Just another WordPress site
Speaker: Nancy Duarte
Title: The Secret Structure of Great Talks
Subject: Storytelling
Rating: 7/10
Duarte wrote a blog post for Harvard Business Review on this same subject.
Author: Kelly McGonigal
Format: Audible
Subject: Willpower
Rating: 7/10
McGonigal points outs that there are three distinct types of willpower: I Want Power, I Will Power, and I Won’t Power. When most of us think of willpower, we are actually thinking of “I Won’t Power.” We are exercising “I Won’t Power” when we try to resist instant gratification such as eating a cookie, or binge-watching a favorite show. “I Will Power” comes into play when we sacrifice comfort in the present moment, in order to achieve a larger payoff in the future. We exercise this power when we save for retirement, or invest 4 years in college in order to have our dream career. Lastly, we have “I Want Power.”
McGonigal gives several tips for developing and maintaining self control, and cites multiple studies that support the sometimes counter intuitive findings. I plan to add a kindle electronic copy of this book to my library, and I may have a few future post about my experience with the willpower exercises in the book.
I can’t quite remember how this book wound up on my reading list. I do know that the I find the topic of willpower to be interesting. But I’d expect the key selling point was actually a TED Talk that I watched a few years ago; The speaker was none-other, but the authors twin sister Jane McGonigal.
What I liked Most About the Book:
Key Takeaways:
Best Methods for Dealing with Stress:
Author: Robert B. Reich
Format: Audible
Subject: Capitalism
Rating: 7/10
Economics to be a pretty captivating subject, so long as it doesn’t get too deep into theory. I also enjoy listening to ideas that are somewhat counter to my own. Its an exceptionally effective way to broaden one’s views. Reich’s writing is based on the idea that we spend most of our time debating the wrong question: Free Market versus Government. He argues that (rightly so,) that the Free Market cannot exist without the government, and that the real question is how should the laws that govern the free market be determined.
Reich focuses a lot of his attention on laws governing bankruptcy, property, and contracts have changed over time. He highlights those changes as specifically helping corporations and the wealthy while weakening the every day citizen. Reich truly believes that capitalism can exist in a manner that is much more beneficial to the masses. His final call to action is that Americans don’t have to accept things the way they are.
What I liked Most About the Book: It served as an excellent reminder that the free market is fundamentally a human construct.
Memorable Quotes:
Authors: Pam Farrel / Bill Farrel
Format: Audible
Subject: Relationships
Rating: 5/10
One morning last fall, I was having a casual conversation with a coworker about a remodeling project my wife and I were planning. “I drive my poor wife crazy,” I said. We will be discussing the project and next thing I know she is rambling off a seemingly never-ending list of ideas, questions, and concerns. My response, “Whoa, one thing at a time!” That is when my coworker laughed, and jokingly told me that I was a waffle. She told me about a book she had read with her husband as part of their small group at church. I was immediately intrigued. In fact, I downloaded the book and began listening to it that day on my way to lunch.
The title of the book aptly defines its thesis that men process thoughts and emotions very differently than women. Men tend to compartmentalize thoughts and emotions and subsequently deal with them one at a time. The author relates these compartments to the individual squares you see on a waffle. On the other hand, women tend to approach thoughts an emotions as part of a grand picture where everything is interconnected with everything else. Hence the term spaghetti. When you combine the two concepts, you wind up with spaghetti and waffles.
What I liked Most About the Book: The title says it all. Having a better understanding of how men and women process thoughts and emotions differently pays some hefty dividends. The concept helps me communicate better with my wife, friends, and coworkers.
What I liked Least About the Book: The author took an exceptional lesson and stretched it way to far. This book could have easily been about a quarter of the length. After the author teach the title-lesson, they spend the rest of the book desperately trying to project other aspects of their individual personalities and marriage onto the audience.
Memorable Quotes:
Author: Roger Dawson
Format: Kindle
Subject: Negotiations
Rating: 8/10
Negotiating is a big part business and everyday life, so I was eager to dive into the details of this book. Dawson didn’t disappoint me in the least; this is a well written book. The author intermixes a variety of negotiating tactics with real-life examples. The chapters and tactics build upon one another in an easily understood manner. Furthermore, the book does an excellent job of mapping out the negotiation process from beginning to ending. Dawson also covers strategies for dealing with impasses, stalemates, mediation, and arbitration.
After reading this book, I truly believe that I am an above average negotiator. As a matter of fact, I have also already used several of these tactics during negotiations in both my personal and professional life. Lastly, I am completely confident that this book has already paid for itself many times over since I read it last fall.
What I liked Most About the Book: I gained a ton of insight about the topic of negotiating, and it was an easy read.
Knowledge Nuggets: