The Only Three Questions That Count: Investing by Knowing What Others Don't
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Laugh Out Loud
  • very useful reference book
  • Great book, one of the best I've read in a while
  • No real help here!
  • very informative
The Only Three Questions That Count: Investing by Knowing What Others Don't
Kenneth L. Fisher , Jennifer Chou , and Lara Hoffmans
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 047007499X

Book Description

The Only Three Questions That Count is the first book to show you how to think about investing for yourself and develop innovative ways to understand and profit from the markets. The only way to consistently beat the markets is by knowing something others don’t know. This book will show you how to do just that by using three simple questions. You’ll see why CNBC’s Mad Money host and money manager James J. Cramer says, "I believe that reading his book may be the single best thing you could do this year to make yourself a better investor.

In The Only Three Questions That Count, Ken Fisher challenges the conventional wisdoms of investing, overturns glib theories with hard facts, and blows up complacent beliefs about money and the markets. Ultimately, he says, the key to successful investing is daring to challenge yourself and whatever you believe to be true. Packed with more than 100 visuals, usable tools, and a glossary, The Only Three Questions That Count is an entertaining and educational experience in the markets unlike any other, giving you an opportunity to reap the huge rewards that only the markets can offer.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Laugh Out Loud.......2007-10-12

I stumbled across this book in an airport by accident and I am glad I did. I work in a finance-related industry and picked up the book to reacquaint myself with some terminology and topics. I expected the book to be dry, academic and self-assertive (i.e. pompous) - potentially a sleep-aid on my flight. But I ended up almost finishing the entire thing!

There are parts in the book where it seems like the author is trying to cram too much in, but the book does offer some really interesting historical data and economic insights. Plus, the book was hilarious. I don't remember the last time a financial book made me laugh OUT LOUD! For example, in a section on alternative energy the author contemplates a future where cars run on Skittles engines.

Maybe the author's tone on certain topics can be off-putting to some readers -- there are humorous, but disparaging remarks that may not be entirely PC. But if you take them for their entertainment value and read between the lines, you'll discover a lot of views that are different from industry conventions - and that makes this a worthwhile read.

4 out of 5 stars very useful reference book.......2007-10-11

I am an experienced mutual fund investor - e.g., newspaper reader, book reader, and Morningstar subscriber - who wants better to understand financial institutions and processes. This book proved excellent for my purposes.

I did not read this book for secrets to success. Perhaps there are some such secrets in there - the author seems to think so.

Rather, I found valuable explanations of key concepts that one encounters in making investment decisions. For example, although already versed in some differences between value and growth stocks (and funds), from this book I learned how each category relates to interest rates, a very timely issue at present. Similarly, I gained understanding of how trade deficits fit in the investment picture, and many, many other topics.

In sum, it's easy to overlook the ego problems that trouble some reviewers, and find gems of wisdom throughout this book.

4 out of 5 stars Great book, one of the best I've read in a while .......2007-09-03

I consider myself fairly well read when it comes to investing, but I was really suprised by this book.

I've poured through books by and about Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Jim Rogers, some of the new classics (Market Wizards by Schwager) and some of the old classics that never go out of style (Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, Money Game). I was actually just browsing through my local bookstore when I saw this.

Fisher's well known for his advertising. His ads though, and his style turned me off (somewhat analogous to a doctor that advertises on a bus stop or a lawyer advertising in the back of a phone book, you just don't quit trust it).

He's got some real gems in here though. The book could have been about 150 pages shorter, but the essence of it, that the only way to beat the market is to know something that others don't, is spot on.

If you answer his 3 questions before investing (especially #3, what is your brain doing to mess you up), you'll be well ahead of the game.

It's amazing that people will invest huge sums of money in the market, and not even know what the biases are that cause misjudgement. Fisher does a beautiful job of reducing things down to "primitive man", and what was great for hunter gatherers 50,000 years ago hunting lions is terrible for your portfolio.

Still, I think the book falls into some traps that most other investment books fall into:

-Some of it is too neat, too ivory tower, too clean and mathematical. There's no people in the book, there are no memories.

For example, he thinks stocks have no correlation to past results. The odds of a stock moving tomorrow up or down are 50-50.

But investors have memories. Investors got scarred for life after the '29 crash, they never felt the same way about stocks again. I don't think stocks have a 50-50 chance of moving up or down after that. It also doesn't take into account where companies are in their life cycle. It doesn't take into account competitive advantage (or lack thereof).

-A direct quote from the book..."Since 1926, there have been 66 15 year rolling time periods. In 61 of them (92%), stocks beat bonds, returning an average of 481% while bonds returned 150%"

He then adds to the arguement, and basically says stocks always outperform bonds, buy stocks. But most people get into stocks at the wrong time! There's no mention of valuation, there's no mention that people buy stocks when everyone else is buying them.

People can and do lose money...if you bought stocks in the mid 20's or later, you didn't break even for 20 years. If you bought stocks during the raging bull market of the 60's and held, you got killed. The DOW was at 700 in the early 60's and 800 in the early 80's, after some grueling declines. Business Week ran their famous (infamous) cover in 1979, "The Death of Equities". People were putting their retirement money into gold and diamonds back then.

People do not buy stocks equally during all time periods. There's some other arguements made that can be a little dangerous. Some of the arguement made about the deficit, the declining dollar, I don't know.

Fisher is obviously brilliant, he's on the Forbes 400, but no one should be above questioning or critical thinking. Absolutely come to your own conclusions. I don't think some of the arguements will hold up in 15-20 years.

But still, it's well worth adding to your library. Some of the key chapters should be re-read many times to get all the nuances.

3 out of 5 stars No real help here!.......2007-09-03

Fisher describes a number of interesting stock market fallacies and why they should be ignored in any serious investing plan, and also illustrates some common emotional problems that plague a large percentage of investors. He describes several admittedly outdated fundamental indicators which, although possibly of some academic interest, are no longer useful, as they now have been discounted by the market.

He suggests that the individual investor select an index and track his or her performance with respect to this index, presumably taking advantage of knowing what most other investors do not. Most unfortunately, the methodology of attaining this precious knowledge is not made clear, at least to me. If an investor knows important details about equity issues that are not generally known, then he or she has no need of this book!

The writing style of Fisher, while occasionally entertaining, contains a good deal of self-serving statements, and, as commented by others, the basic information could be provided by perhaps one quarter the number of pages.

