Training Books

I found this book really interesting. It holds no punches on what's happening in the workplace. It confirms a lot of what I've seen. Best of all the book offers a great deal of advice on many many subjects. Each piece of advice is set up in what the author calls, "Tips". There are over 80 of these, and I found these insightful and of help at work.

You can't go wrong with the conversational tone and the stories...many of them are very funny personal stories about the author. If you work, you should read this book.

Swapping Lies! is an excellent addition to my list of "must-haves" business books. I'm keeping this on my desk so that I can reference the "tips" throughout the book.
This book is both serious business advice and very humorous anecdotes of business life. The book is an easy read and it is written in a conversational tone that held my interest throughout. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the stories. I highly recommend this book.

This is a great workplace behavioral guide for today's employee. Marc's writing style provides a near individualized instructional guide for all levels of employees. His broad experience and keen insight allows Marc to provide the ethical guidance so badly needed in todays work environment. This book has great educational value for management and non-management personnel in the range of small to large work environments.

This is a great book for helping management be aware of what could be happening by employees. Funny as well as helpful in todays workplace security needs. An easy read.
www.BusinessSecurity.org

Book is well written and to the point. It will help you swim better.

Try Colwin's new book, Breakthrough Swimming. Swimming Into the 21st Century is going out of print, but Colwin's new book is even better.

this may be by far one of the most in depth volumes on swimming available. It not only covers strokes, but history of them, evolution, training tips, science & research and more! there is so much information in here, and so well documented, it would take weeks to assimilate it all. highly recommended... and i give it a 9 only because there is no suc thing is a 10

Cecil Colwin has produced an encyclopedia of information about competitive swimming, and he has presented it in such a readable format that anyone interested in the sport will find challenging ideas, well-documented and engagingly illustrated, on almost every page. The book is a treasure!

Once again Guy Wallace hits a home run with this informative text for the Training and Development organization. His process approach is one not often thought of by HR and T&D professionals. Clearly, this robust approach will shed new light on the management of training and development for your organization.

"Guy Wallace has done it again! After demystifying the ISD process in his lean-ISDSM book, he tackles the corporate training and development system and puts it in a business-focused perspective. Whether you are in-house or serving as an external consultant, you will find Guy's model an invaluable tool for enterprise training and development.

This analytic and design process ensures that you dot all the i's and cross all the t's when moving your company or client to Learning by Design, not Learning by Chance. The elegant clockface model helps you develop a clear picture of any organization and clearly helps you map out how best to effectively manage all the elements of the enterprise. Once the elements are mapped out, the model, through enclosed assessment and prioritizing tools, helps determine where and when to put corporate assets to maximize corporate return on investment.

This is a must-have book for any consultant or organization that is concerned about improving the performance of their organization through improving processes and competencies."
-Miki Lane
Senior Partner
MVM Communications

T&D Systems View makes a lot of information available for both the experienced training professional or those new to the field. The focus of the book is on enhancing an organization's training and development system while improving bottom-line results.

The "twelve hour clock" serves as a performance aid to guide the reader through headings for each hour that make up the 12 systems that contain the 47 processes of the overall corporate training and development system. The 12 systems are:
1. Strategic Planning
2. Operations Planning and Management
3. Cost/Benefit measurement
4. Process Improvement
5. Product and Service Line Design
6. Product and Service Line development
7. Product and Service Line Deployment
8. Marketing and Communications
9. Financial asset Management
10. Human and Environmental Asset Management
11. Research and Development
12. Governance and Advisory

What follows the descriptions of 12 training and development systems and the 47 related processes is an incredibly useful 48 page performance aid that guides readers in conducting self-assessments of their organization's systems. This performance aid is "worth the price of admission" alone.

T&D Systems View by Guy Wallace presents one of the best models for clarifying roles and responsibilities of leaders, managers, and workers when it comes to getting the desired job performance. The model really drives meaningful conversations about what is and is not in place, why, and who is responsible for making it happen. The model makes asking the questions about what has or has not been done and who should do it a whole lot easier. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to better understand what must be in place for people to perform well and how to enroll management in the process of making it happen.

