations in the United States, not every one is a Kellogg or a Kresge or a Pew and this book is an invaluable aid to getting your proposal read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (as are all Mal Marwick's books).

A Good Primer on Fundraising Letters
I found this book to be a great primer on writing fundraising letters. This book is written in simple enough language that beginners will be able to follow along, yet is detailed enough that even accomplished fundraisers will benefit from a throurough review of this guide.

When I wrote "25 Fundraising Secrets - Raise More Money, Guaranteed," I included a chapter on how to make follow-up phone calls after mailing out fundraising letters. When I am asked by readers how to write those fundraising letters, I direct them to this informative book by Mal Warwick.

Never Wrote a Fundraising letter before
This was an excellent book! I was able to put together not just a letter, but a fundraising package. The instructions are complete and the examples are wonderful reference tools. I am new to the Fundraising industry and this is a book that I am now purchasing for my library. It also covers thank you's. I would highly recommend this book to someone who has never wrote a fundraising letter before or even for the experienced letter writer!!

My top recommendation for fundraisers
In my seminar on nonprofit communications I strongly recommend several titles, chosen from the dozens on my shelves. Mal Warwick's How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters tops the list. It is pretty much a model, I think, for good how-to books: it is well organized, comprehensive (in ways you'd never anticipate), filled with case studies and annotated examples, brief, to the point, practical, and extraordinarily reader-friendly. I wrote fund-raising letters before I read Mal's book; some letters worked, some didn't. After I read his book, I never wrote an unprofitable letter again. You will not regret buying this book: it removes the veils from so many mysteries of successful direct mail fundraising. ... Read more

Book Description

The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook is based on the same proven principles outlined in Schwarz’s groundbreaking book. The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook is the next-step resource that offers consultants, facilitators, managers, leaders, trainers, and coaches the tools, exercises, models, and stories that will help them develop sound responses to a wide range of challenging situations. The book spans the full scope of the successful Skilled Facilitator approach and includes information on how to get started and guidance for integrating the approach within existing organizational structures and processes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A FIELDBOOK OF OUTSTANDING QUALITY-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Central to this work is the Skilled Facilitator approach (TSF), a systematic, values-based approach to group facilitation; at its core is the idea that the way we act and the consequences we create begin with the way we think. Chapter one delineates the 10 key features of TSF approach. It is used to help groups and entire organizations address issues and make significant change, as well as in coaching, training, and conducting HRD/OD initiatives of all types.

This ambitious resource is bursting with 62 contributions clustered into seven parts:
1) Understanding the Skilled Facilitator Approach-main focus: summarizes the approach and describes its major principles and features (8 chapters)
2) Starting Out-main focus: using TSF in a variety of basic ways (12 chapters)
3) Deepening Your Practice-main focus: refining intervention and diagnosis skills, and increasing personal awareness (7 chapters)
4) Facing Challenges-main focus: dealing with the most difficult situations (5 chapters)
5) Seeking Your Path-main focus: integrating the TSF approach in practice and life (5 chapters)
6) Leading and Changing Organizations-main focus: creating major change in leadership and organizational functioning (15 chapters)
and
7) Integrating the Skilled Facilitator Approach in Your Worklife (and Non-Worklife)-main focus: shows how to integrate TSF with other approaches and roles (coach, trainer, consultant, leader, parent) (10 chapters)

The book is further enriched with: definitions; key points; examples; tools and techniques and samples of the outcomes they produce; reflections; model conversations; and resources.

As a consultant in organizational analysis, design and change, as well as a reviewer, I was particularly drawn to Chapter 51, "Do Surveys Provide Valid Information for Organizational Change?" by Peg Carlson. She concludes what we havefound to be true of surveys-they are useful for spotlighting likely issues but they do not deliver the depth of analysis and meaning required in organizational consulting, nor the motivation for learning and deep change. This chapter is emblematic of the books' quality of content. In a nutshell, this book is outstanding!I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Open Space Technology: A User's Guide is just what the nameimplies: a hands-on, detailed description of facilitating Open SpaceTechnology (OST). Written by the originator of the method-an effective,economical, fast, and easily-repeatable strategy for organizingmeetings of between 5 and 1,000 participants-this is the first book todocument the rationale, procedures, and requirements of OST.OSTenables self-organizing groups of all sizes to deal with hugely complexissues in a very short period of time. This practical, step-by-stepuser's guide details what needs to be done before, during, and after anOpen Space event. 1

Owen begins by detailing all the practicalconsiderations necessary to create Open Space. He begins with the mostimportant question-should you do Open Space at all-and examines whattypes of situations are appropriate for Open Space Technology and whattypes are not. He goes on to look at nuts-and-bolts issues such assupplies, logistics, and who should come and how you should go aboutgetting them there. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

One of the most valuable books in the world
As Brookings revealed in 2000, most of the world's 10000 biggest organisations don't yet have the measures to govern the vast majority of value now produced in services and knowledge businesses because as our networking age blossoms value dynamics are mainly intangible, deeply woven into the human relationships we self-organise, not for precise planning and overpowering command and control from the top. Value multiplication is a core gravity which should be embedded in everyone's right to work, learn , behave openly.

Whilst some of those of the transparency communities interlinking at http://www.valuetrue.com open source the simplest maths of intangible systems, others have much more fun voting on what are the safest methods to protect your system from doing an Andersen or a NASA self-destruction of its greatest purpose. Open Space is voted as the number 1 method uniting transparency communities, and because of its