5 out of 5 stars very informative.......2007-08-28

I've read a lot of finance books in my day but this one takes a whole other approach. Instead of the same old conventional methods of analyzing the stock market through ratios and fundamentals, this book takes you through how to look at the market differently. The Only Three Questions shows you the power of sentiment on the market and specifically how to gauge investor sentiment and use it to your advantage. While the book is full of data and graphs, it also is a surprisingly humorous and enjoyable read. If you're looking for a completely different investment strategy, this book is for you.
I Heard That Song Before: A Novel
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • On The Street Where You Live Was Better.
  • Disappointed Long Time Fan ...
  • I Heard that song Before
  • Comes with a quality guarantee!
  • I am a fan!!!!
I Heard That Song Before: A Novel
Mary Higgins Clark
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743264916
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

In a riveting psychological thriller, Mary Higgins Clark takes the reader deep into the mysteries of the human mind, where memories may be the most dangerous things of all.

At the center of her novel is Kay Lansing, who has grown up in Englewood, New Jersey, daughter of the landscaper to the wealthy and powerful Carrington family. Their mansion -- a historic seventeenth-century manor house transported stone by stone from Wales in 1848 -- has a hidden chapel. One day, accompanying her father to work, six-year-old Kay succumbs to curiosity and sneaks into the chapel. There, she overhears a quarrel between a man and a woman who is demanding money from him. When she says that this will be the last time, his caustic response is: "I heard that song before."

That same evening, the Carringtons hold a formal dinner dance after which Peter Carrington, a student at Princeton, drives home Susan Althorp, the eighteen-year-old daughter of neighbors. While her parents hear her come in, she is not in her room the next morning and is never seen or heard from again.

Throughout the years, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Peter Carrington. At age forty-two, head of the family business empire, he is still "a person of interest" in the eyes of the police, not only for Susan Althorp's disappearance but also for the subsequent drowning death of his own pregnant wife in their swimming pool.

Kay Lansing, now living in New York and working as a librarian in Englewood, goes to see Peter Carrington to ask for permission to hold a cocktail party on his estate to benefit a literacy program, which he later grants. Kay comes to see Peter as maligned and misunderstood, and when he begins to court her after the cocktail party, she falls in love with him. Over the objections of her beloved grandmother Margaret O'Neil, who raised her after her parents' early deaths, she marries him. To her dismay, she soon finds that he is a sleepwalker whose nocturnal wanderings draw him to the spot at the pool where his wife met her end.

Susan Althorp's mother, Gladys, has always been convinced that Peter Carrington is responsible for her daughter's disappearance, a belief shared by many in the community. Disregarding her husband's protests about reopening the case, Gladys, now terminally ill, has hired a retired New York City detective to try to find out what happened to her daughter. Gladys wants to know before she dies.

Kay, too, has developed gnawing doubts about her husband. She believes that the key to the truth about his guilt or innocence lies in the scene she witnessed as a child in the chapel and knows she must learn the identity of the man and woman who quarreled there that day. Yet, she plunges into this pursuit realizing that "that knowledge may not be enough to save my husband's life, if indeed it deserves to be saved." What Kay does not even remotely suspect is that uncovering what lies behind these memories may cost her her own life.

I Heard That Song Before once again dramatically reconfirms Mary Higgins Clark's worldwide reputation as a master storyteller.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars On The Street Where You Live Was Better........2007-10-19

This is my second MHC book that I've read. The author uses her fine tactics of deeply defined characters, brief chapters, & cliff hanger endings to create a modestly good read. The story takes place at the Carrington family mansion in New Jersey. The young librarian Kay Lansing, asks Peter Carrington for permission to hold a fundraiser for a literacy program at his estate. Soon romance blooms & a dizzying courtship finds Kay married to the far older Carrington. For two decades the latter has lived under a cloud of suspicion in the disappearance of Susan Althorp his neighbor, as well as in the drowning death of his pregnant first wife. Could the naieve Kay be in danger? Now a former step-mother resides at the estate, a married couple who runs the kitchen, a gambling addict- art gallery owner, a cranky caller who gets no responce, a grieving mom, & a private detective who is ardently trying to solve a cold case. Some of the dialogue felt forced & seemed very unrealistic. Nonetheless, you will enjoy this novel. I just think you will prefer "On The Street Where You Live More?"

2 out of 5 stars Disappointed Long Time Fan ..........2007-10-06

I've been a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan since day one. Her books are always dependable - page turners with likeable characters and good twists and turns. Her past few books have shown growth as an author, as well. This book, though, almost felt as though it were written to fulfill a contract ... the characters didn't really come to life, it was hard to feel any kind of caring for Peter or Kay, and it was fairly ridden with cliches. Despite occasional modern touches (one character refers to their mapquest directions), there are many dated instances in this book, such as when one character refers to another character's marriages not "lasting long enough to wash the tea towels." Say what? I adore this lady - her memoir, Kitchen Privileges, is a treat! - but this one didn't fit the bill.

1 out of 5 stars I Heard that song Before.......2007-09-28

It's time for MHC to pack up her computer. She has lost the knack of writing good novels. The killer is obvious from the beginning; the motive is so obvious I wonder why I bothered to read it. Read instead, Karin Slaughter, Brian Freeman, Harlan Coben, Joy Fielding.

5 out of 5 stars Comes with a quality guarantee!.......2007-09-14

Librarian Kay Lansing marries Peter Carrington, head of the wealthy Carrington family.

Peter Carrington has long been under suspicion for murdering his childhood sweetheart, and as after 22 years her body is discovered on the Carrington estate in Englewood, New Jersey, Peter is charged with her murder.

The fact tht Peter Carrington is a sleepwalker, adds an interesting twist to the story, and I got urged to read more about sleepwalking by reading this book.

I'll not reveal more details about the murder investigation - in fact, the investigation of several connected murders - but leave it to the readers.

"The queen of suspense" has a unique talent for intricate plots as well as phsycological insight into the human mind.

As all her books, "I Heard That Song Before" is a real page-turner. I brought it with me on holiday. Thought it would last me a few days but finished it overnight!

Mary Higgins Clark's books come with a quality guarantee. Her fans can always trust her to deliver the best.

Enjoy!

