Training Books

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.

This book will keep you from being surpised. In addition to some background information on how the airborne forces were established and maintained this book will take you step by step through the process that gets you those wings. Anyone thinking of going through the course should pick this book up and read through it. If you realistically think you can handle everything this book says you'll go through then you are ready to be Airborne!

What does it take to jump into a hostile environment? Plenty of books provide overviews of military jobs, but few discuss the work of the paratrooper, and TO BE A PARATROOPER surveys everything from parachute training to operating in a paratrooper force. Chapters surveying the physical and mental training and requirements pack color photos with discussions of equipment and work, making this a perfect pick for any military library focusing on military jobs.

Having been a paratrooper, for me this was a walk down memory lane, but a walk on which I learned a lot of new information. I was amazed at how much jump school has changed and has not changed. I have poignant memories of the 30 foot towers, the 250 foot towers, running around the Airborne Track and waiting on the flight line trussed up like a soon to be roasted turkey. The pictures are great. I am especially glad that they added the history section and the "life after jump school" section. I found the book very read-able and informative. Would recommend it to anyone wanting to understand those who willingly jump out of "perfectly" good airplanes!

I was very fortunate to have been given an advance copy of the book and I must say even though I am not in the military, I enjoyed it. My 14 year old son really enjoyed it. I had to wait for him to finish it before I got my hands on it. It was interesting and informative even for civilians. I also have to say it makes me appreciate our troops even more. Why anyone would jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I don't know...they're either brave or crazy, maybe both.

Topgrading for sales is a must in any manager's library. It's an easy way to get introduced to the Topgrading concepts. You'll be able to rapidly implement tools for better hiring and get results. It will help you improve your sales. Although Topgrading for sales is a great place to start, if you're serious about Topgrading, I suggest you also get the original Topgrading book - How leading companies win by hiring, coaching and keeping the best employees.

Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from t...

Image via Wikipedia

Topgrading for Sales. World-class methods to Interview, Hire, and Coach Top Sales Representatives. Bradford D. Smart & Greg Alexander. 2008. ISBN 9781591842064. Stats from this book: In the USA the national failure rate in the sales profession is 40% which is also the annual turnover/ termination rate. The life of a sales manager is 19 months. The cost of a sales mis hire is easily $600 000, which translates into a mis hires annually in the US of about 8 million people annually ( or 8million * $600k = ?) . Alexander teamed up with Smart to bring top grading to Sales. While at GE, Alexander did wonders with this approach. He strive to only hire the top 5 % of the sales guys. This book contains everything you want to know on how to do this. Lots of very very useful advice here. My only concern is for those of us in small regional markets like Canada etc, how big is that 5% pool? Not very, so what is a smaller co to do? I think there are great ideas here on how to hire better people which will make your management tasks that much easier. If you have to take folks as they come, you will know out of the gate that some of them are going to take lots of your resources in order to be successful The gem for me was the idea of having a virtual bench, ie knowing who in your market you would like to have working for you that are not, nurturing relationships so that when you need fresh faces in the filed you have a connectors/prospects bench to go to. Lots of work, but it is a valid idea. Every Sales manager should have this one on their shelf.

In today's competitive landscape, getting and keeping the best talent is necessary to win the game. The Topgrading process is a good process to really identify talent that will help make an organization stronger. I use Brad's techniques in my business and they have served me well. I recommend any person who has responsibility for hiring and managing sales people to become very familiar with this book.

If you are a manager hiring sales representatives this is a must read. It is a practical no nonsense method to identifying top talent. Do not shortcut the process or you will shortcut your results. My team started Topgrading over a year ago and we have drastically reduced turnover and mis-hires. We have been awaiting the Topgrading for sales as the information in this book is only serving to help us improve on what we were already doing.

I was familiar with early editions of this book from my mother, who took the course for teacher training many, many years ago. When I began teaching a Sunday School class for adults in our Presbyterian church, I realized this would give the class a great beginning for understanding the Bible. That was about five years ago. We all worked hard memorizing the Bible organization and the books of the Bible as well as all the other well-organized studies.

I am extremely pleased to say that the knowledge gained through this course has been the foundation of growth for several years. Last year, the class undertook reading through the Bible in a year; they challenge me, as the teacher, to keep on growing with the class. This class of adults has progressed from the stage of being barely interested in the scriptures to being the most knowledgable in the church. I credit this book for providing the basic tools for Bible study and for stimulating our interest in further study.

