Professional Training Books

I bought this in 1992 for the State of Washington EIT test at the price of $43. How the hell is this now $134 and it's the same damn edition, not to mention the print quality doesn't merit such a hefty pricetag? [read: it was recycled paper with crappy fonts]

I lost my copy and many books in a storage flood. Hindsight is 20/20 and my careless nature due to a freak flood at WSU one winter is going to force me to fork out a lot more money than this damn text deserves.

Only problem is that Lindeburg has a virtual monopoly on this type of examination.

I had passes NY state exam using that book.very good book to read and for passing the EIT AM easily. cover alot on all topics. Read it throughly twice.its going to help you alot.

This book is great for civil engineering students, even if you are not going to take the FE exam for a while. It is a simple yet thorough reference that will probably replace a lot of your old textbooks once you are finished with your classes. The only problem is that the answers/solutions to the exercise problems seem to be published in some supplementary text to be purchased separately. At least you will be able to sell back some of your old textbooks to help pay for it.

I consider this manual a very good source of help not only for the FE/EIT exam, but also for future engineering related tasks. I would definitely recommend this manual to anyone interested in the field of math and science.

This book is extremely useful, as the FE exam is based on rapid recall of fundimentals, not in depth knowledge or detailed problem solving. It is very well rounded and is designed to help you brush up on areas where you are weak. As a Chem E. it was necessary to learn the basics of circuit design, statics, etc. and this is the book to do it. The book is laid out in simialr order to the NCEES reference manual, so no surprises on exam day. Remeber, you only have to PASS, you don't need to ace the exam, so the book's few weaknesses won't hinder you from passing.

I manage a training and development "University" for a large corporation and have, over the years, purchased many different types of training resources including on-line classes, workshops, tutorials, and self-paced training manuals. I think that self-paced manuals work best because they save money, time, and get the best results. Instead of flying a trainer (or my employees) all over the country to meet together, they can work on the manual at their own desks. Also, instead of pulling our employees away from their clients or potential clients,they can work on a self-paced manual when they have some down time. In terms of results, I have found that when people complete a manual like this, they are more invested in their own learning and tend to retain more of what they have learned for longer. I have seen many other self-paced training manuals but have recommended this one because I think that the format is very user-friendly.

Professional Writing Skills is a step-by-step self-paced training program to improve business and professional writing skills. It trains you to organize your unclear thoughts and to arrange information in logical units. It guides you to develop your thoughts into a writing plan, and to compose a clear and effective writing plan. The book has numerous exercises. Let that not scare you! Only when you solve the exercises will you realize the common errors that you commit in business and professional writing.

Janis Fisher Chan and Diane Lutovich have trained people in business and professional writing skills. They are an integral part of Advanced Communication Designs, Inc., a training company that specializes in customized training courses in business and technical writing. They have also authored, "Grammar for Grownups", "Writing Performance Documentation", and "How to Write Reports and Proposals".

Business writing is unique by its content, style and purpose. It may include letters and reports to the clients, memos to the employees, request for information, product descriptions and so on. The authors warn, "Errors in grammar, or spelling conveys negative image of the company." Imagine the devastating effects of an incomplete report, misunderstood memo, or confusing information?

The book is neatly divided into six lessons. Each lesson begins with an introduction, an objective and what you need section. The core of each lesson discusses errors in professional writing by quoting a few examples. The authors provide easy to understand and implement guidelines to improve quality of professional writing. At the end of each lesson, extensive practice exercises and writing assignments are furnished.

The first training lesson educates you about effects of unclear communication caused due to ignoring the needs and interests of the audience. You need to decide whether you want to influence or inform the audience. The authors advise, "One of the most important steps you can take to increase the chances of readers getting your message is to look at what you're writing from the reader's point of view." A key sentence that expresses your most important message should be incorporated.

The next lesson teaches you to select the information and to organize them logically. Prepare a list of facts and ideas to accomplish the purpose for writing, and group them into key points. A summary sentence for each key point should be written effectively. The lesson also includes guidelines for composing clear and effective email messages.

In the third lesson, the authors guide you to write the first draft. Reviewing and revising your writing plan to overcome inconsistencies, and eliminating unnecessary information are discussed. An effective opening, simple and direct language always attracts the audience. Above all, writing becomes more readable when thoughts are connected.

The fourth lesson emphasizes on using language that communicates clearly and accurately. Pompous words and phrases, and jargons do not impress the audience. Hence, there is a need to use plain English. The authors opine, "The more precise and specific your language, the more information you give to readers and the easier it is for them to understand your message."

Further, the fifth lesson discusses the need to eliminate unnecessary words that slows down reading, and makes writing tedious and boring. The last lesson speaks about the importance of using correct sentence structures, punctuations and grammar. The authors suggest, "As a general rule, keep the average length of your sentences to 17-24 words, with only one or two thoughts per sentence. If you are using technical or unusual terms, drop the count to 15-18 words." Usually, a long sentence is difficult to comprehend.

Communication is a two-way channel. The receiver should receive and understand the message conveyed. It is important to write to suit needs and interests of the audience. The language for communication should be direct, jargon-free, plain and simple. It is also necessary to be able to organize tangled thoughts into clear logical units. On completing the book, I realized that I had improved my professional writing skills.

I recommend you work out the practice exercises and writing assignments at the end of each lesson. It reflects your weaknesses and highlights your strengths in business or professional writing. It increases your confidence in developing and writing any document - business or casual, formal or informal. Remember the saying, "Practice makes you perfect."

In all, this self-paced training program was fun!

I am a scientific consultant and most of my work involves precise medical writing. It is essential that I display outstanding professional writing skills at all times. I focus on organizing and presenting information in a clear and consice manner. I am delighted with this professional writing skills book because it is an outstanding guide to improving written (and verbal) communication skills. Since I am continually trying to improve my written presentations, this book serves as an important learning and resource guide.

I found this book to be extremely helpful to me when I started my career in public relations. Reading Guerrilla PR Wired in conjunction to this book really gave me all the tools I needed. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in an industry where writing is a key component.

Professional Writing Skills is a step-by-step self-paced training program to improve business and professional writing skills. It trains you to organize your unclear thoughts and to arrange information in logical units. It guides you to develop your thoughts into a writing plan, and to compose a clear and effective writing plan. The book has numerous exercises. Let that not scare you! Only when you solve the exercises will you realize the common errors that you commit in business and professional writing.

Janis Fisher Chan and Diane Lutovich have trained people in business and professional writing skills. They are an integral part of Advanced Communication Designs, Inc., a training company that specializes in customized training courses in business and technical writing. They have also authored, "Grammar for Grownups", "Writing Performance Documentation", and "How to Write Reports and Proposals".

Business writing is unique by its content, style and purpose. It may include letters and reports to the clients, memos to the employees, request for information, product descriptions and so on. The authors warn, "Errors in grammar, or spelling conveys negative image of the company." Imagine the devastating effects of an incomplete report, misunderstood memo, or confusing information?

The book is neatly divided into six lessons. Each lesson begins with an introduction, an objective and what you need section. The core of each lesson discusses errors in professional writing by quoting a few examples. The authors provide easy to understand and implement guidelines to improve quality of professional writing. At the end of each lesson, extensive practice exercises and writing assignments are furnished.

The first training lesson educates you about effects of unclear communication caused due to ignoring the needs and interests of the audience. You need to decide whether you want to influence or inform the audience. The authors advise, "One of the most important steps you can take to increase the chances of readers getting your message is to look at what you're writing from the reader's point of view." A key sentence that expresses your most important message should be incorporated.

The next lesson teaches you to select the information and to organize them logically. Prepare a list of facts and ideas to accomplish the purpose for writing, and group them into key points. A summary sentence for each key point should be written effectively. The lesson also includes guidelines for composing clear and effective email messages.

In the third lesson, the authors guide you to write the first draft. Reviewing and revising your writing plan to overcome inconsistencies, and eliminating unnecessary information are discussed. An effective opening, simple and direct language always attracts the audience. Above all, writing becomes more readable when thoughts are connected.

The fourth lesson emphasizes on using language that communicates clearly and accurately. Pompous words and phrases, and jargons do not impress the audience. Hence, there is a need to use plain English. The authors opine, "The more precise and specific your language, the more information you give to readers and the easier it is for them to understand your message."

Further, the fifth lesson discusses the need to eliminate unnecessary words that slows down reading, and makes writing tedious and boring. The last lesson speaks about the importance of using correct sentence structures, punctuations and grammar. The authors suggest, "As a general rule, keep the average length of your sentences to 17-24 words, with only one or two thoughts per sentence. If you are using technical or unusual terms, drop the count to 15-18 words." Usually, a long sentence is difficult to comprehend.

Communication is a two-way channel. The receiver should receive and understand the message conveyed. It is important to write to suit needs and interests of the audience. The language for communication should be direct, jargon-free, plain and simple. It is also necessary to be able to organize tangled thoughts into clear logical units. On completing the book, I realized that I had improved my professional writing skills.

I recommend you work out the practice exercises and writing assignments at the end of each lesson. It reflects your weaknesses and highlights your strengths in business or professional writing. It increases your confidence in developing and writing any document - business or casual, formal or informal. Remember the saying, "Practice makes you perfect."

In all, this self-paced training program was fun!

I got this book as an addition to the text I bought through my school. Great addition, uses models to help associate with body locations. Helps incorporate information into learning.

Had to have this book for my nursing classes in college. What more can I say?

Follows the examintation book closely.
Easy to use. Covers highlights well.

I am very happy with the contents of the book i beleive that my students
will learn a great deal form it.

Thank you

Dr. Sandie yeadon.

Very satisfied with manual- needed for course.

This book contains a lot of excellent tables, algorithms and summaries that I could not find in any other review book. It seems to be a great companion while doing review questions. I also found this book to be an outstanding source when I prepared for work rounds to teach the interns and students. I can highly recommend this book to all residents. I wish I had it when I started my residency. This is an extraordinary board preparation material as it basically includes the core of the requirements posted by ABIM. It is easy to read; with very affordable tables. I highly recommend it to be read through residency as it highlights important core concepts that you can go and research further for a deeper insight in other kind of textbooks or resources. Is very complementary to frontrunners as it let you round and define the important core material. This book provides a nice balance in terms of thoroughness, readability and ability to pinpoint to the high yield material. Best book review!

I really loved this book because it took risks that paid off nicely when it came to remembering all my medicine for my Step 3 & ABIM exams. It basically takes all of Internal Medicine and presents it as memory aids; very cool. The best part is I didn't need "mnemonics to help me remember the mnemonics". This was due in large part to very thoughtful design, where the anagrams themselves generally are related to the disorder/differential/findings/etc being summarized (eg "P.H.O.T.O." for Amiodarone Toxicities (photosensitivity, photophobia, etc); "P.A.I.N.L.E.S.S." for Ecthyma Gangrenosum; and "Yer Leg B.U.M.P.S. for Erythema Nodosum).

There's also a lot of humor to help keep your eyes wide open (eg "B.A.N.A.N.A. P.E.E.L.S." for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy which both helps to remember the vertical gaze palsy; impaired downward gaze; and frequent falls AND, of course, helps you easily recall the mnemonic itself). All these mechanisms really make a huge difference when you've got to quickly recall critical differentials, findings, key labs, etc in an exam situation, where time is of the essence, and there's little room for error.

My favourite sections of the book were the "Quick Diffs", the "Dermatology Quick Links", and the Appendix itself. The Appendix is priceless and summarizes all 400 mnemonics in the book, and you can quickly find the best memory aid for any topic you have to know or present on, and also helps big-time on rounds every day.

All the clever anagrams, pearls, summaries, algorithms, unique tables, and memory aids in general, really made this book not just a quick read and fun studying, but truly "memorable".

Actually, the BEST part of the book for me was that it was free. I used it alongside Frontrunners Syllabus and their Q&A in prepping for my exams, and it came free when I got my package thru their [...] website.

My favourite mnemonics are "F.A.T. L.I.P.S." for Hereditary Angioneurotic Edema (HANE); "I H.O.A.R.D. G.A.S." for Celiac Sprue; and "B.E.T. T.H.E. F.A.R.M." for Farmer's Lung. But I'm sure you'll have your own. High yield, one of my favourite books, and a huge advantage on my boards.

This is a great idea for a book. Unfortunately, most of the mnemonics suffer from being not terribly useful. Many of them are based on acronyms that have no relevance to the actual topics. Even worse, any given letter -- e.g. "O" in L.O.W. -- might be explained to be a way to remember "Overall, you need to remember that the anion gap is Na - (Cl + HCO3)." In other words, pretty difficult to remember.

The book reads as if a bunch of people just contributed their own mnemonics, and they were all added in random (alphabetical) order without attention to whether or not they were good or useful at all. Nor are there any graphical/visual mnemonics, except for one nice diagram on tick-borne illness.

There are other books that excel at mnemonic aids (such as the "Made Ridiculously Simple" series from publisher Medmaster -- though those books are not geared specifically for the Boards.

Given the free resources online at MedicalMnemonics.com, you might want to check that out first, or even instead.