4 out of 5 stars I am a fan!!!!.......2007-09-12

I am a big fan of Mary Higgins Clark. The first section that I visit in the library is where her books are shelved. I am always looking for a new one. I think I have read them all. The nice thing about MHC is that her books are never smutty or improper and she doesn't use strong language, but the stories are still gripping and wonderful. I appreciate that!!! This was a page turner. I was hoping for a happy ending and it didn't disappoint! I am not a big fan of 'first person' dialog though. I prefer to read the novel from a third person point of view, but the story was still good. Different angles of the story really kept you guessing.....yeah, he's guilty...no he's not, yeah, he's guilty, no he's not!!! Kept me on the edge and up reading until I fell asleep with the book in my lap!
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great time reading and laughing
  • Great book
  • Stating The Unspoken
  • I love this book!
  • Accurate Potrayal of Many Work Environments
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
Robert I. Sutton
Manufacturer: Business Plus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

CommunicationsCommunications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0446526568

Book Description

The No Asshole Rule is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Business Week bestseller. It won a Quill Award for the top business book of 2007, and was recently chosen as one of audible.com's top picks as well.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Great time reading and laughing.......2007-10-02

Lot of truths mentioned in the book... Wish there were more, especially when it comes to government entities... Just have to be diligent about "practicing" the tips and tricks provided.

5 out of 5 stars Great book.......2007-09-28

This is a great book that has a good level of scholarly support but written in an easy-to-read style that should appeal to most audiences.

5 out of 5 stars Stating The Unspoken.......2007-09-23

Everybody knows the abuse-of-power types that this book outlines. Too often companies/cultures put the onus on victims to adapt, and get-along. What that approach does is allow managers to NOT do their jobs - and that is to confront dysfunctional behaviors clearly and directly.

Dr. Sutton takes a no holds barred approach to defining culture up front. Letting the community know what is and is not acceptable behavior. I wish that he would create a study of companies that are this direct in dealing with behavioral problems, bring the concept along further with specifics of what works and what doesn't.

The "avoidance approach" clearly is not a true solution, but as he states in the book if management will not address the organization's asses, and you want to keep your job, it is the best option sometimes.

A few times in my life I've worked in environments where the assholes have kissed upward so much that they are well connected. And poorly skilled career bureaucrats looking to keep their position, single these emotionally inept people out as stars to be heralded - because heralding a well connected asshole makes you an ally. In each of those situations, I've watched the best people move on, managerial incompetence thrive, motivation deteriorate, and a fairyland scenario of pretending flourish. What a sad state of affairs that leads to.

Bringing the difficult concept of an actual asshole present in the mix, naming what is unspoken, is an essential element in this work. Further development of the idea, refinement of behavioral understanding could only continue to develop greater awareness of truly sly assholes that are skilled to be non-confrontational to those above them and non-approachable to those below.

A meeting with such people present vs. absent is like day and night. Personally experiencing this, I saw groups transformed from demotivated-lackluster-lifeless chair slugs to excited-active-contributors. Such culturally (negatively) controlling individuals cost an organization far more than can ever be measured.

The book is worth the read if only for the stories. But, the principles, the validation, are the real meat and potatoes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, and if you can't gift it directly, then throw a few copies into envelopes and drop them in your managements' mailboxes. It's about time the pretending to be nice facade gives way to true comprehension of what civility is, and the complete disregard for it will not be tolerated.

5 out of 5 stars I love this book!.......2007-09-22

I urge everyone to read this book, whether they're in an office environment, or just dealing with day-to-day situations. I've bought three copies so far to give to co-workers and family, and I may need more!
The minute you open the book, you will SO recognize what is described!

5 out of 5 stars Accurate Potrayal of Many Work Environments.......2007-07-22

I commend Bob Sutton for publishing this book. It is apparent many jobs expect you to tolerate a coworker or superior whose behavior is off the chart yet protected and sometimes endorsed by management. The cost to a business is high and Bob did a great job of quantifying it. I highly recommend this book if you work in a toxic environment. Bob outlines some great strategies for succeeding in such an environment and discusses how to create policies to prevent one person's inflated ego from sinking the ship.
YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • You: The Owner's Manual
  • Heath for Dummies
  • Tried to be a little too funny
  • You: The Owner's Manual
  • Very "YOUseful"
YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
Michael F. Roizen , and Mehmet Oz
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Nutrition | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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  5. Cooking the RealAge Way: Turn back your biological clock with more than 80 delicious and easy recipes Cooking the RealAge Way: Turn back your biological clock with more than 80 delicious and easy recipes

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  1. Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0060765313
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

If there ever was a pair of docs who can make the small intestine seem truly intriguing, here they are. Dr. Mehmet Oz is an alternative-medicine maverick and a cardiologist known to implement acupuncture during open-heart surgery. Dr. Michael Roizen developed the RealAge concept of calculating one's biological, as opposed to chronological, age. Here they've whipped up a witty guide to the workings of the entire body, appropriate not just for those who can't tell their pancreas from their pituitary. Even Cheers' Cliff Claven types who think they know it all will likely be humbled by the 50-question "body-quotient" quiz that starts off the book.

With much sassy humor (they describe the adrenals as similar in shape to Mr. Potato Head's hat), they give a guided tour of the body's anatomy and major systems (hormonal, nervous, digestive, sensory, etc.) including plenty of fascinating trivia along the way. How often should you get your thyroid level checked? How much gas does the average person produce in a day? And, most important, how many times a year do most people have sex?? Drs. Oz and Roizen know. They also reveal plenty of bizarre (and potentially life-saving) facts such as this: If your earlobe has a prominent vertical wrinkle, it's likely that your arteries are aging faster than they ought to be. If only 8th-grade health class had been this fun.

The docs' main goal in presenting all this info is twofold: first, it's your body, so shouldn't you finally learn how it works? And, second, they want to help teach ways of preserving the body's health and youthfulness. To that end, they've included an "Owner's Manual Diet," a 10-day menu plan designed not for weight loss, but to make you feel "years younger." Its simple recipes are each meant to benefit a certain body system, such as Tomato Bruschetta, packed with the antioxidant lycopene, which has been proven to boost immunity. --Erica Jorgensen

Book Description

Between your full-length mirror and high-school biology class, you probably think you know a lot about the human body. While it's true that we live in an age when we're as obsessed with our bodies as we are with celebrity hairstyles, the reality is that most of us know very little about what chugs, churns, and thumps throughout this miraculous, scientific, and artistic system of anatomy. Yes, you've owned your skin-covered shell for decades, but you probably know more about your cell-phone plan than you do about your own body. When it comes to your longevity and quality of life, understanding your internal systems gives you the power, authority, and ability to live a healthier, younger, and better life.

You: The Owner's Manual challenges your preconceived notions about how the human body works and ages, then takes you on a tour through all of the highways, back roads, and landmarks inside of you. After taking a quiz that tests your body of knowledge, you'll learn about all of your blood-pumping, food-digesting, and keys-remembering systems and organs.

