Excellent resource for facilitators
582866
Excellent book for facilitators that are trying to make communications better and resolve conflicts. I found the gradients of agreement scale to be a very valuable tool.
506494
I found this book an excellent resource and I have purchased copies for my CEO clients.  Rather than take the simple task oriented approach of tools and tips, Greg stresses the need to build a culture of accountability and provides a practical process for the design and build of that culture.  While another reviewer may be looking for a more quantitative approach or framework, my clients have found the concepts balance between depth of understanding and practical application.  Greg writes from his own experience.  I am also a Vistage Chair and found that practicality refreshing and useful.  My clients are thinkers, but they also want to get to the action steps needed to create what they are reading about in their own businesses.  The stories and experiences Greg shares are clear and compelling examples that do not shy from the challenges or personal change needed to build a culture of accountability.  And Greg does not ask us to wade through chapters of theory to get to the material that is most utilitarian.
1885482
I have just stepped into the world of facilitation six months ago after switching from Investmente Banking to Human Resources at my company.  My personal interest consists in helping people find insipration in their places of work, and this book was a powerful guide since it starts stating that we don't have to teach anything to anybody; rather, it focuses on describing how to set appropriate conditions so that people can be able to cooperate, one meeting at a time.
709562
Some of us listen better with a pen or pencil in our hands. A lot of us probably got chastised for this in school -- I certainly did. If you're like me, inside this book you'll find not only a whole support group for your doodling habits, but an explanation for why drawing while listening (or watching someone draw while listening) actually makes it easier to follow a conversation and to retain what was said. It's also a wonderful introduction to the field of visual practice.

Visual Meetings is written in a clear, concise style. It explains how to facilitate meetings and engage groups in a whole new way. If you are already a facilitator, this book will take you the rest of the way to start doing it visually. If you are a beginning facilitator, there are lots of tips to help you grow more confident and skilled. And if you're thinking "but I can't draw," don't worry! You can do everything in this book too. Step-by-step descriptions tell you how to do everything from developing a basic visual vocabulary, to hanging large sheets of paper, to managing groups of all sizes and kinds. It's a great resource for practicing visual facilitators, too. I recommend it very highly.
1348614
This book provides a continuum of research based intervention strategies for a variety of behavioral issues that may be encountered in the educational setting.  This is a valuable resource for teachers, therapists, and for school Response to Intervention teams. Each chapter focuses on a specific intervention strategy that is explained with step by step instructions and with clear examples. There are a variety of reproducible data collection sheets provided at the end of each chapter and a CD for additional access to forms. I was immediately able to implement strategies with my challenging students and quickly saw positive results  This book provides an intervention toolbox that will make you a more effective educator.
3555707
Excellent tool for anyone wishing to use restorative approaches in their work with students and/or implement a Restorative Justice program on their campus. I've also participated in the RJ Facilitator Training that David Karp and Duke Fisher offer and highly recommend that as well. This is such an excellent approach to communication that creates understanding, rebuilds trust, and repairs harm. The book does a really good job explaining each step of the Restorative Justice conference model.
1502784
This is an excellent resource for solution-focused counseling. The author writes in a clear style and makes even complicated concepts easy to understand. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the newest in solution-focused counseling.
4145876
I really liked this book. In many ways, it stands far above other instructive books on improving communication that I have read. It is extremely well-organized and very well-written, making complex principles of how conversations and relationships can suddenly head "south" easy to grasp.

The difference between the SAVI model of communication introduced in this book and other cognitive and behavioral approaches that I have been exposed to (and all have been useful in my life) is that this model actually provides a structure in which to improve the quality of communication and interaction amongst individuals. It offers guidelines that identify exactly when, how and why the intended goal of a conversation got lost, and steps to steer you back in the right direction.  SAVI focuses on observable behavior, not on any imagination of the meaning of the dialogue's content or the person speaking.

That is very useful in my line of work. I instruct student and licensed bodyworkers in therapeutic communication skills. Bodyworkers are trained to observe cues from clients; SAVI is a verbal extension of that expertise. Based strictly on observation, conversation is analyzed for its verbal and tonal behavior and not a therapist's perception of the meaning of the words. That makes the training offered in this book an ideal tool for bodyworkers.

I also appreciate that the authors use no marketing ploys in offering their expertise. Their advice is simple and realistic - it takes practice to change unproductive verbal behaviors and thought patterns. That said, they generously provide the means by which the reader can develop the skills to more productively engage in dialogues in a variety of situations (work, personal and family.)