What an incredible find. This is a book that basically summarizes all of internal medicine for the boards IN super-clever MNEMONICS. I've never seen a book of mnemonics quite this comprehensive. Of the 400 mnemonics, I have my favorite 20. This book really helped me excel on my USMLE Step 2 and USMLE Step 3. My friend used it for his Internal Medicine boards and loved it even more than me. It was part of Frontrunners Internal Medicine Board Review curriculum . Major kudos to Frontrunners, and thanks.

As Residency Director, I invested in Turbo Mnemonics for the Boards and some of Frontrunners other Internal Medicine Board Review resources for our own internal medicine board review prep course in an effort to boost seriously lagging results. All the residents who used the book, which we had to keep on a tight leash, found Turbo Mnemonics to be a truly brilliant review of internal medicine through mnemonics. Retention rates were extremely high with this book when we did our own weekly quizzes. The book is extremely well organized, and the mnemonics are simply genius. All of the mnemonics are either named with a term related to the disease itself that's being summarized, OR are simply so clever, that you can't possibly forget them! In the end, using Turbo Mnemonics, Frontrunners Internal Medicine Board Review Syllabus along with the companion 1300 practice Q&A was the PERFECT recipe for success! For the first time ever in our institution, pass rates shot to 100%, making this Residency Director one happy guy. And residents came back after their exam saying the material in these 3 books was all over their internal medicine boards. Turbo Mnemonics is a brilliant board prep resource and nothing else even comes close when it comes to its 400 extremely clever clinical medical mnemonics. Naysayers (those shamelessly pitch their own products while pretending to be reviewing this book--see below-- only call attention to their desperation and L.O.W. I.Q., a mnemonic which stands for "Low on Wisdom. Insincere Qualms." Because of it's popularity among our own residency program, we ended up having to purchase individual copies for each resident, including our second years, who will be entering the ABIM zone soon. I keep mine next to my Harrison's. Frontrunners has samples of all 3 books on its website www.frontrunners.info. Outstanding internal medicine board review curriculum. Frontrunners, thanks for the pass rates. You make us all look good!

Good service, book in excellent condition. Received in a timely mannner. Thanks.

I bought this book expecting to get a couple new ideas...boy was I surp rised. I got dozens of new tips that I'd never seen anywhere else. This guy knows his stuff related to flip charts!I'd highly recommend it to new and seasoned trainers and presenters.

As an instructor I look for many products that will assist myself and participants of my train-the-trainer workshops. Although I've purchased and used other flip chart reference information, I found the BIG BOOK of FLIP CHARTS to me informative, well illustrated and to the point. I puchased 5 copies and would recommend it to anyone in the training field that uses flip charts. The cover was also very colorful and gave great insight on what was inside.

Don't even consider any other flip chart book, they don't come close. This one has it all.. designing flip charts, arranging them, writing them, making them visually interesting. Tons of useful and helpful information.

This book, together with Picture's Worth 1,000 Words: A Workbook for Visual Communications by Jean Westcott and Jennifer Hammond Landau are all you need to become an effective visual communicator, even if you can't draw anything! If you think you're just not good with flip charts, buy these two and prepare to amaze yourself with the transformation!

Perhaps I didn't get this correctly but this book didn't really live up to my expectations.

I did learn some stuff from it and have used some of it since, but I actually expected a little more from it.

Possibly I was expecting a little too much. If you are after something that will tell you some of the basics of working with flip charts, designs of flip charts and a little bit about the type of hardware then this is a good one.

If you are after something that will help you to create dynamic sessions, push the limits of visual aids, and drive people into more thoughtful training sessions then this book is only partly useful.

Extraordinary results. Who among us, as consultants or coaches, doesn't want our clients to achieve extraordinary results? I sure do. That's my first reason to have purchased this book. The second has to do with finding myself fielding quite reasonable and curious questions about coaching from those who are seeking extraordinary results. Coached to Lead is a book that offers practical tips to coaches, clients and potential clients. Take a look at these questions to see if they sound familiar to you.

" How can a coach help me obtain business results?
" What exactly can a coach do for me?
" If I did hire a coach, how would I go about finding the right one for me?
" What really goes on in a coaching relationship anyway?
" How much does it cost, how long will it last, and will the results last?
If you too want to see extraordinary results and have ever wondered how best to answer such questions, you'll appreciate the solid ground Dr. Susan Battley provides to her audience. Drawing from her rich experience with leaders over the past twenty years, across a vast array of businesses in as many sectors, she provides the first consumer's guide to executive coaching.