Just as important, you'll get the facts and advice you need to keep your body running long and strong. You'll find out how diseases start and how they affect your body -- as well as advice on how to prevent and beat conditions that threaten your quality of life. Complete with exercise tips, nutritional guidelines, simple lifestyle changes, and alternative approaches, You: The Owner's Manual gives you an easy, comprehensive, and life-changing how-to plan for fending off the gremlins of aging. To top it off, you'll also get the great-tasting and calorie-saving Owner's Manual Diet -- a thirty-recipe eating plan that's designed with only one goal in mind: to help you live a younger life.

Welcome to your body. Why don't you come on in and take a look around?

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars You: The Owner's Manual.......2007-10-06

This book is very informative. It takes the human body and breaks it down so anyone can understand it. I have learned a great deal about my body and the abuse I do to it. Would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Oh, and I love the humor too!

3 out of 5 stars Heath for Dummies.......2007-10-06

Health for dummies. Fun and quick reading. But, before you buy the book. Look through the 50 question quiz. If you are interested in the questions and were not able to answer them, then go ahead and buy.

Look at the menus at the back of the book. If you are not interested in changing your diet, you might look elsewhere.

Look at Page 127-139 for an excercise plan: Very basic

Page 173 simplistic smoking cessation plan

Interesting points
1) Take half an aspirin with warm water for the rest of your life.
2) Ideal blood pressure: 115/76
2a) Systolic Pressure exerted when the heart contracts
2b) Diastolic: Pressure in arteries when the heart is at rest
3) HDL should be at least greater than 40
4) Should be maximum heart rate: Exercise hard 3 mintues. Heart rate should be 80-90% of 220 - age.
5) Recovery time after 2 minutes:Heartbeat should be 80% or drop by 66 or more beats
6) Definition of clinical depression is sadness for more than 2 weeks
7) Enamel and bone are the first and second hardest thing in your body
8) 650 muscles in the body
9) Pneumonia: Old man's friend
10) 26 feet of tubing
11) Most active muscles are in your eyes. 2 million working parts
12) caruncle: reddish pink fleshy substance on the inside corner of your eye. remnant of the reptilian eye.


3 out of 5 stars Tried to be a little too funny.......2007-10-01

I liked this book, but ended up skipping over a lot of the parts that were supposed to be funny. I would have liked the pictures to be labeled correctly, not with funny made up names for body parts.

5 out of 5 stars You: The Owner's Manual.......2007-09-29

Great stuff, easy read. Very informative. I read it and then my Mom read it.

5 out of 5 stars Very "YOUseful".......2007-09-28

In short, just a very informative book that is successful in achieving several goals. For one, it educates the reader in the inner workings of the human body. It does this quite entertainingly through trivia, facts, and interesting pictures (for instance the authors use a lot of elves). Additionally, the book also gives you many helpful tips on self-care and how to keep your body running smoother. While there is a lot information, I really would like to have seen a reference section at the end of the book. All in all though, it's a pretty informative and amusing read that should enhance the well-being of many. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for readers who might need more specific info on shoulder pain and rotator cuff self-care.
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • For leadership training, this is the pinnacle
  • Instant Classic - Top Shelf
  • All hype, no protein
  • Trust is Fundamental in Relational Management
  • The Ultimate Trust Model
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
Stephen Covey
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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  3. Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't
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ASIN: 074329730X

Book Description

From Stephen R. Covey's eldest son comes a revolutionary new path towards productivity and satisfaction. Trust, says Stephen M.R. Covey, is the very basis of the new global economy, and he shows how trust—and the speed at which it is established with clients, employees and constituents—is the essential ingredient for any high-performance, successful organization.

For business leaders and public figures in any arena, The Speed of Trust offers an unprecedented and eminently practical look at exactly how trust functions in our every transaction and relationship—from the most personal to the broadest, most indirect interaction—and how to establish trust immediately so that you and your organization can forego the time-killing, bureaucratic check-and-balance processes so often deployed in lieu of actual trust.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars For leadership training, this is the pinnacle.......2007-10-20

Having read many leadership related books and been trained in many seminars, nothing compares with the guiding principles in this book.

This book should change the way you think about how you lead and who you lead. It not just inspires, it changes you to be a trusted leader. The result? You change for good the world around you!

The negative will say this is idealistic, but in reality it is possible with those that commit to the importance of these guiding principles.

The bottom line is that most organizations are disfunctional because of low trust cultures. However, you can be the one penetrating these cultures strong trusting leadership.

The question is: can you arise to the challenge of being a true leader?

This book defined my leadership roadmap for the remainder of my career.

5 out of 5 stars Instant Classic - Top Shelf.......2007-10-08

Within minutes of reading this book I knew it was going to be great. The book explains how trust is the driving force behind all efficient, successful businesses. Covey gets into different types of trust and some self assessments to determine what areas the reader is strong or weak in. The book can be applied to business, community and family. Without a doubt it goes on the short list of powerful, life-changing books!

1 out of 5 stars All hype, no protein.......2007-09-19

Lots of anecdotes about the author's years in the business world. The author testifies that trust is great and makes things work. Little of substance in this book.

5 out of 5 stars Trust is Fundamental in Relational Management.......2007-08-24

Trust may be the missing ingredient for the relational management model to succeed, but Trust (confidence + credibility) is an outcome, not an input. To get a Trust outcome requires the right inputs and in this book, the next generation's spokesperson for the Covey dynasty, Stephen M. R. Covey, tells us what trust means as well as provides plenty of examples of how important trust is when it comes to delivering business performance.

M.R. uses the "ripple effect" metaphor with Self at the center and waves rippling from the inside out to describe the "5 Waves of Trust." Using this metaphor, the first trust wave is Self-Trust (credibility driven), then comes the Relationship-Trust (consistent behavior driven) wave, an Organizational-Trust (alignment driven) wave, a Market-Trust (reputation driven) wave, and finally a Societal-Trust (giving back or contribution driven) wave.

Staying with the emphasis on managing `Self' first, Covey then provides the substance of the Self-Trust wave; the 4 cores of Credibility - integrity, intent, capability, and results. For the Relationship-Trust wave he identifies 13 critical behaviors. With the remaining trust waves, the dialogue continues the book's main theme - understanding the cost of mistrust and the value of trust - as it discusses organizational alignment, market reputation, and societal contribution. As M.R. says, "the dividends of trust can significantly enhance the quality of every relationship on every level of your life". If you doubt that, read this book.

5 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Trust Model.......2007-08-23

I speak around the world on building Trust in Selling. "The Speed of Trust" gives you a roadmap on how to master trust and the real economic value of trust.

