Deliver

I was impressed by how well this book, documented not only the necessary systems for customer service but included great ideas on business practice. It is definitely a great book for companies who want to provide excellence in customer service, and also provide their employees/management with the ability to know how to handle any situation. This book was easy to read, and provided great examples of how you can use hidden systems to better any company, know matter what industry. A must read for anyone in sales or customer relations.

I have been involved in the Beauty Industry as a Cosmetologist, Salon Owner, and Cosmetology Instructor for the past 25 years. I expected this book to involve just our field. To my surprise, DiJulius, takes examples of GREAT customer service from his Salons, and includes examples of businesses across the country, and on the Net.
The attention to details involving Client and Employee situations can be reworked to fit any business. From Salon Owners, Doctors, Auto Dealers, to Electricians and Department Stores, every business can benefit from his ideas. I enjoy how he gives credit to the people and their ideas. If you can apply just a few ideas from his book, you WILL see a difference in how clients, employees and coworkers treat you. I have!

Secret Service is one of the few business books (that is not a narrative case study) that is actually enjoyable to read. John Dijulius, owner of John Robert's Hair Studio & Spa, comments on how his business and many others see customer service not as a necessary evil but as integral to (if not entirely) their product.

While the hair and spa industry is primarily a service industry, Dijulius goes far beyond, dealing with how retail and even distribution companies can better serve their customers and the rewards that those who do will reap. His examples include some of the more obvious ones practitioners as Southwest Airlines and Nordstrom's as well as a number of lesser-known businesses from a variety of industries. In many cases, he highlights businesses that he has had personal experience with, thus illustrating how a satisfied customer can be much more profitable than any marketing that you can buy.

Dijulius also highlights the economics of increasing the value of (and to) your existing customers by reminding them when they may need a product or service and making sure that they are happy after the purchase. He highlights a variety of systems that he and others use to do this such as follow-up thank you cards, newsletters and personalized notes on invoices.

He also reminds us that employee satisfaction is just as important as customer satisfaction (and in fact, directly leads to customer satisfaction). He highlights systems that his spa has used to retain their best employees and avoid the expense of training, while ensuring consistent service quality for their customers.

This is a how to serve your customer better and grow your business book of the first order. More importantly, it is concise, personable, and remarkably enjoyable to read. This is a must read for anyone working at or managing a business that wants more customers.

If you've spent way too much time and effort putting together a presentation, felt uncomfortable presenting, and came away disappointed, buy this book now. It'll make you and you presentations better almost immediately.

It gives great advice, from projecting your voice to developing a truly persuasive presentation to making the most of your visual aids. It gives actionable tips and techniques to help with each of these items, so you can improve immediately.

Best of all, the book is a great reference tool. It's very easy to go back and find the section on Developing a Persuasive Presentation or Knowing Your Audience (or whatever), in just a minute. From there, you can follow the simple steps and make a big difference in the presentation.

Just got done developing 2 presentations to our CEO, and this book saved me a TON of planning time, and helped me to really get the point across. He was sold!

So, don't hesitate. If you spend way to much time and anxiety worrying about your presentations , this is worth every penny!

