Customer Reviews:
Great reference/cheat sheet.......2007-07-26
I have used this book on all my performance reviews, it is so good, that I could not stop picking phrases from it, and my boss had to tell me to be "less verbose" in my self assessment!
Book for new managers.......2007-07-15
This book was recommended in one of my management classes. I was able view it during one of the class breaks. Immediately, I knew it will save me time and effort. Many useful phrases to help and prompt thoughts for reviewing team members.
A good guide .......2007-07-05
I purchased this guide for the supervisors on my team because it gives phrases to use when appraising employees. Its also gives phrases to use when writing awards or other evaulations of performance. The guide is organized into different areas-teamwork, communication skills, productivity, etc. which helps find helpful phrases to use. This guide is simple but elegant in its usefulness.
Who needs this? .......2007-06-12
If I sat on a toilet all day thinking of sycophantic half-sentences, this is probably what I'd come up with. I hate to think about what the brain-dead, incompetent boob who needs a book like this looks like.
It's management speak like this crap that inspired movies like Office Space and television shows such as The Office and Just Shoot Me. On that note, maybe I should give this book five stars.
One thing's for certain, anyone in your office who orders this book should be fired immediately.
Helpful Tool.......2007-05-16
Very helpful tool in writing performance reviews and avoiding redundancy when writing performance reviews.
Book Description
Practical pointers for maximizing meetings and motivating team members!
At their worst, meetings can waste time, lack focus, foster a combative spirit, or be just plain boring. At their best, meetings can be a positive, dynamic experience that nurtures individual strengths while inspiring teamwork to successfully accomplish an established task. The fate of a meeting lies in the skill of the facilitator, and this easy-to-use guide has all the tips and tools necessary to make you shine in this challenging role.
Anyone charged with navigating a group of people toward a desired objective will benefit from this book’s indispensable features, which include:
- Templates for easy implementation at every stage of the facilitation process
- Straightforward tactics for managing difficult participants and emotionally charged situations
- Realistic examples to help you avoid pitfalls
- Surefire methods for delegating in a meaningful and respectful manner
From pre-meeting preparation, to the meeting’s critical first few minutes, to its conclusion and beyond, this manual provides step-by-step guidance for the entire facilitation process. It is packed with proven do’s and don’ts based on psychological principles, research, real-life experience, and field-tested best practices. The user-friendly strategies focus on such key areas as team building, brainstorming, motivating, overcoming problematic situations, reaching goals, and assessing results.
Customer Reviews:
The facilitator's Bible: cultivating and creating........2004-12-11
Finally, a book that is easy to follow, addresses the most common problems encountered by facilitators, and offers practical advice to both novice and pro alike in creating effective group work. Eller gives tips on how to manage difficult individuals with everyday gestures and postures and ways to diffuse a tense environment. Every chapter from "What am I getting into" to "Reaching Peak Performance: connecting their minds" and more is well-designed and deals with every complexity and situation imaginable for those involved in education. Whether you are looking for strategies to enhance the environment that the group will meet in or ways to make sure that the task at hand is not forgotten, this book contains ideas and contemporary models to put the facilitator's mind at ease and allow the team members to focus on the agenda, not petty problems. In addition, the author introduces in chapter seven a concise and clear path to attain the desired goal and does so in a manner that proves to be innovative and stimulating. Most of the books on the shelf that offer the reader suggestions tend to be rather dry and boring or use techniques and situations that haven't occured in many decades. Poignant and refreshing. Mr Eller gets an A+.
Book Description
The eighth edition of Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations is a comprehensive survey of the principles and practices of management as they are currently being applied in the United States and around the world. The content and features are structured to reinforce two continuing themes that are woven into the chapters? narratives: (1) the never-ending effort by managers and organizations to meet or exceed customers? needs and (2) the need organizations and their people have to be guided by effective leadership.
Customer Reviews:
detailed and useful.......2001-10-03
This book was a requirement for a class. It was easy to understand and apply. It comes with key terms in the margins for easy review and description. The chapters begin with a learning objective and concludes with a summary of each objective. Each chapter is filled with detailed information and highlights corporations and how they have applied each concept. I would recommend it for anyone constructing an organization or for those wishing to change management styles. It also, has a CD Rom that is incredible.
Book Description
For event planners, there's no such thing as a dress rehearsal!
Any event you plan and stage is a reflection of your company's image — from the initial invitation to onsite operations. Whether you're planning a product launch, conference, sales meeting, an incentive event, or a gala fund-raiser, remember that the magic of a truly memorable event is in the details, but so is the devil. Special events are fraught with thousands of details, and have to come off without a hitch. Whether your event is for 50 or 2,000 people, whether it has a budget of a few thousand dollars, or hundreds of thousands, planning and executing the project is like a high-wire act without the safety nets. Event Planning gives you a blueprint for planning and executing special events with flair and without any unexpected surprises and expenses. This unique book is loaded with practical advice on every aspect of organizing and managing special events:
- Choosing the best venue
- Preparing and managing the budget
- Scheduling and staffing
- Coordinating food and beverage, décor, entertainment, and themes
- Working with professionals, such as public relations firms and creative directors.
What you don't know or know to ask can have a major effect on the success of your event and on your budget. Event Planning takes you through every aspect of organizing and executing a successful event: the planning stages, timing and logistics, budget preparation, operations, and on-site management. Event Planning:
- Includes sample costing forms to help you generate a detailed project plan and budget.
- Explains what you need to ask before you contract with suppliers.
- Is loaded with practical tips and examples that will help you avoid expensive mistakes.
- Features a companion website with forms from the book, additional forms, author Q&A, and more.
Event Planning takes you behind the scenes, and provides practical tools for anyone who has to plan and execute a truly special event:
- Corporate in-house event planners
- Public relations and communications companies, and their clients
- Marketing and corporate communications professionals
- Fundraisers and not-for-profit organizations
- Professionals in the hospitality and entertainment industries
Customer Reviews:
Not for beginners and not for professionals.......2007-05-03
It is hard to tell who this book is geared towards. A novice should not take on any event that is as over their head; as most of the event situations that are listed in the book are. A professional would know from experience the answers to most of the questions or they would have the common sense to take care of any odd situation that arose. The book may be helpful to assistant managers or banquet captains, but most houses have their own way of doing things. Interesting read and a good refresher, buy used.
Very useful Hand Book.......2007-03-10
It was very useful to me as I used it to brak into the wedding/event business. It presents a very corporate approach, yet it seems to uncover all kinds of secrets of the event world that are hidden to the public eye.
This Book is Alright.......2006-08-09
Being an avid reader of Event Planning literature, I must say that this book is alright.
Packed with Knowledge!.......2005-10-14
Details, details, details. That's really what successful event planning is all about, and that's the key to this very successful event-planning manual. Author Judy Allen notes, lists, copes with and gives an example of virtually every detail in planning anything from a sedate corporate event in a major city to a huge celebration on a remote island. She provides examples galore plus tips, questions and answers, sample cost sheets and schedules. How much floor space does a person need to be comfortable in a tent? Answer: 20 square feet. How many bathrooms should be available for a party? Answer: One per 75 guests. And don't forget to ask about the stemware, adequate parking and even the photographer's back-up camera battery. This author seems to have thought every contingency, as the book's ambitious title promises. Her one glaring omission is that she does not include the party planner's fee - our guess is that she'd be worth it. We highly recommend this well-organized, very practical book to all event planners. Don't send out press releases for your party without consulting Judy Allen.
Great book.......2005-10-01
This is a great book for anyone interested in working in the event planning field.
Book Description
Casey McDaniel had never been so nervous in his life.
In just ten minutes, The Meeting, as it would forever be known, would begin. Casey had every reason to believe that his performance over the next two hours would determine the fate of his career, his financial future, and the company he had built from scratch.
“How could my life have unraveled so quickly?” he wondered.
In his latest page-turning work of business fiction, best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides readers with another powerful and thought-provoking book, this one centered around a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings. And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary.
Casey McDaniel, the founder and CEO of Yip Software, is in the midst of a problem he created, but one he doesn’t know how to solve. And he doesn’t know where or who to turn to for advice. His staff can’t help him; they’re as dumbfounded as he is by their tortuous meetings.
Then an unlikely advisor, Will Peterson, enters Casey’s world. When he proposes an unconventional, even radical, approach to solving the meeting problem, Casey is just desperate enough to listen.
As in his other books, Lencioni provides a framework for his groundbreaking model, and makes it applicable to the real world. Death by Meeting is nothing short of a blueprint for leaders who want to eliminate waste and frustration among their teams, and create environments of engagement and passion.
Download Description
Casey McDaniel had never been so nervous in his life.
In just ten minutes, The Meeting, as it would forever be known, would begin. Casey had every reason to believe that his performance over the next two hours would determine the fate of his career, his financial future, and the company he had built from scratch.
“How could my life have unraveled so quickly?” he wondered.
In his latest page-turning work of business fiction, best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides readers with another powerful and thought-provoking book, this one centered around a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings. And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary.
Casey McDaniel, the founder and CEO of Yip Software, is in the midst of a problem he created, but one he doesn’t know how to solve. And he doesn’t know where or who to turn to for advice. His staff can’t help him; they’re as dumbfounded as he is by their tortuous meetings.
Then an unlikely advisor, Will Peterson, enters Casey’s world. When he proposes an unconventional, even radical, approach to solving the meeting problem, Casey is just desperate enough to listen.
As in his other books, Lencioni provides a framework for his groundbreaking model, and makes it applicable to the real world. Death by Meeting is nothing short of a blueprint for leaders who want to eliminate waste and frustration among their teams, and create environments of engagement and passion.
Customer Reviews:
Pointed and on topic.......2007-09-09
The book was pointed, on topic, and did what I think it intended to do, show that meetings don't have to be and truly shouldn't be boring. He gave some solid reasons why meetings end up that way and provided ways to avoid these pitfalls. I don't think he exhausted the reasons for boring meetings (i.e. trouble employees) but he hit some highlights. He didn't stray off course or try to cover too much. I tend to agree with one reviewer that by keeping it short and sweet the possibility of co-workers actually reading the book goes way up and thereby their buying into the multiple meeting strategy goes up as well.
Also, his suggestions can impact a company in ways beyond making meetings more fun. His suggestion to engender conflict/"working out issues" leads to everyone being less confusion about what is expected. I truly liked the book and would recommend it to my co-workers.
Meetings are a snap-shot of an organization's culture.......2007-08-23
The quickest way to identify a company's culture is to observe their key meetings. One of the most impactful ways to change a company's culture is to change the way they handle meetings. In this parable (cannot be a fable, as it lacks the necessary animal cast) by consultant Patrick Lencioni, these truisms provide the platform for Lencioni's theory of meeting management. This theory addresses what Lencioni sees as the two key problems with most business meetings; lack of drama, and lack of contextual structure. He looks to the meeting owner to provide `The Hook' (set-up the plot for the drama), and the meeting facilitator to `Mine for Conflict'. Then he recommends contextual structure can be established by segregating meetings according to the time-frame they address; the daily check-in, weekly tactical, monthly strategic, and quarterly off-site review.
Great title, easy read, but misleading if you think this book is about how to reduce the number of meetings within your organization. Lencioni, in fact, recommends more and not less meetings; but without explicitly stating it, he implies that every meeting must have a clear purpose (context), identified objectives for each topic, and that the meeting owner and the meeting facilitator roles must be clear. His story also illustrates the importance of pre-meeting planning and content preparation. Lencioni makes the point that meetings are not a necessary evil; they are an opportunity to focus and engage people if done well. The book is recommended as a reminder of the value that meeting management can bring to an organization.
How to reduce (if not eliminate) one of the major causes of organizational waste.......2007-07-17
This is one in a series of "leadership fables" in which Patrick Lencioni shares his thoughts about the contemporary business world. His characters are fictitious human beings rather than anthropomorphic animals, such as a tortoise that wins a race against a hare or pigs that lead a revolution to overthrow a tyrant and seize control of his farm.
In this instance, Lencioni focuses on probably the single greatest waste of organizational resources: meetings. Although they are "the closet thing to an operating room, a playing field, or a stage that we have...most of us hate them. We complain about, try to avoid, and long for the end of meetings, even when we're running the darn things! How pathetic is it that we have come to accept that the activity most central to the running of our organizations is inherently painful and unproductive?" Nonetheless, in most organizations, meetings comprise the single greatest cause of waste of resources and, yes, of opportunities as well.
