Here are this month’s latest DVD titles:
11.22.63
The Angry Birds movie
April and the Extraordinary World
The Bronze
Dough
Fathers & Daughters
The Huntsman : Winter’s War
Jane Wants a Boyfriend
Manhattan Night
Me Before You
Mother’s Day
The Nice Guys
Ratchet & Clank
Roots
Sky
Sunset Song
You may browse the entire DVD collection via the library catalog.
Everyone in business is selling something – pitching a product; launching a company; convincing a client; supporting an idea; advancing a career. Managers are responsible for influencing decisions and motivating others, but not everyone is naturally persuasive. Dozens of books offering advice on making an impression or promoting an idea are published every year, but it is not easy to know which ones are best. These 3 new books in the Ford Library are rated 4.5 to 5 stars on Amazon.com.
Gallo, Carmine. The Storyteller’s Secret. St. Martin’s Press, 2016.
Executive coach and author of two bestselling books about making presentations, Carmine Gallo uses 100 compelling tales to illustrate how to craft a brief and emotional story about overcoming adversity and hardship to captivate an audience.
Also available as an audiobook on OverDrive.
Port, Michael. Steal the Show. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
Author and professional actor Michael Port demonstrates how to use acting techniques, such as stagecraft and improvisation, to overcome fear and to improve everyday performances, including giving speeches, closing deals and nailing job interviews.
Nguyen, Kenny and Gus Murillo. The Big Fish Experience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.
Co-founders of Big Fish Presentations show how to create an unforgettable experience for the audience by creating engaging content, adding memorable visuals, and developing a powerful delivery.
Engal, Bart. Leading through language: Choosing words that influence and inspire. Wiley, 2015.
Desperately searching for a model strategic plan, I reviewed the 2016 plan produced by an elite university library. The first page listed new strategic directions, including these three:
All 5 pages of the strategic plan use this cryptic language.
This is not unusual. Managers often use particular phrases to capture complex ideas, assuming that the audience understands their meaning. Stringing these phrases into sentences and paragraphs makes it even less comprehensible.
In his new book Leading Through Language, Bart Egnal, CEO of The Humphrey Group, a communications consulting firm, explains that in the business world, jargon often undermines effective leadership. He uses his experience as an executive coach to explain why people use jargon and how leaders can use clear language to convey their ideas and to influence others.
Egnal begins his book by explaining that use of jargon can be positive. Jargon used within a small group of similar people fosters a sense of shared identity or serves as shorthand for concepts that everyone knows. But Egnal catalogs many negative types jargon, such as the unnecessary add-on (At the end of the day; Having said that) or the baffling noun cluster (Team strategy plan priorities) that confuse the listener. He encourages speakers to adopt the mindset of a leader, to communicate ideas clearly and to use every conversation as an opportunity to inspire action.
To speak as a leader, Egnal recommends developing a mental script of well-defined ideas that are ready to be articulated as communication opportunities arise. Scripts are adapted for particular audiences and delivered with authenticity and conviction. Every script has a clear subject, one sentence that defines the topic for the audience. An effective script also has a single leadership message that is positive, engaging and true and it ends with a call to action.
In Leading Through Language, Egnal shows how to articulate ideas that motivate others. He includes many examples of strong and weak messages. However, his book does not include something promised by the subtitle and the cover design – the specific “words that influence and inspire.” Nonetheless, this book is recommended for anyone who aspires to be a leader.
© Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business.
All rights reserved.
Ford Library will be open for our normal Semester / Term Hours on Labor Day, Monday, September 5th.
All Library services and resources as provided by our circulation desk attendants will be available except for research assistance.
Our professional staff, and expert reference librarians will return on Tuesday, September 6th to help guide you toward success in your MBA.
Good Luck in Fall Term 1!