Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Anyone interested in improving their ability to manage conflict and hold difficult conversations will benefit from reading Unlikely Teachers.

Q: What is the book about?
A: This book on Aikido and conflict is a practical tool to help the reader generate more power, presence, and flow in their relationships and in their life. Aikido is a martial art that views a physical attack as a gift of energy. Unlikely Teachers applies the Aikido metaphor to non-physical conflict—what we might call life’s “attacks”—such as arguments, everyday hassles, and the more serious problems we all face at some point in our lives.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I have been a writer, workshop leader, and black belt in Aikido for over 15 years and teach internationally on conflict transformation—the conversion of difficult challenges into useful energy.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: Unlikely Teachers is more than a “how-to” book. It offers personal stories, reflection, and direction on how to manage ourselves in difficult moments.

Q: Anything else we should know about this book?
A:One of my favorite things about Unlikely Teachers is its focus on practice. It offers simple, profound ways to begin to re-pattern responses to conflict that no longer work. Leadership author, Margaret Wheatley, endorsed the book saying:

This book is deliciously wise. It’s filled with stories that delight and teach in the same moment. And its wisdom, which is eternal, illuminates the path that leads us out of conflict and into deeper relationship with others and with ourselves.

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Leaders with responsibility for organizations, teams, tasks, and personal relationships. That includes executives, managers, and team leaders, as well as anyone interested in becoming more effective by improving their professional and personal relationships.

Q: What is the book about?
A: This is a guidebook to effective apology. The central conclusion of Effective Apology is that the willingness and ability to apologize are critical requirements of leaders today. The book supports this conclusion with over 75 examples of apology, both effective and ineffective, taken from the worlds of business, politics, sports, popular culture, and relationships. Leaders who believe that accountability, transparency, and humility are the hallmarks of modern leadership must understand the role apology plays in earning confidence, maintaining trust, and repairing mistakes.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: As a practicing business journalist for over 30 years, I’ve had the opportunity to study thousands of companies and their leaders. Many years ago I began to notice something interesting. Organizations and leaders that had a culture of apology and taking responsibility for their mistakes tend to be more successful than those which resist apologizing and deny responsibility.

I have also seen that personal relationships follow the same pattern. Marriages, friends, parent-child relationships all benefit when one or both parties know how to apologize. I have been successfully married for 34 years not because I haven’t made any mistakes, but because I have a certain capacity for taking responsibility for those mistakes and apologizing sooner rather than later.

This book brings together my professional and personal experiences to support my conclusion that apology is not free, but it’s less expensive than the alternatives of lying, denial, spinning, and stonewalling.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: Effective Apology is a practical, hands-on fieldbook on how to apologize. It offers practical suggestions, lists, suggested wording, and concrete advice on when to apologize and how to apologize in a variety of recognizable situations. Other books on apology tend to be philosophical or academic.

My book is hands-on. It shows you what to say and what not to say. It focuses on the role of apology in repairing relationships and further reconciliation. The book argues that there is but one test of effective apology: does the apology tend to repair the relationship that has been strained and support the eventual reconciliation of the parties.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: The book defines apology as the practice of extending yourself because you value the relationship more than you value the need to be right.

How do you know when you have apologized? Try this test.

Did you state in plain language what you did wrong? Did you accept responsibility for those errors without defensiveness or hedging? Did you express remorse (“I’m sorry”) in direct and personal terms? Did you offer appropriate restitution? Did you promise not to repeat the offense?

If your apology embraces each of these five components, you have offered a wholehearted apology. The book describes these five steps as the Five Rs: Recognition (“yes, I lost the cell phone you I borrowed from you.”), Responsibility (“I’m responsible. I was thoughtless with your property.”), Remorse (“I’m sorry.”), Restitution (“Of course, I’ll replace your phone.”), and Repetition (“I promise to be more careful in the future”).

Apology in a networked world is about giving up the desire to control the conversation. The willingness to apologize signals strength, character, and integrity—real leadership is impossible without it. Human progress occurs one apology at a time.

More information about the book is available www.effectiveapology.com

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Executives, emerging leaders, managers, business owners, and any professional who aspires to one day lead a company or work in a management role.

Q: What is the book about?
A: In today’s turbulent economy, more managers and executives than ever need to become leaders of employees – and that requires they know how to motivate and inspire a workforce like the most forward-thinking CEO.

“Motivating like a CEO” means connecting people with purpose and passion toward a common goal. This book addresses the necessity for leaders to discover purpose; communicate it to employees in a clear and powerful way; connect them to it in a shared sense of purpose; and help them fulfill their own, individual purposes.