Briefly, here's the fictitious situation. Lencioni introduces Casey McDaniel, generally viewed as "an extraordinary man - but just an ordinary CEO" of Yip Software, a designer and manufacturer of sports-related video games company he founded. What is perhaps most significant about Casey is the fact that conducts lethargic, unfocused, and passionless staff meetings that his colleagues understandably dread, as does he. For reasons best revealed within the narrative, he sells his company to Playsoft, the second-largest manufacturer of video games. Enter J.T. Harrison who serves as a liaison between Yip and Software. Almost immediately, Casey's inadequacies as a CEO and, especially, the consequences of the executive staff meetings he conducts become obvious to Harrison who becomes increasingly concerned about Yip's underperformance. Casey's career and the fate of his company are in jeopardy when Casey hires Will Petersen to be his temporary administrative assistant while his permanent administrative assistant is on maternity leave.
What then happens - and does not happen -- throughout the ensuing weeks enables Lencioni to dramatize the importance of scheduling, preparing for, conducting, and then following through on meetings that are never boring nor ineffective. Hence the great emphasis Lencioni places on having different kinds of meetings (e.g. daily check-in, weekly tactical, monthly or as-needed ad hoc strategic, and quarterly off-site), each of which has a different context, purpose, structure, and timeframe. Obviously, some meetings will generate more conflict, excitement, drama, etc. than will others. Over the years, many (if not most) of the staff meetings I have participated in (including those I conducted) wasted time on discussion of what to discuss rather than on making decisions about what to do.
At least 8-10 years ago, Lencioni apparently made a conscious decision to address especially important business issues by creating a human context for each rather than merely offering answers to questions or prescribing solutions to problems. To me, this is one of the greatest benefits of a business narrative, in this instance of a leadership fable: Creating a series of real-world situations (albeit portrayed fictitiously) that readers can identify with emotionally as well as rationally. He is a brilliant business thinker but he also possesses the skills of a master raconteur as he introduces a cast of characters, develops conflicts between and among them, and then allows "rising action" to build to a climax that is also best revealed within the narrative. Unexpected plot developments engage the reader even more.
Of special interest to me is Will's role in this business fable. He serves as an especially effective means by which Lencioni articulates his insights and suggestions. Eventually, in ways and to an extent also best revealed within the narrative, Will has a profound impact on Casey's leadership style as well as on Yip Software's fate. Although Casey and his colleagues as well as J.T. Harrison are fictitious characters, each is credible as a human being rather merely functioning as a literary device. Their values, concerns, personalities, anxieties, and behavior will be very familiar to anyone who has been involved in non-productive group discussions.
As is Lencioni's custom in each of the other volumes in the series of "leadership fables," he also includes (after the Fable) a "Model" section, consisting of supplementary material (Pages 221-254) whose value-added benefits will help his reader to make effective application of the lessons learned from the experiences shared by Casey and his colleagues at Yip Software. Lencioni leaves no doubt that there are direct correlations between enjoyable as well as productive meetings and effective leadership and management to establish and then sustain a "healthy"organization.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Patrick Lencioni's other "leadership fables" as well as Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Bill George's Authentic Leadership and his more recently published True North, James O'Toole's Creating the Good Life, and Michael Maccoby's Narcissistic Leaders.
Good for learning the basics of a meeting.......2007-07-17
This gives a great layout of the many meetings that take place in work places. For those who have managed or lead people and organizations for more than a few years it will be a review.I recommend it for any new manager or leader. The movie analogies work well too.
Great book.......2007-07-02
I enjoyed this quick read. I found it paralleled some issues I was facing in my meetings. I can't wait to give these models a try.
Book Description
Designed specifically for trainers, speakers, and group facilitators, this 400-page cookbook of playful group mixers helps to "break the ice" among participants at the beginning of any meeting, or to recharge participants on the brink of boredom. Complete with guidelines, these simple activities-like games, energizers, brain-teasers, and quizzes-require little or no preparation time, and most can be completed in less than 5 minutes. Also included are props and hand-outs that can be photocopied for the entire group to enjoy.