Stephen gives you insights that anyone can use in their quest to excel at building trust in business relationships.

The Speed of Trust gets to the core roots of integrity and how 'trusted' leaders and organizations thrive.

Everyone should make the time to read this book."

Joe Heller, Trust Cycle Selling
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Still relevant even after two LR updates
  • Excellent resource!
  • A bit common sense
  • Good information, if a little too "cute"
  • Not bad
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter)
Scott Kelby
Manufacturer: New Riders Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0321492161

Product Description

This book takes you beyond showing you which sliders do what to reveal the secrets of the new digital photography workflow using Adobe Lightroom, and he does it using three simple techniques that make this just a great learning tool: 1) Throughout the book Scott shares his own personal settings and studio tested techniques he s developed using Lightroom for his own photography workflow since well before Adobe released even the first Beta version. He knows what really works, what doesn t, and he tells you flat out which tools to use, which to avoid, and why. 2) The entire book is laid out in a real workflow order with everything step-by-step, so you can jump right in using Lightroom like a pro from the very start and sidestep a lot of productivity killing road blocks and time-wasting frustrations that might have tripped you up along the way. 3) In the last two bonus chapters Scott visually answers his No.1 most-asked Lightroom question, which is: Exactly what order am I supposed to do things in, and where does Photoshop fit in? Scott teaches this by showing every step of the entire process, from the initial shoot to the final prints. Both chapters start with an on-location photo shoot, including full details on the equipment, camera settings, and even the lighting techniques. You ll see it all as he takes the photos from each shoot all the way through the entire workflow process, to the final output of the 16x20 prints for the client.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Still relevant even after two LR updates.......2007-10-10

I struggled before buying this book because Adobe has updated LR with two revisions since this book was released. Scott Kelby does provide an update to the 1.1 release for free, but not 1.2. Actually, the 1.2 release was minor. I've found the book to be extremely helpful as written. There are a lot of tips included that I would not have otherwise found.

Scott has a different sense of humor in his writing, but the test is easy to read and informative.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent resource!.......2007-10-06

As a new Lightroom user I am quickly learning the ins and outs of this program. Laid out in an easy to read, step by step format. Can also get the 1.1 supplement on Peachpit Press, although we're at version 1.2 now.

4 out of 5 stars A bit common sense.......2007-10-05

I took a previous book from Kelby from the library: Photoshop CS book for digital photographers. That was incredible for my intro to digital image editing, and no doubt the CS3 version is just as good (I also bought that, haven't gotten a chance to read it yet). When I got Lightroom, I figured this book would be just as helpful. It is, but it just isn't that compelling a read. I read the users manual from Adobe and played with the program for a week or two and got the hang of it. By the time this book came, the introductory stuff bored me, and I only skimmed the advance stuff, as opposed to reading it cover to cover like the Photoshop CS book. No doubt this is a great book and great if you have no experience whatsoever, but if you get the hang of such an intuitive program without it, you might not need this book as much.

4 out of 5 stars Good information, if a little too "cute".......2007-10-04

Scott Kelby is one of the most prolific technical writers in the business. By his own acclamation he is the world's #1 best-selling author of all computer and technology books, across all categories. That means a lot of people must like his books and buy a lot of them (either that or he's really rich and just publishes tons of them that sit in warehouses somewhere). So what's his style like? How about up-beat, jocular, full of punny side remarks and allusions intended to be humorous, forever positive, anything is possible, never boring...unless you get just a little tired of the incessant pandering to keep the reader's attention. But he knows the software and is good with tips on how to make it work, and even though he's a Mac evangelist, he takes the time to address cross-platform issues whenever they come up.

The software. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is destined to be one of the most popular imaging programs Adobe, or anyone else, has written. To a certain degree it will very likely slow sales of the full version of Photoshop, not because that is an inherently flawed program, but because Lightroom takes a more streamlined approach in often more intuitive and elegant fashion to basic and intermediate digital imaging needs. It makes a great front end for downloading files, sorting and labeling, making quick and effective adjustments, cataloging and managing the files, and purposing them for output to print, web, or slideshow. In doing all this it doesn't replace Photoshop because Lightroom omits complex targeted adjustments, compositing, or layers, so there are very good reasons to use Lightroom in concert with Photoshop for a full-fledged imaging workflow accommodating efficiency when minor adjustments are enough, and effectiveness when an image simply requires complex work.

The book. In a nutshell, Scott's books work very well for a beginning and intermediate audience. Every individual learns in a different fashion, but the trend of the time is to be simple and visual. Scott accomplishes that through design and method. Throughout the book there are lots of pictures and screenshots with explanatory text along the outside of the pages. The ratio is about 1/3 text, 2/3 pics. And the method goes right to the heart of communication by picking a subject and then taking you right through it step by step. Most of the explanations are lucid and thorough, conveying a lot of info in a short time, and lots of clever suggestions are offered along the way. The coverage is pretty thorough. Of course reading a book does not make one a software expert; that takes lots of serious study and hands-on practice. But again, if you follow all the steps all the way through the book, you should gain pretty good facility with Lightroom.

Shortcomings? Sure; several. For one, software often changes faster than books can be published about it (that's not the book's fault of course). With this one you can register with Peachpit.com (parent of the publisher New Riders) for updates, which is a strong step in the right direction. With regard to style, I could do less with some of the humorously-intended but somewhat tiresome banter, but that's just a personal preference; don't let my view get in your way if Kelby's style helps you learn. Finally, some folks really need to know not just the "what" or "how to" but also the "why;" not too much of the "why" here. On the other hand, if all the "whys" were addressed the book would be twice as long, get boring, and probably be bought and read by far fewer people.

Conclusion. A bright tome that deserves space on the bookshelves or most new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom users, especially those who learn well from a light-hearted, mostly visual presentation. Not a bad reference for advanced users either. All in all, solidly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars Not bad.......2007-10-03

This doesn't go into a great deal of depth. It is great for what it is, a good introduction to using Lightroom. However, don't expect to become a Lightroom pro with this. What I wanted was an introduction to Lightroom, and that's what I got, so I am happy with it.
Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful Book
  • Excellent Book
  • Some Good Insights
  • Eight priorities for success as a CEO
  • Common sense leadership advice
Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't
Ram Charan
Manufacturer: Crown Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
LeadershipLeadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0307341518
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Amazon.com

In Know-How, Ram Charan, coauthor of the bestseller Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, gives readers a bold new approach to understanding leadership. Charan suggests that when it comes to choosing our business leaders, we don't recognize the crucial difference between the appearance of leadership and the actual ability to run a business. We focus too much on superficial things, like raw intelligence or a commanding presence, and don't pay near enough attention to the skills leaders need. In his new book, Charan identifies the eight skills leaders must develop and refine, and explains how personal traits factor in. Curious readers can learn more about Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't in our brief Q & A with author Ram Charan, and sneak a peek at the first chapter, below. --Daphne Durham
Q&A with Ram Charan

Q: You identify 8 know-hows. Can you take us through one of them?
A: In this time of continual change, money making or business models are becoming obsolete more frequently than ever before. It wasn't that long ago when AOL was king of the hill. That leadership was taken over by Yahoo. Now Yahoo is at a crossroads and the leadership has been taken over by Google. So far Google is ahead. It has the central recipe to increase its revenues via advertising because it knows how to measure advertising effectiveness better than anybody else. Leaders at both AOL and Yahoo must be scratching their heads trying to figure out how to reposition the company to make money in the new context. Repositioning is a know-how. It's hard work, and it requires imagination. We will have an opportunity to see about the decision made by Time Warner top brass to summarily replace Jim Miller with Randy Falco of NBC Universal. Randy has a distinguished record. He will have to demonstrate one of the most crucial know-hows in this book: Can he reposition AOL for the new game, and in time? Cost cutting is not the answer.

Q: How can you build your know-how, or help others develop theirs?
A: No talented athlete ever became a champion without consistent regular practice in the right way, along with feedback and hard work. There are no short cuts.That's why you should start practicing early in your career by taking assignments that will help you cultivate the know-hows and seeking out bosses you can learn from.

Q: Many people think of leaders as having innate traits that set them apart from the rest of us. Are you saying we should be looking at skills instead of personality?
A: At the time somebody enters the work force, a great deal of his or her personality has been formed. Most people who talk about leadership today talk about personality, personality, personality. Personality traits, presence, charisma--they will experience attrition if you don't practice them in the context of know-hows. Personality traits and know-hows reinforce each other. In the 21st century, the transparency of results is immediate. Failure is detected very early. Dependence on personality traits without the mastery of the know-hows is a recipe for disaster.

Q: What do you think about the future?
A: The future is very bright. The global economy will continue to expand. There will be more demand for leaders than ever before. Master the know-hows. Hone your personality traits while you're mastering the know-hows. Don't forget that your success must come in the context of global competition. Take the opportunity to win.


Read the First Chapter of Know-How

The Substance of Successful Leaders

Know-how is what separates leaders who perform--who deliver results--from those who don't. It is the hallmark of people who know what they are doing, those who build longterm intrinsic value and hit short-term targets. What gets in the way of finding people who can perform is the appearance of leadership. All too often I see people being chosen for leadership jobs on the basis of superficial personal traits and characteristics, such as:

• The seduction of raw intelligence: "He's extremely bright, incisive, and very analytical. I just feel in my gut he can do the job."

• A commanding presence and great communication skills: "That presentation was awesome. How she ever boiled down all that data onto the PowerPoints is beyond me. Shecertainly had the committee in the palm of her hand. Mark my words, she's going to the top."

• The power of a bold vision: "What a picture he painted of where we are going, moving forward."

• The notion of a born leader: "The people in the unit love her. Such a morale builder and motivator!"

Certainly intelligence, self-confidence, presence, the ability to communicate, and having a vision are important. But being highly intelligent doesn't mean that a person has the knack for making good business judgments. How many times have you seen people confidently making decisions that turn out to be disastrous? How often have you heard a vision that turned out to be nothing more than rhetoric and hot air? Read more from Chapter 1...


Book Description

The new grand theory of leadership by Ram Charan . . . The breakthrough book that links know-how—the skills of people who know what they are doing— with the personal and psychological traits of the successful leader.

How often have you heard someone with a commanding presence deliver a bold vision that turned out to be nothing more than rhetoric and hot air? All too often we mistake the appearance of leadership for the real deal. Without a doubt, intelligence, vision, and the ability to communicate are important. But something big is missing: the know-how of running a business—the capacity to take it in the right direction, do the right things, make the right decisions, deliver results, and leave the people and the business better off than they were before.

For well over four decades, Ram Charan has been learning in the most visceral way the underlying reasons why leaders succeed and fail. As one of the most influential advisers to top management teams of leading companies around the world, he has had a front-row seat to observe the cause and effect of leadership practices and behaviors.

Ram Charan’s insight into the real content of leadership provides you with the eight fundamental skills needed for success in the twenty-first century:

• Positioning (and, when necessary, repositioning) your business by zeroing in on the central idea that meets customer needs and makes money
• Connecting the dots by pinpointing patterns of external change ahead of others
• Shaping the way people work together by leading the social system of your business
• Judging people by getting to the truth of a person
• Molding high-energy, high-powered, high-ego people into a working team of leaders in which they equal more than the sum of their parts
• Knowing the destination where you want to take your business by developing goals that balance what the business can become with what it can realistically achieve
• Setting laser-sharp priorities that become the road map for meeting your goals
• Dealing creatively and positively with societal pressures that go beyond the economic value creation activities of your business

Know-How is the missing link of leadership. By showing how the eight know-hows link to, interact with, and reinforce personal and psychological traits, Ram Charan provides a holistic and innovative portrait of successful leaders of the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book.......2007-10-20

I thoroughly enjoyed the level of detail in this business handbook. I believe that entrepreneurs,first line supervisors and even senior executives can benefit from Charan's account of the eight skills of successful executives. I strongly recommend this book along with Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done the author's earlier book coauthored with Larry Bossidy. Read both books.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Book.......2007-10-17

I read a lot of business leadership books and this is one of the best in recent months. Ram Charan uses simple, well selected words to get his point across. I found myself wishing I could hire him to help me develop these eight skills. I have purchased several copies to give away. You won't be disappointed in the content of this book.

3 out of 5 stars Some Good Insights.......2007-09-05

This book has some strong insights into identifying the skill set of performers and non-performers. It is also in some ways though too concise in terms of what Charan identifies.

For instance where he defines Tenacity - the drive to search, persist and follow through, but not too long.

I think Tenacity in leadership is terribly important and not something that has a point of stoppage.

I recently read Bob Prosen's "Kiss Theory Good Bye" and found its identification in terms of Crippling Habits that leaders/companies must overcome to be another inspiring book on how leaders and managers can truly empower long-term change in accountability and in terms of a company's bottom line.