A great resource for Christians to develop a base of knowledge about the Bible and its importance to the world. Very thorough and instructive. I use it to teach our teenage class. I highly recommend it.

Our Bible School consists of Old, young adults and young people. This book is enjoyed by them and is good in relating, the understanding of the entire Bible. It separates the two yet correlates them.
It also gives an overview of many of the book which is very helpful to the students.It is true to it's "Title Survey of the Bible"

This is a great starting tool to give new christians a framework upon which to build future bible studies. The author begins at the beginning, just as the bible does. The author adds value by providing the student with some history of how the bible came about. However, some doctinal issues (i.e., eschatology, dispensations and the like) must be challenged by the serious student. The author's basic outline does allow for a well-trained teacher to guide the student along the course of rightly dividing the Word of God and letting scripture interpret scripture, based on content, language and grammar,etc.

A very thorough account of the addiction field from it's first conception up the the conflicts in this area in the present day.
This book contains an excellent historical context which is useful to many addictions professionals.

I'll bet not one person in a hundred who is employed in the addictions field has any idea of the history of their profession. This is a history book that is chock full of the befuddled efforts of millions of people who have tried almost everything to get sober. Carrie Nation, The Keeley Institute, Kellogg and his corn flakes, the gold IV injection treatment, and the use of methamphetimine right down to MADD... this book details a group of people who, on their own, tried to fight addiction and support each other in their sobriety. All this without the help of the government until recent times. A textbook, a whodunnit, an emotional journey through hell and out the other side This is the definitive history of addiction treatment attemps in the United States of America. How anyone can call themselves a therapist and not have an intimate knowledge of this material is beyond me. Three thumbs up!

This is one of the most comprehensive historical books on the history of addiction treatment and recovery I have read. Not just a history of Alcoholics Anonymous, it covers the cures, the fakes, the trials and tribulations of attempting to treat alcoholism and other drug addiction in America.

It should be a "must read" for anyone interested in treatment and recovery. William L. White did a great service for the treatment field by writing this book

As a clinical person both in mental health and addiction medicine I can say without reservation that this is the most complete and interesting books on the topic. You won't be sorry you bought this one and will keep in you libray for life.

At one level this is a coming of age story, but it is far deeper than its surface adventures suggests. The procession of wise beings who introduce the hero to altered states, western thought and spiritual sexuality are well worth the read.
A brilliant synthesis of wisdom and a good story besides.

"The Training of a Dragon Master" is a book of knowledge for the grown ups and an exciting tale of adventure for the young. For both, a sublime experience of the magic and the mysteries that link all living things. Andy Skuja Australia

I found this lovely story exciting and energising - couldn't put it down, and read it in less than a day. I was very involved and touched by the life journey of Panaga, which begins when his parents are killed in a road accident, and goes on to describe his Shaman training by an old aboriginal. This begins in childhood and early adulthood, and is followed by his entry into University and his passionate affair with Persephone, Priestess of the underworld. Being a many dimensional story, it has the ability to lift one from the mundane into the higher levels of understanding and consciousness. Treat yourself, buy the book!!

This is an adventure story which gathers you into its winged craft and carries you through the outback of Australia and into the deepest recesses of the mind of the sage. I loved the intimacy I felt with the characters and the way Earl Dorney convinced me with authentic details of life in the outback. The heroic journey of a young boy, Pannaga, orphaned and of mixed origins, resonated with my own feeling that I don't quite belong. I too have sought teachers and adventures to somehow purify myself. This book, like the books by Carlos Castaneda provides me with a guide to how to be in this world and where to look for my next adventure. I recommend it to any who have a yen for adventure and a love of meaningful detail. Dr. Dorney writes with the precision of a surgeon. (I think you can trust this medic to operate on your soul).

I would recommend this book to any one interested in bible study. You can read it several times and gain something each time it is read.

This book is a great retreat formation book. It can also be used in any leadership position. There was definitely a plan...

This book is a classic study of Jesus' teaching and training of his disciples (first published in 1871). When I first read it, I was fascinated by the light it shed on my reading of the Gospels. It is a very valuable study for any Christian who serves in any form of leadership capacity or anyone seeking to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The book's 31 chapters give an absorbing commentary on selected passages of the four Gospels, following in chronological order Jesus ministry and teaching among his disciples. The writing style will take a bit of getting used to for the average modern reader, but it's well worth the effort. There is also a table of Scripture references discussed in the book that make it useful reference work. Read it cover to cover first.

After the Bible, The Training of the Twelve has been one of the most influential books in my development as a Christian. Using a loose "harmony of the Gospel" approach, Bruce uses all four gospel narratives to show how Jesus discipled His disciples. The book's greatest strength is that it is NOT a how-to book on discipleship or a 12-step program for leadership development. Instead, Bruce exegetes the passages showing what Jesus was doing with his disciples and leaves contemporary application to the reader. Written in the late 1800's, Bruce's use of the English language is outstanding, but many people used to USA Today type writing (monosylabic words, one sentence equals one paragraph) may find it difficult. It is well worth the effort. I find myself rereading it almost every other year. The first few times I read it as a disciple - what did Jesus want me to learn as His follower? Then I began to read it as a discipler - how can I be more effective in the process of making disciples? Now I also use it as a parent - how can I shepherd my lambs the way Jesus shepherded His? Transcending cultures, I have had the privilege of using this book to train small group leaders in the U.S. and around the world. Theologically sound, biblically true, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to obey Jesus's command to make disciples.

Diane Walter has created the ultimate OJT book and resources in this book! It is very practical, loaded with worksheets and checklists that are useable as presented or easily adaptable, and very well organized. Ms. Walters has helped my organize my approach to creating proprietary software training as well as training my SME trainers.

Regardless of your years' experience in training, you should get this book. It goes on my shelf (if it ever gets there) next to my few other books that I can't live without.

A friend recently loaned me the book, Training On the Job. I LOVE it! It's the best "how-to" approach for developing OJT that I've ever read. Kudos to the author. She filled a void in the OJT literature.

I've helped groups develop procedures and OJT for years. Have always used a high-involvement approach but have never had the "system" to my work that is outlined so clearly in Training On the Job. I'm very thankful for the book. The approach it describes will help me to be even more effective and efficient as a consultant and coach for clients. It will also be a good resource for educating them about the methods we're applying so that we can collaborate even better. GREAT STUFF! Kudos to Diane Walter for writing such a helpful OJT book.

I'm really impressed with the simplicity of this approach and the clarity it brings to teaching and evaluating trainees. Walter's emphasis on the role of teams, subject matter experts, and on-the-job trainers is causing us to rethink our entire training program. Anyone can use the methodology by following the guidelines that are clearly established. This system combines sound principles of instructional design and human factors with an approach that breaks into manageable pieces the often overwhelming task of developing structured OJT. The book provides all the tools you need. It describes in eight easy steps, how to develop a complete structured on-the-job training program that is set up and run by employees who perform the job. Each chapter is self-contained so that you can use what you want, when you want it - everything from identifying the need for on-the-job training, to completing a task analysis, to writing training materials, to selecting, training and certifying trainers, and conducting OJT. Every chapter tells you step-by-step what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Anyone who wants to standardize procedures and processes and train in a consistent manner should own this book!

I wish I had had this book when we first started our OJT program! The book takes you step-by-step through a simple OJT process that any employee can understand and implement. We have used this team-driven approach and it has greatly improved our training effectiveness and efficiency, improved processes and procedures, and has brought a real spirit of ownership and pride among our employees. It's now one of our Best Practices. This is a great book and fun to read too - it's definitely THE book for anyone who wants to set up a successful on-the-job training program.

it is the funniest book written from a dog's perspective. If you love dogs it is just hilarious and you can see the logic

This book is a tell all. Tess, a lab owned by Brian Kahn exposes the way she shamefully manipulates him. She shares all the well know secrets and some not so well known about how dogs, under the guise of being pleasers in fact run the homes they live in.

I must concede she does so with wit and charm. This is a fun book.

This book will bring a smile to any dog owner's face. Very well written.

Very funny book, and unique perspective on the dog-human relationship. Had me laughing out loud in several sections, especially as my own dog has trained me on some of Tess's same lessons. Also insightful to many human quirks, and how our habits are viewed from the dogs' perspective. Great gift for dog lovers, and keep one for yourself.