Customer Reviews:
Great conversation starter.......2007-07-03
Find Me: How Psychic Detectives from Around the World Have Banded Together to Find Missing People
I teach spiritual development classes and i use ths book for some of the beginnings of classes and workshops, to help people get to know each other. It has lots of great exercises.
Excellent!.......2006-07-26
I work in a school and this book has already helped me plan several fun activities for teachers, directors, and students. I highly recommend it!
Well written and has good variety........2006-07-14
While many of the activities might suit a business, I was able to find quite a few for small groups in our church. The instructions are thorough and handouts are well done. My only suggestion for the publisher would be to make the book so the pages could be torn out and put in a three ring binder.
Great for Residence Life staff.......2000-07-03
There are few books on icebreakers/teambuilders that I've found to be useful with college students ( I work in Student Affairs). This book, however, offered many activities that were useful not only for just 'breaking the ice' but also for applying them to the many educational workshops we do in this field. There was also a very helpful section called "Icebreakers for the Non-Icebreaker types" that was both interesting and practical. Because I work with such a diverse range of students, I struggle to find icebreakers that are not geared solely to the extroverted-types. This collection gives a number of activities that are beneficial to teambuilding while respecting the different learning/interaction styles we see in our students. Out of the 201 offered in the book, I have found at least 180 of them that I will use as integral parts of the next staff training. This book also offers activities for groups ranging from 8 participants (good for small staffs) to 400 participants (good for all-hall activities)!
Disappointing.......2000-06-29
It was disappointing to find so few ideas for a group of 100 business people who don't know each other. Most of the activities are far too personal for such a group, involving sharing personal information or touching. In addition, many of the activities have no "closure": they simply end, leaving us to wonder, what was the purpose of THAT? Many of the activities would be fine for very informal gatherings where being silly (marching in a parade, charades, making a human octopus) and getting personal are appropriate. But business people--even my lighthearted group--expect some degree of professionalism and purpose associated with such activities.
Book Description
Leading a meeting? giving a presentation? Heading a workshop? Icebreakers are great for lightening up the atmosphere at the beginning of a meeting or event, and encouraging everyone to participate fully. This collection of 50 icebreakers is organized around common business situations and is designed to help leaders start every session, meeting, presentation, or workshop with a burst of energy and fun. Includes icebreakers for sales meetings, team building, complete strangers, introducing a topic, staff meetings, groups over 20, outdoor settings, and more. this latest book in the popular Big Book of Business Games series is the most fun yet!
Customer Reviews:
Did not buy this item.......2007-05-03
Don't know why this is here as I never purchased this item.
Inventive but is it practical?.......2003-07-21
My first observation on this book is that it is focused on the large group not the small group. However, the rationale for some of the large group focus seems to flow entirely from a preoccupation with dividing large groups into smaller groups and then applying tasks or games to these subgroups. If you have never thought about working with groups this book may be of some use, but by and large I judged many of the examples were impractical in terms of the time and resources needed to get deploy them.
My key reservation about these icebreaker books is that they are written more to help the presenter break the ice rather than any presumed intra-audience barriers.
reveiw by hands-on trainer.......2000-09-09
This book is packed with icebreakers, but I personally wouldn't use most of them. They border on the "touchy-feely" side, and will only work if your audience is open to that type of activity.
Hot Icebreakers.......2000-03-30
There are so many great ways to get a group started with this book. It's perfect for the people who are inactive and very active. From get-to-know-games to every-day-fun. This book covers business meetings, weekly meetings, workshops, and almost every other type of get-together. The groups sizes go from small to huge. I would definitly recommend this book for any coordinator or leader. Enjoy and have fun!
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
Customer Reviews:
Say It with charts.......2007-08-27
Very good as a quick guide for building presentations based on data and charts, but a little more information about when to use it type of chart would be very usefull
Getting the point across.......2006-03-02
As an equity analyst, consultant, and communication specialist, I saw - and made - dozens of colorful presentations with the best charts that excel can draw that simply didn't work.
After the failed presentation, a consultant or analyst who knows how to get his point across will draw a simple diagram or chart on a white board that will be far more convincing and effective than the entire PowerPoint presentation.
