Extremely practical - very welcome resource
342317
What I like about this book is the author's willingness to actually give examples, exercises, techniques and activities that he believes can democratize the adult classroom.  I'm sick of reading theoretical books that talk about the need to teach powerfully, be inclusive etc., etc., etc. but that don't actually give any suggestions for doing those things.  This book is the opposite! Don't get me wrong - Brookfield's suggestions are grounded in a theoretical analysis.  But I get the sense that he's a practitioner at heart and that he writes his books to help other practitioners.  If you're a working teacher of adults you'll walk away with some new ideas to try on Monday morning after reading this. There are lots of exercises I'm eager to try in my own classes.
2879514
The word "Practical" in the subtitle is no exaggeration. Practicalities characterize this book, which is not surprising given that one author is a senior litigation counsel with GE and the other is deputy leader of the international arbitration practice at Shearman & Sterling. This blend of talent, approach, background and track record from client and outside counsel highly experienced in dispute resolution has resulted in this most readable, inspiring, hitch-hiker's guide to the nitty-gritty of business dispute resolution, making making the book quite unique, refreshing and - indispensable.

Theory has been replaced by what you actually need to know, and are quite likely to encounter, in the real world. Most of the content fills the gap between what you get taught and the actual competencies needed to succeed in the dispute resolution group of any in-house corporate law department or progressive law firm.

Dispute resolution clauses in contracts are too often seen as boilerplate text, to be drawn from the most accessible precedent. This book corrects that fallacy. The first 20% is devoted to getting the dispute resolution clause right from a conflict avoidance and resolution standpoint, and the next 5% provide valuable hands-on guidance on negotiating agreements drawn from hard-knock experience. The rest is weaved around the core thread of outcome generation - getting any dispute that arises successfully resolved as painlessly and cost-effectively as possible. It has a strong problem solving, rather than process, orientation. What do you do when a dispute arrises and preferably before it escalates further? How to prepare for the worst? How to strive for the best way forward? How to get the other party to the negotiating table in the right frame of mind? Can you negotiate while retaining your leverage and projecting strength? How do you finding the right mediator? Navigating through arbitration, enforcement and the follow-through, and tons more.

Also, Arbitrators and Mediators will find in this book some seriously important aspects, to be ignored at peril, about how clients and the users of their services view their work and profession.

Readability and user-friendliness mark this book out as unique in the field. Numerous short boxed texts pepper the pages with things to watch out for, under the heading Not that this ever really happens... though of course anything can happen to the unwary and unprepared. The authors also pose frequent boxed questions touching on the very things that really do happen, and then provide a down-to-earth answer.

McIlwrath and Savage have presented us a tool that is unlikely to find its way onto a shelf. It's a desktop helpline. More accurately, its a lifeline.
1921982
An extremely practical book. It is really worth its price.
1909131
Wow, this is an incredible resource to start the new year! From the moment I picked up The Art and Science of Training it felt unique. I would call it a how to guide for training practitioners. Each chapter is titled based on the most relevant learning and development challenges.  For example, How can we best transfer of learning to the workplace? (Chapter 9 outlines fresh advice and great activities to implement before, during, and after training.)  What are the best ways to prepare in order to foster a positive learning environment? (Chapter 6 is full of tips, along with a fabulous logistics checklist.) What kinds of information do stakeholders want to truly show training was effective? (Chapter 11 -Why Bother with Assessment and Evaluation - is my favorite.  It offers simple, powerful questions to ask based on each evaluation level.  It also inspired new ideas for me to better articulate ROI and ROE!)
I especially love the innovate format of this book. At the end of every chapter, the author highlights what we know for sure, the art part of each topic, and art and science questions to ask, along with additional resources on the specific content.  These pieces are perfect for taking a deeper dive and/or challenging my professional development.  I highly recommend adding this book to your 2017 must read list!
1418948
For the beginning farmer, this book is an excellent resource.  It's chock full of practical suggestions (based on the farmer's years of experience) and examples for keeping records on the farming enterprise.  At this point I'm about half-way through the book and have not yet accessed the CD which is included, but I expect the remainder of the book and CD will be just as useful as the first half. Sometimes I feel "organizationally challenged" but with this book I do not have to "reinvent the wheel" and can make better decisions about my farm because I will know precisely where I stand with the finances.

This book not only addresses finances, but also time-management issues which are just as important as the dollars and cents.  The happiness factor is greatly enhanced when your life is in balance and you feel like you are reaching your goals. This book also addresses dealing with staff which is a huge topic in itself.

Thank you, Richard Wiswall, for writing this book and saving me several hundred hours of my life trying to figure out how to balance the books and keep my sanity.  You are as much of a hero to me as Joel Salatin is for his insignts and leadership in organic farming.
508377
This book has turned out to far better than I thought it would be when I first saw the title and description.

Even though I have been in business development support for years and additionally have an informal background in marketing as well, nevertheless I found this book to be highly useful and deeply insightful in not only locking together existing concepts I already knew well, but in teaching multiple valuable new marketing concepts and principals that I did not know.