This exercise book is comprehensive. It has a good variety for novice, skilled and master levels. These exercises can be done at home or a gym!

Great book, easy read, and great tips on how to get a more toned body.

As Summer approaches, there's no better time to freshen up your workout. With this in mind - Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom is as fresh as it gets. Created by sought-after personal trainer and fitness supermodel, Minna Lessig, this book takes you step-by-step through a fabulous fitness makeover. Once committed, she'll show you how to use her book as your training manual. Too, you'll choose from workout options for every fitness level - all without stealing precious time. This Spring why not let Lessig help you give your fitness program an overhaul? Here's 5 simple ways you can use her book to get your body in fighting shape just in time for Summer.

One: Freshen Up Your Warm Up and Stretching Routines:

First, let Lessig walk you through several of her 3 minute warm-up routines. You will have the opportunity to choose your favorite based on preference for general exercise or a more delicate Yoga and Pilates style. As you already know, a solid warm up is your most important base-line for a fluid, injury-free workout program. Therefore, regardless of how long you've been working out, it never hurts to take the time to revisit your pre and post workout exercises. That said, you will also want to take time to review Lessig's stretching program - this will give you stretching options for in-between exercises; an important step in depleting the lactic acid that can lead to days of muscle soreness.

Two: Remodel Your Cardio Fitness Routine:

Next up: A makeover to your cardio program. Here Lessig gives you an array of options, as well. Begin simply by choosing exercises you like and will stick to. You will also find her time suggestions similar to what you probably already know: perform one half-hour cardio program, three to four times a week. Moreover, if you're like me and the treadmill is your choice for cardio - you're in luck. Here, Lessig helps us give our workouts a fresh look. As an example, I've given my cardio workout a spring cleaning using the interval program she suggests: a tri-weekly, half-hour routine adjusting speed intensity in an interval format. If you've never tried interval training before, its great for burning calories and fat. In addition, if you are in a time pinch, interval training has all the trappings: its fast, easy and fun.

Three: Overhaul Your Resistance Training Workout:

For my first week with Lessig's program, I devoted much time to learning and becoming comfortable with my new cardio workout. By the second week, however, I was ready to add some resistance training to the mix. Lessig's got it covered. What's more; she gives options based on one's current fitness level: Novice, Skilled or Master.

For me, I took the middle path approach to the program. Using the Training Log pages Lessig provides, I carefully chose my daily routines for one month based on her "Skilled" resistance training suggestions. Once I made the commitment to this exercise program, I spent the next week going through each exercise in my routine slowly and without weights. I then progressed by adding weights. For me, this approach increased my self-confidence and comfort with the exercises. Thus, if you try this practice for yourself, I think you'll find your resistance training routine will never get tired or boring. As you progress, Lessig gives you options for both changing up the workout, as well as offering advanced moves to keep you moving in a forward direction.

Tune Up Your Nutritional Program:

The final addition to any solid exercise program? Tips for sound nutrition. Here Lessig's got your back, as well. She'll first give you an overview of her suggestions which do not include "dieting." She shares the same vision that most in the exercise realm "who get it" do: It is more important to work toward lifestyle change then to deprive your body of nutrients which could lead to unhealthy eating habits later. Therefore, each week for four weeks, she'll give you an insightful, easy way to tune up your nutrition program all with common sense helpful hints that you can accomplish. It's fun to use them to slowly make healthy adjustments to your current eating program. Too, Lessig offers great recipe ideas, as well as other simple tidbits to help you enhance your workout. An example? Lessig will teach you the difference between appetite and hunger - the distinction could help you curb the "emotional" eating that leads to excess weight.

Add A New Dimension To Your Body Shaping:

The added bonuses to Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom, besides the obvious? Affirmations and creative visualization exercises. These are the intangible keys to health and fitness. Lessig understands that for changes to take place in the body it is just as much an inside job as an outside one. Therefore, she'll help you understand how to reshape your body by using some excellent tools: creative visualization and positive affirmations. Saying statements to yourself such as "I love my body," daily or carrying note cards in your pocket with power statements that can be reviewed when negativity arises - can all pay large dividends when it comes to body change. Hurray to Lessig for understanding this underestimated practice!