Knockout Presentations is a 'how-to' book that gives the reader practical advice on becoming an effective public speaker. As the author explains, most people ' students and top executives ' are absolutely terrified of giving presentations. However, being a good presenter is now considered a necessity rather than an option. Public speaking skills are especially important since good communication is key to job promotions, raises, more sales and better relationships (to list but a few of the reasons for developing presentation skills).This book is quite interesting as it identifies and dispels strongly held myths about public speaking. One of the biggest myths shattered is the unfounded belief that good speakers are born rather than developed. In addition to providing well written, easy to read content, the author also encourages the reader to make practical use of the learned skills by participating in various exercises presented throughout the book. The interactive setup of the book encourages the reader to take a break from passively reading the contents and to actively participate in the exercises and the surveys. Checklists summarizing what an effective speaker should or should not do are also prove to be a great resource.AudienceA major strength of Knockout Presentations is that it appeals to anyone who will ever speak in public. The audience encompasses the broad range from students to top executives. The clearly written style and exercises will appeal to the less experienced speaker while the conciseness of the book will serve as a great resource for a busy executive. An instructor or a teacher may also want to consider this book as a teaching tool. Content and Format of Knockout Presentations 1.Secrets of Platform Effectiveness 2.Stage Presence: Sizzle or Steak? 3.Fear Fixes: Conquering Nervousness 4.Listening: The Other Side of Speaking 5.Research and Analyze your Audience 6.Building Your Presentation 7.Listener-Centered Communication: Principles of Communication 8.Seeing is Believing: Visual Aids 9.Setting the Stage 10.Q&A, Difficult People, and Deadly Disasters 11.Special Speaking Situations In each section, you can expect to find a number of relevant exercise drills. For example, in the Listener-Centered Communication section, an exercise requires you to list the features of your shoes, the benefit of each feature and then ask the question 'so what?'. If you can learn to persuade someone about the benefits of your shoe, then you can probably be persuasive about any topic. Although, the exercises can be somewhat time consuming, doing some of them can prove to be quiet beneficial in learning the concepts that may be difficult to understand by simply reading about them. Each section is also broken up with entertaining case studies, insightful surveys and helpful checklists. The visual learner will be happy to find the use of informative charts and graphics.Level of DifficultyKnockout Presentations is organized in a clear and easy to follow format. The author communicates directly with the reader in common, everyday language. The reader can simply take in the content of the book without having to exert unnecessary effort. Interesting acronyms are used for a lot of major ideas making it easy to recall the contents of the book and use the ideas in practical terms. For example, DiResta suggests ALARM for handling the Q&A period. That is, the presenter should Anticipate and prepare; Listen; Repeat or rephrase; Answer concisely, and; Move on to the next question.The entire book is organized around three major principles involved in becoming a good speaker. The author refers to these as the YAM formula. That is, to be a good speaker, you must know yourself, know your audience, and know your material. This is a very simple and concise structure that makes it easy to read the book and to learn the main points being highlighted by the author.What I likedThe best thing about this book is the confidence that the reader gains from constantly being told that ANYONE can be an effective public speaker. The reader is constantly reminded that the best speakers are not born that way. If you are willing to put in an effort, there is hope for you in front of any crowd. It is really nice to learn that most people are not phobic about public speaking rather they are simply nervous. When it comes to conquering the nervousness, DiResta explains that 'what you resist, persists'. Although, easier said than done, it is good advice that the only way to overcome your nervousness is to embrace it.The author's expertise and creativity oozes out of this book. One of the best examples is when DiResta wants to show how important listening is for being a good speaker. She does this by challenging the reader to find the secret word in LISTEN. The reader is both amused and impressed to realize the word being sought is SILENT. At that point, it is impossible to miss the message: you must be silent and listen in order to be a good speaker. The author ties in the importance of listening to the next section of the book which emphasis the significance of knowing your audience. The comprehensive content and well-developed writing style makes it difficult to believe that this is DiResta's first book.HR. COMmentaryKnockout Presentations is an excellent book if you want to learn to be an effective public speaker from a great teacher. This is a concise and well-written book that can prove to be an indispensable resource. The motivational value of this book is what sets it apart. Reading this book is like having Diane DiResta, a knowledgeable and respected expert, speak directly to you. .... a small price to pay to have such an experienced communicator mentor you through the nerve-wracking world of public speaking.The only thing that I found to be lacking is the title of the book: Knockout Presentations: How to deliver your message with power, punch and pizzazz. The title seems to be a bit cheesy. Maybe it's the word 'pizzazz'. Given how creative the author is in her writing, I am sure that a better title could have been chosen. As the famous saying goes, 'never judge a book by its title'.Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his or her communication style. The advice provided by the author will be valuable in both professional and personal relationships.About the AuthorDiane DiResta is an international communications coach and speaker who has helped numerous organizations, including AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, Grey Advertising, IBM, Reuters, the NBA, and the WNBA. She has also provided media training for sports and entertainment celebrities such as Vanna White, Bob Lanier, and Rolando Blackman. She is a faculty member at New York University and lives in Staten Island, NY.

Diane's book is terrific--easy to read and implement ideas and tips.
I find myself going back many times and use it as a resource!
I've read many books on this subject--she is number 1!

An excellent book -- the best I've ever read on the subject. As a financial advisor I can't recommend it enough. Most find estate planning confusing. This book is not confusing. It's an easy read. Each simple, short, touching story illustrates a different problem that can arise by not doing good estate planning. It will make you think about your own situation with more clarity than was possible before. This book could be called Chicken Soup For Your Legacy.

This is the first book I have actually seen on estate planning that was actually interesting. The stories and letters are captivating. I found myself drawn into the next one without even knowing it. By the time I had finished the book I felt like I not only learned a fair amount about estate planning, but that I also learned a lot about myself. I found myself thinking about what I really wanted to pass on to my heirs (and not so much thinking about the money). Kudos to these great authors.

Almost all books on estate planning explain how to minimize taxes and avoid probate. Colleen Barney and Victoria Collins take a totally different approach focusing on the emotional aspects of leaving money. Using compelling real life stories and letters, the authors focus on what fairness really means, passing values, wisdom, goals, ideals and life's lessons in a meaningful way, preventing fights after your death, who are the "right" people to choose as trustees and more importantly as guardians, sweating the small stuff like passing personal effects and dealing with the always sticky situation of second marriages. With a great deal of emotion, the authors take a very non-technical, understandable and realistic look at the personal side of estate planning with the goal of ensuring that your best intentions are realized after the estate has been settled.

Richard Dowis spends no time lamenting this lost art. Instead he focuses his energy on its resurrection.

Dowis's background in journalism and public relations provided the foundation for his writing a remarkably readable book. His conversational style serves as a model for the language you would want to hear -- and use -- in a speech. Frequent headings and an especially legible font also contribute to the book's readability.

In _The Lost Art of the Great Speech_, Dowis addresses every conceivable aspect of this topic -- from deciding whether to accept a speaking engagement to "leveraging" a speech by converting it to one or more publishable articles. The book takes a holistic approach to speech writing. Chapters follow the process of speech preparation, including delivery as well as crafting. In addition, Dowis discusses topics such as how to write a speech to be delivered by someone else and how to introduce a speaker.

Each chapter includes pertinent excerpts from actual speeches, many taken from the business world, and also includes a full speech or a substantial excerpt of a speech by a well-known person. Many of these speeches have historical significance. Having asserted that "reading and listening to speeches is one of the keys to learning how to write and deliver them," Dowis supplies us with many examples to study.

Dowis devotes several chapters to rhetorical devices that can lift a speech from the respectable to the eloquent. To illustrate how rhetoric can immortalize a concept, he compares several versions of an idea that appeared in speeches by famous Americans.

In addition to a detailed index, _The Lost Art of the Great Speech_ includes two helpful appendices: An Editing Checklist for Speech Writers and Resources for Speakers and Speech Writers.

_The Lost Art of the Great Speech_ is a valuable resource for anyone who might have the opportunity to address a group of people. Although it does not include study questions or practice exercises, it would be an excellent book for a class of high school or college students as well as for adults who are studying independently.

Although this book was written for business folk, it serves as a tremendous text for high school students. The suggestions are clear, the models exemplary, and the writing concise. Also, the texts of speeches that end nearly every chapter are well-chosen. AND there's a handy appendix listing resources for speakers and writers.

For those of you who don't like text book reads but need the information, this is the book for you. This book gives useful information and useful hints on speech writing and speech giving. It is the best of Speech Communication classes and everyday ideas for the beginner in public speaking and the expert speech writer.

My mind was set on this book after reading it. It touched me. I loved it! More then marvolus this book was! I would like to give special thanks to the wonderful woman who helped make this book be published, I know she worked very, very hard. She is my personal hero, somone who leads the troops, starts it all. I am proud to say this book was awesome!!

This book was fantastic in my mind. I couldn't put it down. I give it 12 stars. And 4 thumbs up! This book had meaning to me. It taught me a lot and I would really like to thank Paula Casey because I know she worked so hard to make this happen and to get the book published.

The Perfect 36 is a classic, and all too rare, story of individual political courage in Tennessee and how it wrote an inspirational chapter in American history. It describes in a compelling way the fragile nature of support for women's suffrage, but reminds us that men and women with convictions can truly change the course of history, and in this case, transformed the rights of women in the United States. An outstanding book by outstanding authors writing about events that should be taught to every school student.

What an awesome book. "If He Doesn't Deliver" is a must read for every woman, man, or child in an abusive relationship or anyone that knows anyone in an abusive relationship. This book will captivate the reader. I read it in one sitting and was amazed not only of the horrific violence the author experienced, but the persecution by fellow Christians and church leaders. However, the author does not leave the reader at the point of abuse and rejection from the church, which is what makes the book so amazing. The author takes the reader through the steps of recovery (i.e., looking for acceptance, wanting to be left alone, the emotional and physical scars, etc.) and deals with the whole gamut of emotions from that of rejection to final acceptance by a Godly Pastor. "If He Doesn't Deliver" does not just tell the story of the Author (Marilyn Joyce). It asks and answers poignant questions that the author obviously had to answer on her road to recovery. These questions will empower anyone currently going through abuse. I take my hat off to the author - Marilyn Joyce - for having the guts to openly and honestly share her story, in order that more women could be freed from such relationships, especially those occurring in the church.

I thought this book was outstanding in its content. What an encouragement to women everywhere who have suffered abuse to know that there is a way out and there is hope for the future. It's " you can rise above your circumstances" is a strong message to people in general, that you do not have to be a victim, but an overcomer. This book has already started to be used in Abuse Shelters all over the United States and I forsee it being translated in other languages and offered abroad.

Marilyn's story is certain to inspire anyone who is going through a difficult time...not just abused women. Her testimony will open your eyes to the terror that many women and children go through. Even though she went through one of the most horrifying things I can imagine, she pressed on with her eyes focused on God and emerged victorious! I highly recommend this book!

If you compare books on interpersonal development, most of them reiterate the same basic points with little new innovation. It's like every author tries to re-write "How to Win Friend's and Influence People" with their own personal spin and a few new insights, and then try to pass it off as an informative piece of work. This book is not like that.

"The Charisma Effect" is filled with new content that I haven't seen in other books, so much so that I am now re-reading it, this time taking notes. It seems as if the author took the time to do alot of his own research rather than simply reiterate what others have said or simply rely on anecdotal experience.

The book dispenses alot of information, so I would recommend a person read "How to Win Friends" first as a primer, and then follow up with this book.

I had been looking for a book like this for a long time, I finally fount it, it tells you that you can have that so much desired Charisma, you don't have to be born with it, this is so important if you are a Sales person, there are lots of techniques that will help you sell what you want or to persuade people. It combines a little of neurolinguistic (anchors) and that theory that there are 3 kinds of people: visual, auditive and kinesthatic... so interesting. The book is worth every dollar you spend.

The thing that really amazes me about this book after having read it is that it successfully challenges the myth that a person 'has' charisma - bad luck for those who don't! The central argument that people 'do' charisma was what first attracted me to it.

It's refreshing to know that if a person has the "content", the life experience, a moderate amount of intelligence, and can discover the uniqueness of their personality (through the exercises in the book), then charismatic performance is a real possibility.

I have done a number of the exercises in the book to very good effect. I found the exercises particularly helpful in three ways: 1) giving me some structures to successfully build my content around, 2)finding the right frames to wrap my message around, and 3) an unbelievable array of language techniques to use when creating the main messages. I have used the ideas to make board presentations and manage change within my organisation. I am literally astounded at how these techniques have smoothed what could have been very difficult persuasion situations.

Perhaps the most important part of the book for me is the sections on finding a mission and life passion. I completed these exercises and I have to say they have made a very substantial impact on me.

I thoroughly recommend this book. It's the first one I have found that really drills down into the actions one takes to make a difference. Most of the other titles I've read are too general and haven't gone into specifics. This one actually shows you what to do!

Breakaway is a must-read book for anyone in the corporate world who has responsibility for human resources, employee development, sales and marketing management, and for top corporate executives.