Kiss Theory Good Bye: Five Proven Ways to Get Extraordinary Results in Any Company

5 out of 5 stars Eight priorities for success as a CEO.......2007-08-30

Forty-five years of observing businesses and business leaders as a trusted business-advisor lead Ram Charan to conclude that eight areas of know-how are essential to success: Positioning the Business; Pinpointing External Change; Leading the Social System of your Business; Judging People; Molding a Team; Developing goals; Setting Laser-sharp Priorities; Dealing with Societal Pressures. Using relatable examples Charan explains what he means by these areas of know-how and then ends each chapter's discussion with some guidance on how to gather this know-how.

An easy read that may leave you thinking, "He speaks common sense."
This book is recommended for business leaders who want to consider if they are giving the right priorities to their time and energies. Dennis DeWilde, Author of The Performance Connection

3 out of 5 stars Common sense leadership advice.......2007-08-28

This book covers eight leadership principles in a generic way. The author uses the trick of using success cases that sustains his ideas, but neglects the countless other cases that do not fit his theory. Anyhow, it's an easy and worth read.
The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A captivating story of a harsh life
  • Poignant and profound
  • Excellent book
  • A read to get you thinking
  • Vivid Memoir
The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers
Harry Bernstein
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
JewishJewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345495802
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

“There are places that I have never forgotten. A little cobbled street in a smoky mill town in the North of England has haunted me for the greater part of my life. It was inevitable that I should write about it and the people who lived on both sides of its ‘Invisible Wall.’ ”

The narrow street where Harry Bernstein grew up, in a small English mill town, was seemingly unremarkable. It was identical to countless other streets in countless other working-class neighborhoods of the early 1900s, except for the “invisible wall” that ran down its center, dividing Jewish families on one side from Christian families on the other. Only a few feet of cobblestones separated Jews from Gentiles, but socially, it they were miles apart.

On the eve of World War I, Harry’s family struggles to make ends meet. His father earns little money at the Jewish tailoring shop and brings home even less, preferring to spend his wages drinking and gambling. Harry’s mother, devoted to her children and fiercely resilient, survives on her dreams: new shoes that might secure Harry’s admission to a fancy school; that her daughter might marry the local rabbi; that the entire family might one day be whisked off to the paradise of America.

Then Harry’s older sister, Lily, does the unthinkable: She falls in love with Arthur, a Christian boy from across the street.

When Harry unwittingly discovers their secret affair, he must choose between the morals he’s been taught all his life, his loyalty to his selfless mother, and what he knows to be true in his own heart.

A wonderfully charming memoir written when the author was ninety-three, The Invisible Wall vibrantly brings to life an all-but-forgotten time and place. It is a moving tale of working-class life, and of the boundaries that can be overcome by love.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A captivating story of a harsh life.......2007-09-03

This book is full of the details of a life that many of us will never experience. The authors story of extreme poverty living in a large family with a hardworking but struggling mother and a distant and often abusive father is both horrifying and captivating.

While it sounds like this should be a depressing book, the details of the moments of hope and happiness lifts it out of the dark side of life in Lancashire and made me wonder about the future for the various key characters. The book is set before and after the great War, but it could be timeless. The central location is a street of two rows of houses facing each other with the 'jews' on one side and the 'christians' on the other. For most of the book there is almost no mingling between the two sides. But at times when their lives are most difficult, they do get together to support one another.

I don't want to give away the story line too much. Some of the difficult scenes are extremely hard to endure, but the details really light up this book even things are hardest.

I would not recommend for anyone younger than about 13, there are too many difficult details here. But for the rest of us, there's LOTS to learn about the silly things that divide us and the fact that despite religious difficulties our lives are more similar than we'd like to believe.

5 out of 5 stars Poignant and profound.......2007-06-26

An absolutely wonderful book written by a 93 year old author who captures the very essence of anti-semitism in pre-World War I England through his own childhood experiences. The last chapter is so descriptive and poignant...really tugs at the heartstrings. I hope Mr. Bernstein continues to share his gift of the written word.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent book.......2007-05-28

Wonderfully written. This book surprised me because of its unpredictability. I couldn't put it down. Mr. Bernstein's story is beautiful, it's a wonder why he waited so long to share it.

5 out of 5 stars A read to get you thinking.......2007-05-25

My six member book club read this last month, and all of us, including our most critical member, found this book very enjoyable and enlightening. The inclusion of dialog easily puts the reader in the time period. The tone and style of the author encourage empathy and understanding of both populations on either side of the invisible wall. The author conveys his and his sibling's emotions in the gentlest of ways while the reader easily grasps that at the time they were much more. While not quite a page turner, my attention never lagged and I would have willingly read more. I would have appreciated more wisdom on the overall subject such as was found in Arthur's letter to Lily.

5 out of 5 stars Vivid Memoir.......2007-05-25

Harry Bernstein writes in a descriptive manner that makes all the characters seem to be living right in front of the reader's eyes. The story is so interesting that I could not put the book down until I finished. It was hard to believe that a man at ninety years of age could remember so much detail and emotion back to his early childhood. The book was well worth reading. I look forward to Mr. Bernstein's next book.
Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft  PowerPoint  to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (Bpg-Other)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Clear guide for creating effective presentations
  • I've used this method and it works
  • Don't understand what others see in it
  • Better Presentations
  • a very, very helpful book on creating effective presentations
Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (Bpg-Other)
Cliff Atkinson
Manufacturer: Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0735620520

Book Description

Improve your presentationsand increase your impactwith 50 powerful, practical, and easy-to-apply techniques for Microsoft PowerPoint. With Beyond Bullet Points, youll take your presentation skills to the next levellearning innovative ways to design and deliver your message. Organized into five sectionsDistill Your Ideas, Structure Your Story, Visualize Your Message, Create a Conversation, and Maintain Engagementthe book uses clear, concise language and just the right visuals to help you understand concepts and start getting better results. Not just a how-to for PowerPoint, this book will help take your presentation skills to the next level! Features 50 innovative, easy-to-apply techniques to help you clarify, visualize, and present your ideas using PowerPoint. Author is a leading presentation-skills consultant. Targeted for intermediate to advanced level users of PowerPoint who are looking to stand out from the crowd and make sure people remember what they say.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Clear guide for creating effective presentations .......2007-08-24

Microsoft PowerPoint changed the world of presentations by simplifying the process of creating a computerized slide show. Alas, over time people started squeezing too much information into every slide and using the preinstalled generic titles. PowerPoint's simplicity let people forget the purpose of presentations: to persuade or to inform without being boring. Cliff Atkinson shows you a creative way to build a good presentation without falling into the PowerPoint template trap - tell a story instead. At present, he provides a free template, storyboard formatter and story guide at sociablemedia.com that adds value to the book, which refers to these resources repeatedly. We recommend this to anyone who gives presentations.