I followed the 4 week guide and it worked great. My friends all saw results in the first four weeks. It was really amazing. Its a great book.

The coaching techniques and examples provided in the book are outstanding. By applying these techniques to your everyday activities you will definately see a positive change.

I found the examples and exercises useful. A good and easy read. Should help me get better at giving and receiving feedback in a way that is constuctive and actionable

Placed in the leadership role for a high performance team undertaking a "McKinsey-ish" strategy study I found myself very challenged. Having spotted this book at an airport bookshop I read it on the plane. I put its suggestions into place, starting from the front of the book, and worked my way through the chapters as they were appropriate. I had it on my desk for the entire 4-month study. It bought immediate results for the team, and me by achieving greater cohesion of energy yet releasing greater diversity of thought especially during the inductive phase of the study. During the deductive stages it helped us focus on a team-based outcome without leaving people out of the decision-making process that had to be managed to a schedule. I firmly believe that without this book we would not have achieved the results we did - the pressure was intense and teams have a tendency to blow themselves apart after the final report is in. The team would not have continued to work as a coherent whole on subsequent phases of my study. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to lead a high performance team. Landsberg's@examples and his obvious experience come through well, and they gave me the courage to try what the book suggests with my team. Well worth the cost.

Max Landsberg succeeds in translating the essentials of coaching into a simple story and a few tables and graphics. It is easy to read, but once you've read it, the actual thinking begins. The somewhat unusual approach Landsberg takes introduces various aspects of coaching (such as receiving and giving feedback, overcoming coaching blocks) as elements of someone's career, providing the reader with instant examples.

Every new endeavor starts somewhere and this book is a great place to start thinking about your organization's first online educational offerings. Author Robin Neidorf combines the basics of good teaching and instructional design with the realities of the online medium. She explores the different types of adult learners (perpetual learner vs. outcome oriented learners) and how to address them. She explores the factors that lead to e-learning success: collaborative community, availability of material that appeals to six different learning types, the ability of the instructor to connect with the students individually, the need for feedback, and more.

If you're going down this path for the first time, this book provides an excellent framework for approaching your project. The author also provides valuable references to online resources.

Highly recommended.

Teach Beyond Your Reach is a terrific resource for everyone who has to deliver knowledge from a distance. True, professional teachers and trainers who need to move their courses online will benefit from Neidorf's systematic approach to developing online instruction as well as her highly engaging and supportive writing style. However, others who find themselves in an unfamiliar teaching role -- for example, non-profits creating courses for their members or librarians delivering online information skills training -- will also appreciate the author's discussion of adult learning styles, her coverage of various distance teaching tools and activities, and her jargon-free presentation. This excellent resource is an easy-to-use, informative, and actionable guide of great value for anyone contemplating teaching at a distance, especially online. I have used it several times for course preparation, and always benefited from Neidorf's practical recommendations.

Training is part of my business, and Teach Beyond Your Reach has been both educational and energizing for me. It is the perfect companion to have at your side when you are making the leap from in-person to distance teaching. The book coaches teachers and trainers on the fundamental concepts and processes behind effective distance instruction, on making a connection when you are not there in the classroom. It is for teachers, not necessarily for techies. Chapter 1 surveys the range of tools and technologies involved, but the focus is on the teaching/learning aspects--adapting core learner-centric teaching skills to the new environment. Aside from the "distance" aspect, the book is useful for tips about communicating with learners no matter what the communication medium. College teachers, professional trainers, and organizations offering continuing education to their constituents could all benefit from this book.