This book is for the person who wants to get point across.
Consider it part of a broad business education.......2005-10-25
When one considers the amount of time/money they spend on improving their job skills, it would seem obvious that a high-value read like 'Say it with Charts' would be worth some consideration. It provides a framework for using charts to your advantage- and not just within oral presentations. If anything, this book will increase your willingness to use charts to your advantage when selling an opinion. It forces the user to think about exactly what it is they are trying to say - and then produce a professional looking chart to relay that message.
Any edition will do - the content will not change with the times. The underlying principles can be quite powerful and can be the difference between a simple presentation and one which elicites praise.
Say It With Charts: The Executive's Guide to Visual Communication .......2005-10-24
The book is tremendous for anybody who wants to a make a presentation effective by making it easy to understand.
helpful - nothing more need be said.......2004-05-04
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.
Book Description
Open Space Technology: A User's Guide is just what the name implies: a hands-on, detailed description of facilitating Open Space Technology (OST). Written by the originator of the method - an effective, economical, fast, and easily-repeatable strategy for organizing meetings of between 5 and 1,000 participants - this is the first book to document the rationale, procedures, and requirements of OST. OST enables self-organizing groups of all sizes to deal with hugely complex issues in a very short period of time. This practical, step-by-step user's guide details what needs to be done before, during, and after an Open Space event.
Customer Reviews:
Useful handbook of a counterintuitive approach.......2007-03-02
Open Space Technology is nearly identical to the "unconference" approach to workshop and event planning that's currently fashionable (see "Foo Camp" or "Bar Camp" or many other geek-oriented "camps). Basically, abandon a traditional agenda and force the workshop participants to self-organize a schedule, goals, and work. It's profoundly counter-intuitive, everyone assumes that a strict plan is necessary...but it turns out to work. People really enjoy participating in an event where their opinions matter, and where everyone's responsible for raising issues they find important.
This book can come across as annoyingly new agey and dippy at times (I see someone's tagged it "embracing group genius" here on Amazon...your mileage may vary a bit from that). It's probably more helpful in getting you the facilitator into the right mindset, and encouraging you not to fall back on the crutches of detailed schedules or keynote speakers. It's pretty dated when it talks about using computers in your event, but that doesn't really matter.
Bible of Open Space.......2006-07-12
This is a very good hand-book for open space newcomers.Easy to understand and easy to read.I strongly suggest this book for anybody who want to start learning open space technology
One of the most valuable books in the world.......2003-12-26
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 simplicity I predict it will always be the gateway to anyone who prizes self-organising, a term which actually means making the most of everyone's time, learning and passions to make a diffeernce to our overall purpose. A very valuable book, which in my dreams would start any MBA course or any professional's training.
Open Space is now 21 years young and over 100000 experiences mature and networked by people who are both most open with their knowlhow and conscious that you learn something subly more about human relationship trust from every Open Space you particpate in. It is as near as organisations (seen as human relationship infrastructures) can get to a modern day miracle, and long may Harrison light up the open world. See his latest deep concerns with conflict resolution applications at http://www.practiceofpeace.com
a "How to" book.......2001-06-18
I recommend using open space tehcnology and/or other large scale intervention techniques to mine the collective emotional intelligence of a group of people (this may be your company, or people from an acadamic field you belong to).
This book gives you the details on HOW to organize and facilitate an open space meeting - (what kind of location you need, how to organize the room, how to use break up rooms, how to facilitate, ...). You'll also get imporatnt rules and lessons for making this technology work. In short, it's pretty good at doing this "HOW TO" part.
WARNING: If you want to know WHY it works and if you want some examples, there are 2 other books to take a look at:
- tales from Open space (Harrison Owen, Editor, 1995)
- Expanding our now (Harrison Owen, 1997)
Good luck!