The main theme of the book is that in order to break away from the competition in today's ever-changing economy, an organization must effectively develop employees to deliver value to the customer faster than the competition does. After analyzing how organizations currently train employees and the deficiencies associated with this type of training, Fred goes on to define a new method for bringing employees to proficiency faster and more successfully than traditional training methods.

The first several chapters of the book document a new model for human performance and the three rules for accomplishing peak performance. The first rule - Establish a proficiency threshold - describes how to determine the point at which an employee is equipped to deliver the promised value to customers quickly. Fred clearly describes the questions that managers must ask in order to define the proficiency threshold and discusses the relationship of the proficiency threshold and the value chain.

The second rule - Accelerate the accumulation of experience - includes a discussion of how people really learn, describes the four phases of learning, discusses how traditional training methods leave the accumulation of experience to chance, and how to manage the accumulation of learning. Using an example of training copper splicers to become fiber optic cable splicers, Fred demonstrates how to successfully manage the accumulation of experience in relation to training.

The third rule - Measure the cycle time to threshold proficiency - describes the metrics used to measure the how fast an employee can be trained to arrive at the proficiency threshold. Fred goes into some detail on how to measure the overall proficiency of the organization, and redefines the learning curve as the proficiency curve.

In the last half of the book, Fred describes how to "put it all together". Recognizing that no two companies are the same, Fred compares and contrasts the styles of two very different companies. What emerges is that there is no set of rules for achieving organizational proficiency, rather there are a set of key concepts that managers must be aware of in designing fast, effective, successful development programs.

In summary, this book is very readable, indeed it is designed "...for the business leader, to be read in the time it takes to fly from Chicago to San Francisco or Denver to Miami." True to one of the key concepts, the book is clear, concise and to the point.

About the author:
Charles L. Fred is a thought leader in performance improvement and an expert in learning speed. He is the founder and CEO of The Breakaway Group, which provides seminars and workshops to teach the concepts described in Breakaway. Formerly the CEO of Avaltus, a leading provider of e-learning services, he has also directed major change efforts in both the manufacturing and service industries, has consulted to successful companies around the globe, and has been a frequent speaker to major business forums and groups of senior executives over the past twenty years. Once a nationally ranked NCAA track athlete, he continues to compete in corporate races across the country. He lives in Centennial, Colorado, with his wife, Julie, and their three teenage children.

Review by Richard D. Turnquist.

What has really changed in our world in the last two decades? Time has sped up and surpassed all the other busienss variables in importance. These days time is more important than money.

To win in business, you must break away from the pack and stay ahead by serving your customers extraordinarily well. "Speed-to-proficiency is more than a theoretical advantage; it is the most devastating competitive weapon in a world where the competitive forces of scale, automation, and capital are subordinate to the power of a proficient work force."

I enjoyed this book, right from the first sentence -- "This book is designed for the business reader, to be read in the time it takes to fly from Chicago to San Francisco or Denver to Miami." Breakaway is an easy read with a vital message. Read it.

Breakway was clearly written by an author who has been in the trenches, growing a company and working with people. From its elegant organization to its intuitive set of theories Breakaway reinforces what we all know to be true - that a principled approach to business will achieve the best results. This book should be on every business person's must-read list.

As someone completely new to training this book was very helpful. It has several useful forms and other things that can be copied and easily used. It may be a bit basic for someone who has been in training for a long time tho.

This book would be good for someone, who needs guidance in the process of developing an effective training session. The authors' Shelila W. Furjanic and Laurie A. Trotman separated this training handbook into two parts. Part one focuses on the training process and part two on the LEARN process. In each part, it has many examples and samples to use as a guide, when developing a training session. It also provides valuable information that is a good reference, for a new trainer. Overall, this book is an excellent guide to anyone who is interested in developing a training program. It covers everything that a person needs to know, about the training process in one book. I have learned so much from reading this, that I am sure that it is going to be a very good reference for me in my future, career endeavors. This is more than a book; it is a handbook, in which I would recommend to anybody who is new to the training process.

I am very impressed with this easy to read and effective book on developing a training program within the organization. From figuring out whether or not training will solve a problem to creative strategies to get the audience thinking and involved, this book helped me make a mole hill out of a mountain!

Complete with easy to use forms and handouts, I didn't need to purchase any other book but this one! Pretty good when you think of all the money that is spent on developing such programs.....!

Excellent book to read on public speaking. I have read and reviewed on Amazon 37 public speaking books. This book is in the top five that I would recommend. The book is very easy to read yet the author is aggressively analytical about what makes a good story that would be effective in a speech. He traces his early thoughts on what makes a good story to his more recent fleshed out analysis. What makes some stories grab you and others boring? Read this book. Stories of mythology are very old and still make connections deep in the soul. Robinson explains the ingredients of what makes these stories great. In his view, there is a universal theme or structure to the good stories. The hero has separation from his group, initiation and then return or integration. You might think of it as a template for making your own classical story for modern times. He does a stellar job on helping the reader search for and develop what might become your signature stories. The book one of those word of mouth success stories as the Amazon sales rank keeps climbing.

Read it on the flight back from California, and laughed out loud on the plane, so much so that the other passsengers asked me to pass the book up and down the aisles. A must for actual and potential speakers, storytellers, lovers of humor, Americans, sothern Americans, guys, educators, sports fans, and everybody else. And with an underlying philosophy/message, and lots of great allusions. I've known Grady Jim as a speaker, but this is the first book of his I've read, and it's a hoot and an eye-opener. Have fun, and tell a friend about it.

Mythology expert Joseph Campbell wrote, "It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation." Veteran speaker and storyteller Grady Jim Robinson adds, "Science can teach us the empirical truths and laws of the universe, but it is another domain that reveals the meaning behind those laws. Through the symbols and archetypes of story or myth, human beings connect at the deepest levels. Storytelling -- like painting, music, literature, poetry, or dance -- is an art form. And art in its purest state brings the viewer or listener into the very presence of the divine."

For years, Robinson has shared with audiences stories of his early life in small-town Arkansas: a sensitive boy, growing up in the shadow of an older brother who excelled in sports and schoolwork, and the even greater shadow of a gruff father who towered over the area as a highly successful sports coach. The stories paint vivid and unforgettable pictures of a young boy confronting his first Little League at-bat against a menacing pitcher nicknamed "Fishhook," or being pushed out unexpectedly on to the court by his father as the unwilling fifth player at a B-team basketball game so his team would not forfeit.

Robinson discovered that these stories resonated at a profound level with audiences from Harlem to Hollywood. Why? Most of them had no actual experience of life in rural Arkansas. In one case an African American woman who grew up in Harlem told Robinson that in listening to his stories about his father, she felt he was talking about her own father. Robinson sought to understand how this could be.

He discovered Joseph Campbell.

Campbell showed that in cultures around the world and throughout the centuries, universal symbols and themes have emerged in story and legend to which human beings instinctively respond. And the most basic ingredient of all is the "hero's journey," in which the subject leaves his familiar life and embarks on a quest, facing archetypal foes and challenges one after another until confronted with the Supreme Ordeal which will change him forever. He then returns, so changed, to the world he left, bringing the result with him. It is the stuff of "Beowulf" and it is the stuff of "Star Wars." It is the stuff of a young boy in Arkansas determined not to duck when Fishhook's first pitch comes rocketing toward the plate.

It is the stuff, believes Robinson, of which life-changing and memorable speeches are made.

In this book, Robinson examines the nature of human stories in detail, exploring their power, the elements that make a good story, and the trance-like state that audiences fall into while a story is being told. He presents several of his best-known stories and analyzes what he has done to make them most effective. And he presents a number of ideas to get readers started on identifying and shaping the powerful stories from their own lives, because he believes everyone has faced trials and tribulations that will strike universal chords with audiences.

"The human story is life-giving, uplifting, tender, inspiring, and funny, filled with wonder and awe," writes Robinson. "It is deeply painful at times, challenging, requiring courage, faith, and hope. Your story is life-shaping, hilarious, and it is *your* story. Tell it."

If you can find a way to hear Grady Jim live, don't miss the opportunity. If not, get this book!