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Growing Your Stories for the Future

Archive for the 'Book Reviews' Category

05 Apr

Soar with Your Strengths

This book was a great addition to my formative years as a professional. It opened my thoughts up to what needed focus in my career and where I was headed. The first part of the book was dry and a little off the topic of strengths. In fact, it seemed to center more on weaknesses. For some reason, I kept reading, looking for the positive reinforcement for which I had hoped.

The second part pulled it through. From catalysts to empowerment, I found more value and direction. It not only provided ideas, but activities as well. Lists were created and action plans set. If you are a new professional, exam the details within. If you are a seasoned executive, remind yourself and your staff of where your strengths lie and allow them to grow.

05 Apr

Now, Discover Your Strengths

From a large team to a small team, this book provides opportunities for discussion. The book shares stories about invidivuals such as Colin Powel, Bill Gates, and Tiger Woods. It is backed by the research of the Gallup organization and contains a code to an online feedback tool in StrengthsFinder. This feedback tool is accurate and easy to use.

While it does not truly tell you how to integrate your core strengths with that of another individual or, more importantly, your entire team…you have to pay much more money for their personalized or team course for that…it does provide direction on career development based on your identified strengths and shares insights on how managers can lead and interact with team members with particular strengths. Good resource for a team or individual. However, as with all assessments, balance good intent with common sense.

05 Apr

Training With A Beat

Create a Consistent Beat to your Organization…

Training With A Beat*

“Music holds amazing power over us. While it permeates and gives rhythm to our lives, its rarely used effectively in classrooms. Training with a Beat is a lively introduction to understanding that power, and applying it to learning. This practical “how-to” guide is written with the musical layperson in mind. The author reveals in straightforward language why music is a critical learning resource, explains the necessary concepts and terms, and concludes with vivid examples of practice and a list of suggested resources. He provides all the background and tools to enable trainers and educators confidently to use music to improve learning.”

Lenn can engage any audience…check out his website and materials at Offbeat Training.

(* Training With a Beat content and images are property of © Lenn Millbower and Offbeat Training®)

05 Apr

Incorporate Poetry

Evoke: Connect with the People in the Organization

Are you looking for a way to generate some discussion and make connections within the work place? Well, “Incorporate Poetry” by Skyler Wolf Jones does just that. Skyler uses a blend or poetry, experience, and creativity to drive those in corporate America to think and act differently. Whether you are in a meeting, playing nicely with your team, or just being a productive individual, “Incorporate Poetry” can evoke emotion for positive results.

Incorporate Poetry

05 Apr

Driving ROI

Empower your organizations to understand and drive their return on
investment…


Starting UP…

ROI is always about return-on-investment…right?

Who determines the return? The executives? The managers? The trainers? The marketing team? The front-line staff? All of these together

What classifies as the investment? The labor? The time? The material? The technology? The creative thoughts? All of them together?

Even if we answer all of these questions, we still have to determine whether we are going to calculate the arithmetic or logarithmic return…Right?

Traditional return-on-investment calculations are as numerous as the training programs they represent. Before we venture down the path of choosing the “right-fit” formula, we must consider our audience. Ask yourself, what is driving their ROI.

We need to understand where we fit within the ROI path. We need to understand our role and be prepared to deliver against expectations other than our own. We may even be the bridge between the Operations and Training or the Executives and the Operations. Either way, by understanding what drives R.O.I., we are better able to communicate and positively impact the organization…After all, this is what we all desire, a bigger impact for the organization…Right?

Throughout this venture, we will explore some unique ways in which executives, training teams, operators, and marketing teams align their efforts around what they define as excellence in action. Many may disagree with the terms. Many more may have other representations for what each letter represents. All dialogue helps understand the direction each individual takes when establishing their own ROI

We will need to understand the mindset and goals of the Executives if you are in Training or Operations. We will need to address the needs of the Operations if you are an Executive or part of the Training Team. And, we will need to appreciate the intricacies and support the complexities of Training if we are an Executive or in Operations.

We will need to create mechanisms and build an integrated listening post for our brand, our product, and our organization. Feedback hubs influence strategy and drive learning results. Learning results will influence operational success. Operational success has an impact on both the customer and business as marketing plans, key messages, and storylines merge to establish a lasting and loyal relationship with our customers, vendors, and partners.

As you complete the surveys and read the stories that follow, keep asking what drives your R.O.I. There are no right or wrong answers to the surveys, only alternative ways of looking at a similar picture. Not necessarily the same picture, rather a similar one. Read each section, no matter what you define as your role as you may find overlaps within your area of responsibility and connections to drive a different ROI. In the end, remember to share each point, each piece of your scope with your partners, peers, and leaders. This will create a unified level of excellence.


Driving ROI

This is an excerpt from our book “Driving ROI - A Summarized Venture Into Storytelling, Listening, and Measuring”. If you are interested in reading more…you can read the entire book on your computer or PDA, here.

If you would like to a printable version, or perhaps, a copy of the book itself, you may order it directly from our supplier…Order Driving ROI Paperback $12.99


05 Apr

The Story Factor

Have you ever sat through a meeting where you could not understand what the person was talking about? Well, that person probably did not read this book…or, they are one of those curmudgeons that really don’t belong telling stories in the first place…OK, OK, we all have stories, but not everyone can tell them well. The Story Factor touches many areas to help tell a story to gain credibility and capture the attention of your audience. Annette Simmons shares some insight into six types of stories outlined in the book:

* “Who Am I” Stories
* “Why I Am Here” Stories
* “The Vision” Story
* Teaching” Stories
* “Values-in-Action” Stories
* “I Know What You Are Thinking” Stories

Read the book and connect it to some of our thoughts on evoking emotion, engaging you audience, and empowering your listeners to become active in their own stories and you have a positive impact on the story culture you may wish to create.

05 Apr

Evaluating Training Programs

Where would a learning event be without smiley sheets at the end? Well, learning events be in a much better place if they follow the levels outlined by Donald Kirkpatrick decades ago. Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels helps training teams and organizations understand that there are connections between good training and the success of a company.

Kirkpatrick outlines his four levels into satisfaction, knowledge, application, return on investment. By measuring each level, an organization better understands what to reinforce and use each level as leading indicators of success rather than just a piece of paper that gets scribbled on at the end of a class or learning event.


© 2008 MySkillCenter | John E. Murray, III & Skyler Wolf Jones

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