Instructors interested in better meeting student needs through different teaching approaches will welcome TEACH BEYOND YOUR REACH: AN INSTRUCTOR'S GUIDE TO DEVELOPING AND RUNNING SUCCESSFUL DISTANCE LEARNING CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, TRAINING SESSIONS AND MORE. Distance learning is one of the fastest-growing learning options in the country, allowing individuals to earn degrees, certifications and gain skills without entering a classroom. TEACH BEYOND YOUR REACH covers the basics of a successful distance learning approach and shares practices and examples from successful teachers. A fine pick for any teacher entering the cyberworld.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book takes the complicated, step-by-step directions found in all the other horse training books and provides ten common-sense rules that can be applied to every horse training situation. It's an excellent addition to your horse training/psychology library and one that is a thoroughly enjoyable read as well!

I wish this book had been available five years ago when I first became involved with horses. Dr. Nock's "Ten Golden Rules" is the first book anyone interested in training a horse - or even owning one - should read. Except for clearly outlining a procedure for tactfully establishing your superior rank within your 'herd', this is not a 'How To' recipe book. Instead, Dr. Nock explains basic learning theory as it applies specifically to the horse. With the information this book provides you can better understand, evaluate, and implement any of the more detailed training programs promoted by today's top trainers, solve problems those programs don't address, or even develop your own training program. Learning the 'Ten Golden Rules' will benefit both you and your horse.

I loved this book. Have been reading lots of the natural horsemanship stuff, and so much of it is esoteric, badly written or simply makes you feel an incompetent idiot. Bruce Nock doesn't do this! It's simple and practical and starts working straight away. No secrets. Just do it. Thanks, Bruce

Training with author is mandatoring in my barefoot trimming certification course, so I thought I would get an early jump on the reading. I am a confirmed clicker trainer, with clicker as an overlay, mostly on John Lyons training.

Definitely Nice to Have for the person very interested in training, animal behavior and the science behind it all. Perhaps not the first or second book to buy for a Newbie trainer who really wants to get started today!

This book provided a guide for Becca Kirsch and I to work with a group of high school students. The activities described in the book build on each other and it was inspiring to watch the students' enthusiasm and discovery through the process. Michael Rohd is correct when he says that the activities help people to get to know each other in new ways. I think that the interaction that comes from participating in these theater games is crucial to help build new ways of communicating and problem solving.

Michael Rohd is currently doing exciting work across the country, using improvisational theater techniques to connect with young people and communities in ways that echo Paul Sills' original intention when he founded The Compass Players and Second City: to connect viscerally with the community to create a dialogue for social change. As Jeffrey Sweet documented in his book "Something Wonderful Right Away," the original members of Compass and Second City (Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Severn Darden, Shelley Berman, Barbara Harris, Alan Arkin, etc.) were quick to pick up on the disparity between Sills' goal and the reality of their set-up. Their audience tended to be the insulated academic populace connected to the University of Chicago, whereas Sills was hoping to connect with the community at large. They simply weren't playing to the people Sills wanted to reach, and the people Sills wanted to reach were not coming to this coffeehouse. In Michael Rohd's hands, Paul Sills' work is being perpetuated. He has been taking the practices of improvisational theatre on the road, working with students, adults and teachers to create an open forum for dealing with and discussing today's complex issues. His book is a clear, tightly written manual describing a catalogue of theater games that are fun, creative, joyful, instantly accessible, that take workshop members on a clear arc from learning to trust each other to sharing to creating improvised scenes, all in an amazingly brief time span. For those in the Theatre Industry, Rohd's book is the best description of what goes into the making of an ensemble company and the creation of the Group Mind since Del Close's book, "Truth in Comedy."

I work as a Art Focus Drama teacher for K-7 students who come from various socio-economic backgrounds and home lives. I found this book a very valuable resource, especially for students who have a difficult time with issues of trust, language, and ensemble work. It is great to have a resource that contains detailed exercises within a logical framework, that not only works, but explains itself in a manner that even classroom teachers, with no drama experience whatsoever, can accomplish.

A highly suggest this for teachers who want to use drama as a way to improve communication and explore problem solving in a new, creative, and very effective way.