Battley framed Coached to Lead on two guiding beliefs: 1) Executive coaching has staying power as a value-added service and, 2) Not only is executive coaching not going away, she predicts that the demand for quality coaching will increase in the coming years due to the 'plug and play' needs of managers today.. She anticipates that the latter will become more obvious as those industries traditionally less engaged in leadership development face the need to adapt quickly in the arena of interpersonal skills in order to perform in an increasingly competitive and global marketplace.

This engaging eleven-chapter, evidence-based guide takes the reader through a series of questions within each chapter designed to educate and provide a structure from which to reap the benefits of executive coaching, all the while avoiding costly mistakes. The reader can select various sections as urgency dictates or read the entire text, complete with usable forms, to guide the process and stay on task.

In the first chapter, Battley sets about dispelling the Ten Myths About Executive Coaching. For example, in Myth #1, "The Myth of the Individual" or 'Successful people don't need coaches,' she reminds us that peak performers in sports, the arts, and business all use coaches to enhance their already sterling performance. She cites a 2001 study by the Manchester Consulting that those receiving coaching exhibited an ROI of 5.7 times the initial investment or more than $100,000. Her Myth Buster: Professionals have coaches; amateurs do not.

Having dispelled the ten myths and leveled the ground in Chapter 1, in Chapter 2 she guides the saavy reader through a process of determining if Executive Coaching is Right for You by asking ten questions focused on one's awareness and commitment level to learning and producing business results.

Chapter 3, How to Pick Your Perfect Coach, outlines six steps to selection that focus on self-awareness in terms of goals and outcomes from coaching. The result? A personal profile for finding a compatible, or 'perfect,' coach for the reader. She highlights the characteristics of a great coach which includes experienced-based knowledge, education, ethics, and character and competency in coaching. Once chosen, chapter 4 centers on the rules of engagement for coaching, including sample agreements, and highlights the distinctions of private-pay vs. employer-funded coaching initiatives.

In chapter 5, Battley highlights the bedrock of this text, her Five Step Coaching Model, a broad brush approach with its focus on goals, assessment, an actionable plan and review, yet easy to customize. She further explicates each step of the model in Chapters 6-9. It is a written Powerhouse Action Plan, distinct from a standard coaching plan. It confronts obstacles and barriers providing the supercharged energy of this model to shift behavior and enhance performance. With Powerhouse Action Plan in hand, the coach becomes a catalyst to the client for personal growth in what she calls the ''knowing-doing' cycle of reflection and action and back again. This process creates momentum as goals are completed and reviewed in detail for level of satisfaction, learning, business results and return on investment as one is 'Coached to Lead.'

Chapters 10-11 provide a troubleshooting guide to addressing 'sticky' coaching situations and dealing with the concerns of third party sponsors of coaching initiatives.

Who among us wants extraordinary results for our clients? If you answered, 'I do,' this is a must read for you and all executive or leadership coaches, and for potential clients who want to face their own learning and performance head on. This practical, forthright read not only levels the ground, but elevates the ground of executive coaching to peak performance.

I want to let you know that I think you have published one of the best books written on educating the executive as to what to expect when hiring an executive coach. Your book is packed full of practical and very grounded information to help inform the executive on what to expect from a seasoned coach as well as a template for the experienced coach on how to stay on track and deliver extraordinary service.

If you ever considered hiring an executive coach, but wondered what to expect from the experience, wonder no more. Author Susan Battley has written a tightly focused book that will answer all your questions about this helpful executive perk. Her advice will enable you to determine whether you would benefit from coaching, how it might help you improve, what coaches do, how to select one and how much they charge. Battley writes clearly and provides useful examples from her own experience. However, the book would have gotten off to a faster start if she had begun by discussing what coaches do, rather than offering an overly detailed discussion of how to determine whether you can use coaching. We recommend this book to executives who want to learn how to take advantage of professional advice to develop their leadership capabilities quickly.

This book is unique compared to most other books on coaching in that Dr. Battley has written it for the coachee rather than the coach. I am a leadership coach and have been coached by others. Because it is an excellent reference for the coachee, it also becomes a valuable source for the coach.

I was impressed particularly with the straightforward Five Step Coaching Model. There is no "psycho-babble", or "new age" process here, just a sensible approach to getting the most out of your coaching experience. Persons contemplating a coaching relationship would do well to compare their coach's proposed approach to the basic components of the Five Step model.

The book also contains excellent reference material including sample coaching agreements, coach evaluations and excellent anecdotal examples.

This is the book I wished I had when my company assigned me an executive coach three years ago. Don't get me wrong, that was a good experience, but it could have been a GREAT experience if I'd known more about what to expect.
I recommend this book to first-timers to coaching, and to anyone who is footing the bill for some else's coaching at work. It's an easy read and not full of HR-speak.