5 out of 5 stars I've used this method and it works.......2007-07-25

I borrowed it from the library and I am going to purchase it for my personal business library. I think that this is a great resource book. I decided to try this method since I do a presentation about once a month to pharmacists. This book helped me to organize my thoughts and present the material in a logical manner. I am in the health care industry and the people I present to are used to seeing bullet points BUT they are bored with it. For those that think the information here won't work, I say give it a try before dismissing it. You may find that your audience doesn't want as many bullet points and facts as you think and that you are a breath of fresh air in doing something new and innovative with your presentations. And remember you can put all of that information from your bullet points in the notes pages and print that out for them.

2 out of 5 stars Don't understand what others see in it.......2007-07-07

I was disappointed having bought this book based on good reviews, so here's my review:

1. The author provides just one tool for one particular type of presentation: "pitch an idea to your bosses". The tool is a 3-act presentation using few words and more graphics and presenter narration.
Although a good tool for some presenters and some presentations, I can only see myself using this in 10-20% of my presentations.

2. Because the author refuses to explore other methods, the book becomes very repetitive and too detailed going on about the same points all the time.

3. Because of this, this is certainly not a book to keep for reference.

4. ...unless you are a total PowerPoint novice and computer-illiterate and want to read a step-by-step instructions about how to resize and crop images in PowerPoint, etc.

5. This is the first book by Microsoft Press I read and I was shocked at the obvious attempts throughout the book to advertise other marginally-related Microsoft products.

The book description says: "Targeted for intermediate to advanced level users". I would never recommend this book to anyone but absolute beginners and even then there must be better books.
The intermediate user should really just browse the first couple of chapters to get the basic idea (1. set the scene 2. show the conflict 3. resolve the conflict) in a bookstore and then decide for himself if he really wants to waste money on something which can easily be summarized on one page.

5 out of 5 stars Better Presentations.......2007-07-05

I've been doing presentations since the BP (before Powerpoint) era and I have a structure that I've used since the beginning. This book caused me to rethink my approach, and, after using it on several recent presentations, I have to say it is a change for the better. Highly recommended if quality communications is your goal.

5 out of 5 stars a very, very helpful book on creating effective presentations.......2007-07-03

While I didn't adopt the 3 > 3 approach Atkinson suggests, I really took to heart his idea of replacing wordy, boring slides with those with only a title (a concept, expressed as a sentence) and high-impact relevant graphics. As a result, I created a six-hour workshop (on personal productivity) that contained a total of five bullets (out of 130 slides). I also created - from the same slide show - a prose booklet that participants take home. Very useful.

More at: What a difference a framework can make
http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-difference-framework-can-make.html
WORDS THAT WORK: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S WHAT PEOPLE HEAR
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great Book
  • Luntz's "1984"
  • Clear. Concise. Comprehensive.
  • Brevity as an Effective Communication Skill (would that it were!)
  • WORDS THAT WORK
WORDS THAT WORK: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S WHAT PEOPLE HEAR
Frank Luntz
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1401302599
Release Date: 2006-12-20

Book Description

The nation's premier communications expert shares his wisdom on how the words we choose can change the course of business, of politics, and of life in this countryIn Words That Work, Luntz offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy, who we vote for, and even what we believe in. With chapters like "The Ten Rules of Successful Communication" and "The 21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century," he examines how choosing the right words is essential.Nobody is in a better position to explain than Frank Luntz: He has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. He'll tell us why Rupert Murdoch's six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was smart because satellite was more cutting edge than "digital cable," and why pharmaceutical companies transitioned their message from "treatment" to "prevention" and "wellness."If you ever wanted to learn how to talk your way out of a traffic ticket or talk your way into a raise, this book's for you.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Great Book.......2007-10-07

Frank Luntz does a great job of driving across that it's not what you say, it's what people hear. Although the book had a lot of political references, the lessons to effective language can be applied to any walk of life.

4 out of 5 stars Luntz's "1984".......2007-09-30

If you want to know how you are being manipulated, Frank Luntz will tell you how he does it in his candid book.

5 out of 5 stars Clear. Concise. Comprehensive........2007-09-28

Dr. Luntz illustrates his 10 Rules of Effective Language in the subtitle of his book Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear. His 10-rule, 10-word system proves the power of language.

Disturbingly accurate examples show the impact and importance of language. What gets wired in us and why? What moves us emotionally? What makes us spend? What connects us? Words are ripples.

Lutz reveals how we get so caught up in words that we fail to communicate. Consider leaders who speak in alphabet soup and spoil our language and understanding.

Like fine embroidery, words follow design; and design is seen differently by everyone with eyes.

Using case studies as examples, Luntz makes points about how passage of time affects words, how disordered words can cause dissension and how new words shade new meanings.

Most of all, he states, what we say is who we are. He's right. Think about it.

Rebecca Jacoby, copywriter
www.afewchosenwords.com
www.beckyjacoby.com

2 out of 5 stars Brevity as an Effective Communication Skill (would that it were!).......2007-09-10

Mr. Luntz sites brevity as an effective communication skill, yet he goes on and on and on with his examples and repeats himself throughout the book.

He uses the book as a vehicle to promote his Republican platforms, which is boring and annoying.

He is a little impressed with himself and is not afraid to share that with the reader. An especially distasteful example of this is his self-serving introduction about performing for Democrats and celebrities at Ariana Huffington's home.

He tries to imitate Steven Levitt's style of writing but he's just not that interesting or cool.


4 out of 5 stars WORDS THAT WORK.......2007-09-08

"Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear" by Frank Luntz is a modern day "how to win friends and influence people" for the 21st century. "Words That Work" is a good book but the best part is the '10 Rules of Effective Language' in the first few chapters, which is basically the whole point of the book.

You may not want to read the other chapters because the book does surprisingly focus also on how businesses can use words. You can pretty much ignore the Publisher's Weekly criticism that this book is partisan. Luntz sights good and bad examples of communication from both Democrats and Republicans. His first anecdote deals with giving a seminar at Arriana Huffington's home for the Hollywood Elite!

People who don't care about politics or business will probably get bored with this book. But if you only get half-way through the book you will be convinced that "It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear".

"MoveOn.Org" Democrats who try to smear the lessons Frank Luntz gives in this book may do so at your own peril.

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