I came across this book in February 1998 during a one-week training workshop given personally by Michael Rohd in Helsinki (Finland). I consider this material valuable and anyone who works with young people or youth workers should get it. I have used this book when giving training to youth and community workers. Needless to say, I had to adapt some of the exercises according to the local context. I would recommend this book to all those who want to be part of a revolution.

Following on the heels of Edward de Bono's series on thinking (although only de Bono's "Lateral Thinking" is cited) these management consultants, take up where de Bono left off.

Their thesis is that throughout our lives we tend to fall back on one, or at most, two strategies of thinking, when in fact there are at least five or six common styles available to us.

These overlooked styles and strategies greatly limit the power and range of our thinking and thus also limit the range and power of our problem-solving abilities. Including them in our repertoire can prove valuable in extending the range, power and quality of our thinking and problem solving.

Five strategies are examined and analyzed in this book. We are taught to understand our own style of thinking; how to use our existing strengths more productively, ways to augment them, as well as how to identify our own blind spots and the limitations of our own thinking style.

At the end of the book an inventory questionnaire is devised as a checklist so that problem-solvers and decision-makers may use it to ensure that they have broadened the context of their decision-making to include the widest possible variety of thinking styles.

This is a very practical and useful book, that works.

Five stars

As always, Sternberg discusses his topic in a way that readers can understand. His inclusion of the assessment of thinking styles helps to clarify reasons individuals may look at the world differently. This is a must for leadership classes.

This book will be of interest to diverse audiences: educators, psychologists, managers. Thinking styles are of interest ptimarily to educators because they can help teachers to improve instruction and assessment. They are related with age, gender, experience, self-esteem. Sternberg say that learning styles might be used to characterize how one prefers to learn, cognitive styles might be used to characterize ways to cognizing the information and, thinking styles might be used to characterize how one prefers to think about material as one is learning it or after one already knows it. I learned more about my own styles and how these styles affect my life.