As a recent graduate of the CIA's Career Discovery program, which was very similar to the Boot Camp, I found the book to be a wonderful summary (and then some) of the entire week.

Very good transaction. Timely delivery, book very useful for my son who is enrolling in culinary school. Many thanks!

Martha Rose Shulman artfully captures her experiences while attending the CIA's five day Culinary Boot Camp in Hyde, NY. This book caters to both beginning & "seasoned" cooks, featuring noteworthy information e.g. mise en place, knife skills, maintaining stocks, soup production, frying techniques, dry & moist heat cooking methods.

Recipes utitlized during the 5 day course are printed in their entirety, often times with helpful commentary by either the author, Chef Hinnerk, or Chef John. Additional recipes are also included, which allow you to practice the skills/techniques introduced in the book.

Excellent organization, phenomenal instruction, and a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in the culinary arts.

A passionate home cook that has been honing her cooking skills for the last 25 years, concentrating on Italian cooking for the last 10 years, writes this review. My favorite cookbooks are "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute and "Culinary Artistry". With more than 500 cookbooks in my collection I am usually disappointed in my recent cookbook acquisitions. I purchased this book to see what the Culinary boot camp at the CIA was all about since I was thinking of taking the course. I am glad that I bought the book and didn't spend thousands on the course.

If you are considering the boot camp at Hyde Park the book is informative. However, the book did not encourage me to take the course, it had the opposite effect. The recipes and tips that the author covers were nothing. I felt as though I was reading the experience from the perspective of a kitchen novice. The techniques and methods that are discussed are basic kitchen ideas used by skills home cooks everyday. If you own any good cookbook you will know or have read about all the techniques before. If you are looking for an in depth discussion on cooking techniques buy "The Professional Chef" by the CIA instead. It is a much better book.

This book is subdivided as follows:
Day One: Into the Kitchen: Stocks and Sauces
Day Two: Soup Production and Frying Techniques
Day Three: Dry Heat Cooking Methods
Day Four: Moist Heat Cooking Methods
Day Five: The Final Exam
Mise en Place and Knife Skills
Additional Recipes

The book is 242 pages in length and the "additional recipe" section begins on page 140. The recipes that are included are okay, but nothing to rave about. The only recipe that I found to be exceptional was the Fresh Spinach Spaetzle.

Bottom line, if you are new to cooking or don't own many cookbooks this would be a reasonable choice. If you were thinking about taking the CIA course at Hyde Park purchasing this book would also make sense. However, if you own many cookbooks, or having been seriously cooking for 5 or 10 years then pass on this book. There isn't much that you will learn from this book.

This book started out as a great resource for some nice info. on how to cook some foods and gave me some insight on a few things. But, the story in general on the whole experience and what actually went on in the kitchen was pretty boring. I like reading stories about people who work in the cooking business because it will help me be prepared for working in an actual resteraunt. But, this story just lacked. And the photographs just bugged me to no end on how poor they were. Ok, yes, I understand that they are moving fast through the kitchen, but the pictures where everyone was sitting down it was blurry. Could have been better quality. Other than that, great recipes, great information on cooking. I would recommend it for those who want to learn a few things on cooking.

Network marketing is still fairly a new business, and knowledge is power. With this amazing three tape series, you will be able to conquer all your doubts about network marketing. Whether you are just starting out or a leader in your organization, this is an audiotape that will raise your belief level- not just in the business, not just in your company, but in the most important component of your business- YOURSELF.

This series of cassettes was a disappointment. It sounds like I am sitting in a spiritual conference and someone is going to soon touch my head and all will be better. I could not find much value in these cassettes. He does have a few good points but the tapes do not have any clear structure to them. I feel that he is a salesman trying to sell me something that does not exist. The two stars are for the two points I found in the tapes. If you are eager to learn them, I recommend you buy this as well, but I wouldn't.

I became a millionaire in this industry before I ever listened to these tapes. However, after listening to them and having Patrick out to train my people, I immediately saw him/them as the missing link my people needed to get to the next level of belief in this industry. They have definitely raised my belief level! If I had these tapes from the beginning, I'd be a millionaire all over again.

After listening to "The Bottom Line On Network Marketing" nearly 40 times, I still continue to pick up priceless morsels that waken me and empower me to want to share with others the fabulous journey called network marketing. I will listen to them until I have them memorized - they are that important!