Patrick E.C. Merlevede, MSc -- author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"
A Good Read!.......2001-04-24
Harrison Owen presents a hands-on, step-by-step manual for putting on an open space technology workshop. In OST workshops, participants basically set and facilitate the agenda with some guidance from a facilitator. Here, the book's examples are particularly handy. Owen suggests conference duration, agenda and techniques including how to set up a meeting, invite participants, prepare the logistics and meeting site, facilitate activities and more. While these workshops generally involve hundreds of people, you can also put on an OST event with as few as five. If you want to read gripping business philosophy, look elsewhere - this is a practical how-to manual, a task it accomplishes quite well. We [...] recommend this informative guided tour of the OST process to those who want to know how, because they already know why
Book Description
An award-winning news anchor presents methods for better communication in any business environment
During her 20 years in broadcasting, award-winning news anchor Suzanne Bates conducted more than 10,000 interviews, during which she witnessed business leaders, politicians, and celebrities at their best and worst. Now a top CEO communication coach, Bates is renowned for her uncanny ability to transform even the shyest oratorical mouse into a public-speaking lion. In Speak Like a CEO, Bates:
- Reveals the secrets for communicating in any situation
- Describes simple techniques for acing speeches, presentations, media interviews, Q&A sessions, business meetings, and more
- Outlines self-improvement plans that can easily be customized to your needs
- Shares secrets from top leaders, including Mario Cuomo's technique for overcoming stage fright and Colin Powell's secret for projecting authenticity
Customer Reviews:
A great asset to any public speaker or presenter.......2007-05-08
I wish I had read this book a long time ago. It is consise and an interesting read. Above all it has provided me with several great tips on improving presentations which I have already started to use. Unbelievably, both my audience and I have noticed the difference.
Didn't finish it!.......2007-04-27
While some stories were interesting to listen to; there just wasn't enough substance to the (audio)book. I didn't finish listening to it, and unless this is your first book on leadership, I would recommend against it.
More could be gotten from a public speaking book and a few leadership books (Tom Peters is my latest read who is pretty good).
Mike
A true resource.......2007-01-11
The author knows of what she speaks! A former reporter, she has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly and helps the reader be one of the good, if not the great. Useful, practical tips for anyone who wants to be more successful both professionally and personally. Well worth your time and money.
Public speaking essentials.......2006-11-30
For anyone who wants to learn about basics on how to conduct public speaking engagement in front of business audience, this is a good starter book. You will learn on how to tell the story, build the humor and keep everyone's focus in place while presenting. Like everything else in life, this skill requires preparation, practice and planning. You must not only know what you are talking about, but also know your audience too. I particularly liked the part of the book with tips on how to answer questions not anticipated during the preparation process (trigger method and making a qualifying or opinion statement).
Worth the read.......2006-11-27
I'm a professional speaker, and was critiquing this book to see if I would recommend it to others. It's a very simple read - you'll get through it in a day or so, I'm sure. It's got some good basic tips, and some interesting insights into leadership styles. The important thing is to DO what the book recommends - not just read it and think the info will infuse into your psyche!
I do recommend it - it would make a good gift for a mentee, as well.
SusanBaughman.com
Books:
- Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Fifth Edition
- Employment Law for Business
- Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL))
- Essentials of Introductory and Intermediate Algebra for College Students (Blitzer Hardback Series)
- Evaluating Professional Development (1-Off)
- Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism
- Evidence-Based Reading Practices for Response to Intervention
- Exercises for the Whole Brain: Neuron-Builders to Stimulate and Entertain Your Visual, Math and Executive-Planning Skills (Brain Waves Books) (Brain Waves Books) (Brain Waves Books)
- Form Your Own Limited Liability Company 4th Edition
- Foundations of Business Organizations for Paralegals
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Way We Live: An Ultimate Treasury for Global Design Inspiration
- More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation
- Accounting & Auditing in a New Environment: A Guide to Personal Survival Skills and Professional
- Contracts for the Film & Television Industry
- Financial Accounting: An Introduction to Concepts, Methods, and Uses
- Lovingkindness Meditation
- History: Fiction or Science
- Working Pap Ch 1-18, Century 21 Acct 1yr
- Economic Models of Climate Change: A Critique
- Butterflies through Binoculars: The East A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Eastern North America
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews : Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases That Describe Your Employees' Performance
2600 Phrases For Effective Performance Reviews: Ready-to-use Words And Phrases That Really Get Results
Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals : Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Goals for Any Performance Plan or Review
Performance Appraisal Phrase Book: The Best Words, Phrases, and Techniques for Performance Reviews
101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems
