andreweverett360 Book Review, Management

Good Charts Workbook: Tips, Tools, and Exercises for Making Better Data Visualizations

Good Charts Workbook: Tips, Tools, and Exercises for Making Better Data Visualizations

by Scott Berinato

A good visual representation of data can be invaluable for communicating the meaning behind the numbers. This book walks the reader through the thought process and choices in creating visualizations for a variety of cases. “It’s rare you don’t have to make a trade-off to create a good chart… Most of the time there isn’t one right answer, one right chart.” The main topics covered in the book are clarity, color, chart types, and persuasion.

Clarity. Berinato emphasizes decluttering to put the focus on what you want to communicate. “Take stuff away… Remove redundancy… Limit color and eye travel… Use your headline to describe the main idea of a chart, not its structure.”

Continue reading “Good Charts Workbook: Tips, Tools, and Exercises for Making Better Data Visualizations” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

TED Talks Storytelling

ted-talks-storytelling

TED Talks Storytelling: 23 Storytelling Techniques from the Best TED Talks

by Akash Karia

The premise of this book is that “the best speakers on the TED stage were the ones who had mastered the art of storytelling.”

The first 30 seconds are critical. “Opening with a story is a tested and proven method for grabbing audience attention and keeping your audience mentally engaged.” Continue reading “TED Talks Storytelling” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Life’s a Pitch

lifes-a-pitch

Life’s a Pitch: The Essential Guide to Presentations

by Terry Ward

Terry Ward uses a broad definition of the word presentation. “Every time you want to persuade, motivate, or inspire, you are making a presentation… The spoken word is a persuasive media… If you want to move people to action, speak to them.”

“The most important aspect of being an effective presenter is your state of mind… We are talking about adopting a state of mind that is listener focused…The more you disappear into your message, the more your audience will trust and respect you… The speakers we remember most are the ones who talked to us in plain English and with sincerity and simplicity. They were authentic in their intentions to bring value to the listeners.”

A recurring theme in this book is to keep things simple and concise. “Present only information that is CORE—concise, organized, relevant, and essential—to your listener… Make it simple and easy to understand… In fact all four essential elements of communication—behavior, content, interaction, and state of mind—benefit from a focus on keeping it simple.” Continue reading “Life’s a Pitch” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Pitch Perfect

pitch-perfect

Pitch Perfect: How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time

by Bill McGowan

Bill McGowan was a broadcast journalist before becoming a media coach and trainer to executives, athletes, and celebrities. This book provides guidance on preparing for media interviews, speeches, conference panels, wedding toasts, eulogies, and other situations.

The Seven Principles of Persuasion are the foundation. Continue reading “Pitch Perfect” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, General

The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map

quick-easy-mind-map

The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map

by Thomas C. Randall

This book introduces the topic of mind mapping.  A mind map is a diagram used to visually communicate the relationships between ideas.  The mind map starts with a keyword or short phrase. Lines are drawn out to sub-ideas, then to sub-sub-ideas if applicable.

The book explains several uses for mind maps, such as: Continue reading “The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

The Articulate Executive in Action

the-articulate-executive-in-action

The Articulate Executive in Action

by Granville N. Toogood

This book is about the importance of communication skills in business, with a particular emphasis on meetings and presentations.  “If you’re not competent with language, you’re not likely to connect, no matter how smart you are.” The main theme is what Toogood calls communication value added (CVA), of which there are seven principles: “Never bore. Give value. Rule your PowerPoint—don’t let it rule you. Talk from experience. Know whom you’re talking to. Tell stories. And be ready.” Continue reading “The Articulate Executive in Action” →