We have been with the same network marketing company for over 27 years. Being leaders of our company, we thought we had a firm grasp of how to do this thing. Then we met Patrick. He has totally changed our business for the better. In fact, since utilizing, and sharing his training materials with everyone in our downline, we have increased our business by over 40%. Thank you, Patrick!

CCNA Practical Studies is an excellent technical guide for CCNA's and other higher level Cisco Professionals alike.

I'm very pleased with this book. I refer to it as a resource and recommend it still today (2008) to students and co-workers as an excellent source of material to get real hands-on experience that is "real-world". Some of the material is dated as of this year and this review.

I'm a CCNP and as such I modify to make up the difference.

I'd hope the author or the publisher would consider a current up to date version if this book.

Cisco students everywhere need this kind of book to become effective Network Administrators.

Good job Gary and Lynn.

Sincerely,

Darby Weaver

Excellent overall buying experience. Item shipped quickly and arrived in short order way over here in Iraq. Item was in better shape than described, in fact it appears to be new, unused. I am very happy with this purchase. GmC

I believe the Cisco Practical series, CCNA, CCNP, CCIE is perfect. I need lots of hands on, over and over again.

Yes I can understand from 2 earlier reviewers that in order to really get the maximum use out of these practicals you need access to Cisco equipment. So a great deal of $$ equipment commitment is required. But unlike MCSE, where you can put 2 PCs together and you are off to the races, that is a major decision, no doubt about that.

I have CCNA, CCNP, CCDP and looking at someday doing the CCIE :) :), tougue in cheek. I am not sure how REALLY serious I am but I have spent a fair amount of $$ on Cisco gear. So unless I get a lot of hands on at work, getting the necessary hands on, the amount of practice needed is GONNA be on my own time. So I have brought as many Cisco Practical books as I can afford, and SLOWLY will work my way thru the books/hands on labs.

So I am slowly working my way thru the labs/hands on, and it definitely helps me at work from CCNA PRactical thru CCNP Practicals.

Bottom line: This book is only recommended for people who intend on going further than CCNA as a guid for building a serious home lab, or else those CCNA candidates who already own good router simulator software.

For everyone else, you can pretty much ignore this book until they update it to be fully conformed to the CCNA 640-801 exam.

Read why, below:

This is a decent lab guide on how to set up your Cisco home lab, detailing what sorts of gear you need, how to configure it, and some challenge problems that will not only prepare you for the CCNA, but for real-world work.

By the time you work through the book, you will get setup practice, switching and VLAN configuration practice, routing practice, and even some insight into network design. You will get hands-on experience that reinforces the conceptual learning from the Cisco Press CCNA books and the various CCNA study guides. This lab guide and the hardware will be invaluable in making the IOS commands "second nature" by the time you take your CCNA exam.

Measured against that standard, this book is nearly a 5-star book. It gets "points off" for using the menu based configuration for the 1924 switch instead of the IOS/CLI approach used by the 2950 series switch (the latter is what is on the CCNA 640-801 test).

But there are two very important flaws the potential purchaser of this book should be aware of: The book gets 1 star knocked off because it still has a lot of reference to Token Ring LAN technology, which is practically extinct. It loses another star for having a lot of the content on routing for Novell IPX/SPX, which is seldom seen anymore.

By basing so much material on these two obsolete (and non-exam) technologies, this book loses much of its value. These archaic technologies can be worked around and "converted" to TCP/IP, but this requires a depth that most CCNA candidates will not have - after all, that's why you are looking at this CCNA lab book!

So the biggest cumulative deficiency is that the book is in dire need of an update the entire text from the old 607 exam to the current CCNA 640-801 test standard. This involves dropping all the Token Ring and IPX/SPX activities, and adding more on 802.3 Ethernet LANs, and 802.1q VLAN trunking with an additional switch via the CLI (not the menu!).

As mentioned by others, this book does require access to a lot of lab gear, which is cost prohibitive for someone just starting out in networking. But it's not nearly as expensive anymore. In a pinch, you can use a commercial router/network simulator to do almost all of the labs if you don't mind the limitations such software has. Search Amazon or EBay, there are plenty of software based CCNA/CCNP simulators available, just be aware of the limitations.

If you are just grabbing a book and equipment for long enough to pass the CCNA exams and intend to do no further Cisco certification work, then you probably do not need this book. The most use you could do would be to read it for the examples and solutions, and maybe set up all this in a simulator environment (like the Boson router sim). If instead of a simulator, you want actual hardware that's simply adequate to pass the CCNA exam, then go to Amazon [...], and grab a pair of cheap 2501 routers (with AUI adapters and back to back cables), and a cheap 1924-EN switch, and use them to create scenarios from your CCNA training books.

However, if you are in the networking business to stay, then this book and the gear involved will be the basis for your continuing professional education, providing you with a source for plenty of hands-on experience across a broad range of problems.

[...] I know because I bought one and use it myself in my lab; it connects a pair of 2503 routers, just as the lab says.

Another correction is that you can pick up almost all the 2500 series routers needed to build the home lag for well less than $100 each. The exceptions to this are the 2511-Access router (usually about $200-260) and the 2520-Frame router (about $150-200).

The main switch involved (a 1924-EN) frequently sells for less than $50. Search Amazon and EBay for "Cisco 2501" and similar routers or "Cisco 1924" for the switch.

Note that a Cisco 4500M (sells for about $40 typically) can replace the $200 Cisco 2520 as the frame router/switch, and a 2509 (costs usually near $100) can replace the 2511 model for the purposes of this lab, providing the needed 8 serial console connections.

Just be sure to buy the Ethernet versions of the 2500 series routers, not the token ring versions. And remember you will need crossover cables to connect the WAN serial ports, and AUI transceivers to connect the AUI ethernet ports to your RJ-45 Cat5 network cables.

So, yes, by the time all is said and done, you will have laid out some cash to build the lab. But the cost is not nearly as much as some have said. And remember, this lab will also support you quite well in achieving not only your CCNA, but is a solid basis for your CCNP with the addition of more switching equipment (for VLAN trunking exercises), and will be adequate for most tasks all the way up through the CCIE tests. And you can use it to set up and explore network scenarios as a job aid for your day to day work as a network engineer.

This is a must if you really want to deepen your knowledge of
the CCNA equirements.It goes beyond the basics and presents you
with a real life lab environment where you can apply what you
have learned in theory and see it in practice.
The book deserves 5 stars.

By thinking of Rainmakers as separate from the organization, the firm severely limits its potential and actual benefits from the rainmaker's efforts. This book is valuable for training potential rainmakers, but probably more useful in helping the firm to understand what the rainmaker is doing, why and how they can help. By focusing the energy of the firm on rainmaking, a much more powerful force will be generated to serve existing clients and encourage new business. This book provides a good basis for creating this new synergy for the firm.

I am the author of the book Futures For Small Speculators and Single Stock Futures For Small Speculators as well as the president of Liverpoolgroup.com.

Our focus is in the futures, commodities, and option business. We trade oil, cattle, gold, currency etc. And each one of our employees is an "independent" contractor. The problem with that is the fact that often times this very independent entrepreneurial group has a hard time working together to develop client relationships.

Everyone is competing against everyone else. There is little to no synergy or teamwork.

This book showed me MANY examples of how to guide and direct the individuals of the group to be more cooperative with one another and how to help them make more money. I was astonished that I was doing somethings right, but the things that I was doing right were being negated by the actions I was doing wrong. Over and over again Mr.Harding says that rainmakers get in their own way when it comes to training other potential rainmakers and he is right! If I had not read this book I would have lost some valuable members of my team due defection.

This is a great book and was a joy to read. One reading is not enough. This book must be read three to four times with a highlighter and a notepad- so you can write down the numerous ideas that will occur to you as you read the book. Then keep this book as a reference that you can go back to time and time again.

I am a consultant in a company which does not have an organised rainmaker system (yet). As such, much of what I read in this book was new to me and I have discussed its contents with my boss. I think that this book will help us to improve our business. It is full of insightful ideas.

I used this book in the planning of a training program for business development activities at the engineering/surveying firm, Psomas and Associates. We needed a training program for every level of staff from principals to marketing support staff. This book was amazing! It made the job sooooooo much easier! The information in this book was nothing short of inspiring and the success we are having in the program is testimony to the quality of the ideas and programs described in the book. I recommend it very, very highly!

Of all the books available on business development in the professions, this is the best of the best. Concise, practical yet never simplistic, Ford Harding hits the strategic issues of business development, then ties the issues to solid implementable actions. As an advisor to CPA and law firms, I consider this book to be the "course textbook" for learning the subject matter quickly. Professionals don't have time for volumes of thick how-to manuals. Give it to them straight and quickly. This book does that. Every page unlocks another important concept in business development. When finished the reader not only knows the subject, but knows what to do next. Instead of throwing the book in a cabinet, it should be kept in a handy place, and as the professional becomes more experienced, it can take him/her to the next level of understanding, and to the highest reaches of successful rainmaking. A must read for any professional who wants to grow their practice.