To me, Conversation Transformation is much more than just a book. It's more like one component of a well-thought-out, full-fledged training program in how to recognize and overcome destructive verbal communication behaviors. For the low price of this book, readers are also given access to a leading-edge educational model that includes hard material (the book), web-based classes and testing, and live classroom practice and supervision. Terrific value.

The only restraining force for me is that the SAVI grid (page 212) is presented in black and white. I would prefer that the publisher had printed it in color.
4133978
Activators is a valuable resource for all educators who are interested in what engagement strategies look like, why they are important, and how to integrate them into classroom practice. What I found most useful is that each part--the foundational "why," the descriptive "what," and the practical "how"-- were all given equal attention. Frazier and Mehle anticipate and address questions around grouping, content "coverage," common core, application across the disciplines, and more. The reflective nature of the book offers ways for teachers to make the activators their own. I am already thinking of how I can use this in my own work with community college students.
1381475
This is indeed a revolutionary process to facilitate strategic planning workshops. It is extremely unusual that a facilitator shares the elements of  process to such an extent. This book is a "must read" and a "must use" for every facilitator.
3629720
I've really appreciated the approach the authors have taken by establishing a shared vocabulary as a baseline for everything that follows. In my own experience, the concepts of channels and touchpoints have been tricky to wrap my head around, let alone have a conversation on with other partners and clients. Part 1 does a solid job putting these together. And the content that follows provides a systematic approach to understanding the current state of an experience and then how to create a vision for and execute on an improved experience that betters meets the needs of your customers. I'm looking forward to utilizing the workshop templates provided.
I'd previously explored many of the tools and ideas presented in the book through the excellent writing on Adaptive Path's Ideas blog and through other human-centered design resources - but having one reference book that ties these techniques and more together into a coherent framework is immensely valuable. We will be purchasing extra copies to have on hand for our team to dig into.
3217134
As a leader and facilitator with over 20 years' experience in building high performing teams, I find Neel's book to contain a wealth of information. He has presented the latest thinking in a concise and considered way, and has created an excellent resource for busy leaders. His material reflects his own considerable experience in working with teams and I would not hesitate to recommend this book as a must read for all team leaders.
1269018
For beginners to advanced - this is a great resource.
4316202
This is a terrific resource for any practitioner who wants to incorporate art therapy into her practice. The exercises are well organized with a legend indicating whether they're suitable for groups, individuals or both. Most of these are described in terms of using them in a hospital setting, but most are appropriate for other settings as well.
34943
It's no secret that there's a shortage of quality books addressing the topic of fundraising operations (also called development or advancement services). This book is a welcome relief to this shortage.&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/An-Executive-s-Guide-to-Fundraising-Operations-Principles-Tools-Trends-The-AFP-Wiley-Fund-Development-Series/dp/0470610018/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">An Executive's Guide to Fundraising Operations: Principles, Tools & Trends (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series)</a>&nbsp;fills the gap nicely with a well organized and well researched text. This book isn't just another "how-to," but includes perspectives from the field in the chapter titled "Decision Advice from the Field." These contributions from practitioners in the field help bring additional context to the terms, concepts, and examples showcased elsewhere in the text.

I believe this book of great value, not just for the non-profit executive manger as the title suggests, but also for front line fundraisers. Regardless of your position in the organization, this book will help you better appreciate the theory and application of effective fundraising operations and will help you better utilize this organizational asset for accurate and timely information and help ensure donor satisfaction and retention.
2418761
I would recommend that this book be read by every project team leader as  it does a good job clarifying roles of teams, its members and facilitation  basics (right down to which color markers to use on a flipchart.)It's a  good, nuts and bolts template for first-time facilitators. I'm an  experienced technology trainer (6 years). This book was a quick-read and  worked well for me when I needed to work with a task force troubleshooting  interdepartmental communications.  Book needs some proofreading - found  lots of grammatical errors (distracting to me). Case study examples mainly  focused on "what went wrong" but did drive some good points. Not  an in-depth facilitation resource but worth it's price.
4914858
This is a thorough and comprehensive resource for any therapist interested in understanding how to utilize empty-chair and two-chair dialogue, or for any therapist wishing to understand process-experiential therapy. This resource includes the theoretical foundations of chairwork and how to directly apply process-directive techniques in the therapeutic setting.  Excellent.