Darren's basis for much of his book is based very directly on the teachings of Jesus to a much greater extent than I was expecting, with a natural flow and without forcing it. In short, I am very, very impressed with this book. It is a valuable resource for anyone looking who wants to learn how to do marketing correctly and for the right reasons.
3339733
This is one fantastic resource. Dr. Landsberg did a great job of condensing a wealth of knowledge into a pocket-sized textbook. The information is well-organized, quick and easy to find. The algorithms and diagrams he created are immensely useful. I also very much enjoy his common "misconceptions and mistakes" at the beginning of each chapter. I think many clinicians (including myself) carry some of these around and it is great to have my previous understanding challenged, expanded upon, and in some cases, completely shifted. Lastly, the photos, imaging, and actual patient cases are very useful. Having this book on hand is like having Dr. Landsberg rounding with you no matter where you are, except rounds don't take as long!
429769
The author is a complete pro in putting this book together. No topic is missed in this amazing resource!  Everything you might think to ask is talked about in the most clear and easy to understand style.  The book is written much like a "dummies" book with highlighted tips, resources and cautions but it is even more extensive than any of those I have seen. The information discussed includes legal issues, creating a volunteer team and managing them, creating very basic as well as more advanced fund raising events and projects with all the details you will need.  I really liked listening to and using the information on the CD at the back of the book as well. It all makes me feel like I can be great at this with short work and that is really saying something!
3878089
This book is great!  Linda Mason's advice is so practical and doable.  I wish it had been written when my first child was born.  Unlike other books, this book really works for all women -not just professional or working women. I especially liked her advice around building a sense of community and mutual support.  We don't need to do everything all on our own!!
I took pleasure in the tone of the book - very engaging, uplifting, universal and practical.  Bought a half dozen copies as holiday gifts.
264937
Extremely practical book and very insightful.
4494945
this book was amazing! Very practical, full of real-world, relatable advice. I am very appreciative of it. I am also thankful for the collaboration that happened between interweaving the pros' perspectives, experiences, hacks and lessons together. I ended up visiting most of their sites, buying their books and/or following them through social media so I can receive their updates. This book was easy to follow, easy to read front to back and had summaries at the end of each chapter with key takeaways. So ideal! Again, it was fantastic. If you are trying to get more done, or anything done, started, figured out, understood and expanded on, this is the book to help you find that clarity and inner wisdom.
2980319
I picked this up after meaning to for quite a while, and it's literally full of practical, no nonsense money saving tips. Great book, great resource - looking forward to finishing it off and putting more to use.
4071653
Dr. Pipes has done it again! Superb resource! I particularly enjoyed the effective combination of theological AND practical. For example, most believers know they should be having a life-changing quiet time with the Lord. Many do not for lack of practice or a model on how to begin. Pipes gives real-world help for those with a desire to start that most important discipline. His FIRM approach to evangelism is fresh. The reader will learn to share his faith effectively (FIRM) while strengthening his faith personally (Quiet Time). A great book to give out to church members or for mentors to work through in small groups.
4899328
The book, Comforting Children in Crisis, was a very good read. I really enjoyed going through it and will definitely be able to use this in any type of children's ministry I am in. I would highly recommend it to anyone working in any type of atmosphere with children. The first aspect of the book that I really liked is how organized it was. Each chapter goes through a different "crisis" that a child may be going through. This of course helps tremendously when trying to find out what tips and what scriptures to use with each "crisis". This also leads into the next part of the organization aspect of the book. With each "crisis" there is scripture help, care and counseling tips, additional resources, what not to say, what to say, and when to refer to someone else. These are sections within each chapter and there are bulleted responses, not a chapter to just read and try to figure out what the author might be saying. Because of the organization of this book, it is easy to use and easy to understand the tips. The next reason to why I would recommend this book is that it is practical. The different topics in this book can and will occur within whatever ministry you may have with children. This book is not outdated and the resources and tip in it are useful for today's time. The last reason I would suggest this book to anyone is the amount of people involved with writing this book. This book was not written by one specific author, it has many. It has at least two for each chapter. This gives so much insight into all the problems discussed in this book. There was a lot of research and different perspectives put into this book. That means it is not just one author's opinion on what can work, but a plethora of different counselors and others that have been working with children and the problems they face for a while. This book just has so much insight and organization that there is no way I would not suggest this to someone. It is just completely useful and well written for someone working with children.
692936
Very practical - helpful for the layman and scholar.  Actionable material on every page.  Will make your preaching improve 100% by giving you practical steps for putting sermons and talks together.  Absolutely love this resource!
4740379
As someone who enjoys planning a party, I was excited to have a chance to review this ebook.  Plan a Fabulous Party (Without Losing Your Mind) is more than worth reading. This is a fantastic resource!  Mary has planned a plethora of events both personally and professionally. She offers a ton of wisdom and practical advice, in between her real life examples. I also have to give her props for the excellent quotes she includes, including one of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan. If only she could have worked his Hot Pockets routine in...

One of the biggest takeaways for me is in terms of theme. I typically don't fuss over decorations, though I'm impressed with my friends that do. I focus more on the food and guests. I've thought more in the past year about being more intentional with theme and decorations. I really liked Mary's point that a theme is a unified approach. It helps us establish the purpose of the party. If my goal is for my guests to feel welcome, then how can the details of the party help me reach that goal? If the goal is for a birthday girl to feel celebrated, what are ways we can show that through the food, decorations, and favors?

Step by step, from picking a date to settling on the food, Mary walks us through the party planning process. Whether you're organizing a board meeting or throwing a pig roast in your back yard or this is first (or 100th) party you've ever thrown, you'll find the checklists and planning templates to be quite helpful.
3239239
This book is a fantastic resource with practical tips about how to maximize your contributions and gains when attending networking events. The focus on inclusion - and detailed tips and examples - are incredibly helpful. I love the croissant technique and can imagine putting this to good use and sharing with others!