Robert J. Sternberg is IBM Professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University. His publication, Thinking Styles, is a study of how and why homosapiens think and could be classified as interactive and reciprocal mental self-government psychology. Its major objective is to show how different thinking styles affect learning preferences and how individual abilities to learn should be recognized and respected. In so doing, Sternberg manages to criticize many accepted views on intelligence testing. These, so called, standards of the day provide only part of an answer to why people learn and perform differently. His criticism of these standards provides us an insight into the special character of his concerns. Sternberg's theory of styles differs from established intelligence and motivational evaluational technique in that he explores the possibility of mental self-government. "The basic idea of the theory of mental self-government is that the forms of government we have in the world are not coincidental. Rather, they are external reflections of what goes on in people's minds. They represent alternative ways of organizing our thinking." Sternberg's theory of mental self government is as follows, "That the kinds of governments we have in the world are not merely arbitrary and perhaps random constructions, but rather in a certain sense are mirrors of the mind. In other words, they reflect different ways in which people can organize or govern themselves. On this view, then, governments are very much extensions of individuals: They represent alternative ways in which collectivities, like individuals, can organize themselves." Societies and individuals both need governmental guidelines. With this definition in mind, Sternberg's theory of thinking styles begins with three different governmental functions, legislative, executive and judicial which he attributes to three classifications of people and how they think. Legislative style people do things their own way, executive style people are implementers, and judicial style people are evaluators. Sternberg then proceeds to four different governmental forms, Monarchic, Hierarchic, Oligarchic and Anarchic, which he attributes to people and how they think. Monarchic style people tend to be motivated by a single goal. Hierarchic people tend to be priority setters, some goals are more important. Oligarchic style people tend to be motivated by several competing goals, without priority. Anarchic style people tend to be concerned with a wide assortment of goals, which they find difficult to sort out. At this point, Sternberg presents us with four different governmental concerns, global, local, internal, and external and two governmental persuasions, liberal and conservative, which he applies to people and how they think. Global style people prefer to address large abstract issues. Local style people prefer to address detail or concrete issues. Internal style people are often more introverted. External style people are often more extroverted. The liberal style people prefer to maximize change, and the conservative style people prefer to minimize change. With his government analogy firmly in place, Sternberg enumerates fifteen points needed to understand thinking styles. I have condensed them as follows: Styles are preferences not abilities; a match between styles and abilities creates a synergy; life choices should fit styles and abilities; people have patterns not just one single style; styles vary across tasks and situations; people's preferences differ; people's stylistic flexibility's differ; styles are socialized; life span styles can very; styles are measurable; styles are teachable; styles value is variable; styles are not universal; styles are not usually good or bad, they should fit; and styles must not be confused with abilities. Sternberg then explains that the thinking styles we develop as individual-thinking styles can be influenced by four variables. These variables are culture, where and how the individual is educated; gender, different sex-different expectations; age, less or more freedom of individual choice; and parenting style, degree of strictness. These four variables can affect an individual's mental self-governmental styles such as legislative or executive, internal or external, global or local, and liberal or conservative. These variables are consistent with Sternberg's fifteen points and both are needed in order to understand his thinking styles. Sternberg has supplied us with a theory of mental self-governmental and its styles, how to understand them and how they might vary. Sternberg then explains how an educator can apply styles. He suggests that "we need to teach and assess to a variety of styles." To accomplish this end we need to use a thinking styles test, a thinking styles tasks test that measures styles via performance, a questionnaire for teachers to assess their teaching styles, and a thinking styles evaluation of each student by their teacher. Our schools need to be aware of thinking styles because schools are, more often than not, too rigid and authoritarian, and to regimented and non-creative. Our schools should be more flexible. Students and teachers would both do a better job if styles, as well as ability levels, styles, as well as intelligence, were considered. I agree, with Sternberg, that teachers could be more affective if they considered the different thinking styles of their students, that they should recognize their stylistic strengths and not try to force them to be something that they are not. We need to assist students in being what they are and becoming who they are. Dr. Sternberg's Thinking Styles, from my perspective, is informative, provocative, and relevant. An awareness of Sternberg's styles should create better educators. I have always felt uncomfortable with the limits of the intelligence quotient evaluation and other traditional forms of ability measurement. Thinking Styles resolves questions I have queried and worried about. I am convinced that students who have been considered difficult to teach, in the past and today, can only be helped by knowledge of their thinking styles.

I LOVE this book! I was originaly going to buy just one book, A Potty for Me! by Karen Katz (which by the way is excellent also!) and I spotted this one amongst the din after reading about 10 different potty books and I instantly loved it and had to get it.



I have a 3 year old whom I've been trying to potty train for the last month. I read/sang it to her as soon as we got out to the car. She sang songs about going potty all the way home! I'm very excited about that!



As a cautionary note, you may find yourself humming and singing these songs to yourself even when your toddler is napping, they are happy and catchy like that. :) You might even make up some of your own! hehe

We just used this book for the first time on our "potty training day" (with the help of Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day). It is really cute for those of you who don't mind singing silly songs to your child. It helped my daughter stay on the potty long enough to have something come out. It was her favorite book of the potty day and I know we will be singing those songs again and again for some time to come until we master this new skill (and of course when child number 2 gets his turn to learn in a year). Great book to have by the potty.

I took my 19 month old to the Bookstore to choose some Potty Books. She isn't really ready for the actual training process yet but loves all things related to the bathroom - toilets, toilet paper, my underwear, saying poo-poo & pee-pee etc... I had in mind which books I thought we'd buy - but she thought otherwise. This was THE ONLY book that she would sit and read with me. She LOVES nursey rhymes & sing-songs so this really was the perfect fit and best choice for her. She "poo-pooed" at all the others that I was prepared to buy. If your little one loves sing-song rhymes, then this is a safe, fun, and SIllY choice! I guarantee that you will laugh alot when reading the catchy lyrics - Enjoy!

...my kids love to sing songs. we have gone through this book, and the kids loved it! most toddlers love to sing, and my daycare kids as well as my own kids are no different. this book gives some wonderful songs and rhymes to use with toilet training....which, let's face it, is no fun at all! hehe