Motivate Like a CEO will show you how to:
• Inspire people to embrace and share your vision
• Speak with energy and confidence in tough situations
• Turn challenges into opportunities
• Get your team engaged, in the loop, and tracking real results
• Make time in your schedule for sharing your message of motivation throughout your company

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: As the founder and CEO of Bates Communications, Inc., I’ve worked with top leaders and CEOs of companies from the Fortune 500 to startups on improving their communication skills. My team helps these leaders and emerging leaders deliver powerful speeches, successful sales presentations, impactful media interviews, and develop strategic communications plans. Over the years, we’ve noticed one factor that makes successful companies stand out from the rest – their leaders’ ability to motivate and inspire employees, customers, and stakeholders in any situation.

My first book, the bestselling Speak Like a CEO (McGraw Hill 2005), addressed the qualities leaders need to speak with impact and command attention. What evolved from that book was the need to address the motivational aspect of leadership communications. The companies that are going to succeed through these turbulent times are the ones whose leaders tell a genuine story, get people connected with a purpose and a vision, and inspire employees to discover their own passion. These are the companies that will achieve their strategic goals. Now, more than ever, I think this is essential for getting our economy back on track and rejuvenating our workforce.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: There are many books out there on motivation, and quite a few more on how to speak effectively, but this book ties in the two. I also wrote the book with executives and a business audience in mind, and interviewed dozens of successful CEOs and leaders who have found the “secret” to engaging their employees to achieve strategic goals.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: For me, one of the most exciting aspects of writing the book was being able to tell these unique, wonderful stories of CEOs and leaders who really “get it” – it being how to motivate and inspire. Some of the stories featured are those of the CEOs of Raytheon, Dow Chemical, and The North Face. One of the stories featured is that of a former executive of United Health who used the power of motivation and communicating a vision to get the entire company on board and “jazzed” about changing a long-standing operating procedure.

Lastly, I’m proud to announce that the book has been endorsed by many leading business authors (Marshall Goldsmith, Charles H. Green, Ken Blanchard) and CEOs themselves. Their thoughts can be found here: http://www.bates-communications.com/motivate/endorsements.php

More about the book can be found on my website: www.bates-communications.com/motivate/ or just by checking it out on amazon.com.

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Although the book is written for leaders and managers, Who’s in the Driver’s Seat? is a book for anyone who wants three easy steps they can apply, in any situation that will assist them to behave and communicate in ways that will always bring about a positive collaborative outcome.

Q: What is the book about?
A: Who’s in the Driver’s Seat?: Using Spirit to Lead Effectively, is a groundbreaking book that openly and honestly confronts the high operational cost of leadership ego. Dr. Gluckman provides some staggering statistics showing the degree to which leader ego is a measurable financial liability. She proposes that leadership spirit, on the other hand, is a quantifiable financial asset and competitive edge. Spirited Leaders display behavior and communication skills that build authenticity, unity, courage, collaboration and accountability.

The book is built around two leaders. George and Dave tell their stories, chapter by chapter, of how the different behaviors and language styles of the ego-driven George, and the spirited Dave, impact the performance of their respective teams. This is a practical, hands-on book that can be read quickly and applied easily.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: This practical, hands-on book is the culmination of many years of research and experience working with leaders around the globe. I have spent a large part of my life studying and working with great and not so great leaders in all industries. This has given me a deep understanding of the leadership traits and qualities that bring success and those that do not.

Originally, my expertise in leadership traits came from growing up in an apartheid South Africa led by arrogant, self-righteous, self-serving leaders. Their egos convinced them that being white made them superior and helped them to justify the shocking practice of apartheid.

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison and became president of South Africa, I worked with the leaders of the major organizations in South Africa who had to completely transform themselves and their organization to re-engage with millions of alienated employees.

Some leaders were able to reinvent themselves; others were not. This was when I discovered how the human spirit, when skillfully applied to business goals, will have a remarkable impact on the organization’s culture and economic performance.

I witnessed that the leaders who were able to energize the spirit of their employees were able to motivate them to move mountains. These leaders all possessed the same fundamental leadership traits which I describe in Who’s in the Driver’s Seat?

I am a sought after keynote speaker and talk show guest and have lectured for the Executive MBA Program at TWU and the University of Dallas, Graduate School of Management. I have published extensively in business journals and authored a chapter in Mission Possible.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: This book offers a model for significantly increasing the ROI delivered by leaders and their teams – from boardroom to backroom. The groundbreaking concept behind Who’s in the Driver’s Seat? is that every organization possesses a powerful energy and spirit but most leaders do not know how to tap into it and apply it to the business goals. This is the first and only leadership book that teaches a model of how to use corporate spirit as a quantifiable financial asset.

Who’s in the Driver’s Seat? is a practical, easy-to-read book that offers a step-by-step process for energizing and operationalizing organizational spirit. This model is known as Spirited Economics™.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Ego is not a bad thing. We all need ego as long as we recognize how it shows up for us, when it shows up for us and how to keep it in check.

Organizations are now giving serious attention to ego as an unnecessary expense that is drastically hurting their bottom line because leadership ego de-energizes employees.

There are approximately 22 million switched-off employees in the USA today, costing the economy up to $350 billion a year (Gallup, 2007). This book provides practical tools to replace ego with leadership behavior and communication that energizes the spirit of the people and creates a sustainable organization.

Visit my website http://www.sandygluckman.com to get a free download of a white paper on Spirited Economics™, browse my blogs or to buy my book.

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: This book is for the busy professional who wants to accelerate his or her success. For America’s 2.3 million executives, 4.3 million salespeople, 6.8 million waiters, 735,000 lawyers, 567,000 doctors, 212,000 coaches, 842,000 police officers, 3.8 million teachers, 1.0 million security guards – and everyone else who deals with the public, makes presentations, negotiates with or manages people – success is tightly linked to nonverbal communication. And yet, most business professionals haven’t had any training in reading the body language of others or in using their own body language effectively. These are the people who could use the nonverbal advantage!

Q: What is the book about?
A: Drawing from the latest discoveries in evolutionary psychology, neurobiology, medicine, sociology, criminology, anthropology, and communication studies – plus the author’s 25 years of practical experience using nonverbal behavior in her work as a therapist, management consultant, executive coach and keynote speaker, The Nonverbal Advantage is a skill-building tool, tailored for busy professionals by delivering comprehensive content in an easily accessible format. While many sources for nonverbal communication (including Web sites and research articles) are filled with esoteric jargon and lengthy scientific references, this book is based on the latest research, filled with anecdotes and practical information, illustrated with photos, cartoons and drawings – and handled with a light touch.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is one of the top female business speakers on the circuit today. As an executive coach, she has helped dozens of leaders learn how to build positive business relationships and project confidence, credibility, and inclusion. She brings all this practical experience to the reader.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: Although several books have been written about body language, there are only a few that focus on body language in a business setting, none that present the material in a condensed, yet content rich format, and none (except for mine) that is written by a professional business communicator.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: It’s gotten great reviews!

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: This is an easy to read and apply self-help book. It is suitable for anyone experiencing problems in their relationships whether that is at home or at work. Stop Being Pushed around: A Practical Guide is a tool for people to utilize if they believe that they are stuck in a rut and who feel unable to move on and progress in their relationships. It is a down to earth, commonsense book which is void of jargon.

Q: What is the book about?
A: The book is about the role of victim and survivor in relationships.

A ‘victim’ is someone who believes they have no control of their life.
A ‘victim’ believes that he/she can do nothing right.
A ‘victim’ believes that no-one really cares for them.
A ‘victim’ is always negative.
A ‘victim’ is waiting for someone to rescue them.
A ‘victim’ puts pressure on their partner to make everything all-right for them.
A ‘victim’ opts out of life.
A ‘victim’ is fearful.
A ‘victim’ is insecure.
A ‘victim’ is usually depressed or anxious.
A ‘victim’ feels under constant threat of something bad happening.
A ‘victim’ sabotages positive thinking and behavior.
A ‘victim’ is distrustful.
A ‘victim’ waits for disasters to occur.
A ‘victim’ will have emotional problems.
A ‘victim’ may turn to drugs or alcohol as a means of escape.
A ‘victim’ will be isolated from friends and family.
A ‘victim’ will withdraw from real life.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I have lived my life as a victim for many years. I have learned ‘the hard way’ how to stop being a victim and transfer to being a survivor. It is an empowering journey of self discovery.

I have been a mental health professional for 25 years. For the first 15 years I was employed by the Social Services Department in the UK and for remaining 10 years I worked as a Counselor in the primary healthcare setting. I have counseled countless numbers of people, during this period, who have become victims in their relationships.

All of the people I counseled didn’t realize that they were victims and believed that they had no control over their lives. Progressing from victim to survivor requires hard work on the part of the victim. It is achievable and the rewards are great. You are no longer under the control of another person. You are free to think and be the way you really are deep down without experiencing the pressure of control from your partner.

To find out is you are a victim please answer these questions.

· Do you feel able to discuss issues in your relationship with your partner?
· Does your partner ridicule you, humiliate you?
· Does your partner ‘play up’ if you are invited out with friends?
· Does your partner hold the financial purse strings in your relationship?
· Do you tend to agree with your partner rather than face the aggressive outcome if you do not agree?
· Does your happiness in your relationship depend on your partner’s mood?
· Do you feel trapped in your relationship?
· Do you think that you should stay in the relationship because you believe you cannot cope alone?
· Are you afraid of your partner?

Here are some examples of positive responses a victim can choose to make on how to deal with living with someone who, you feel, is controlling you:

· Take control of you and your life.
· Don’t be afraid to show your feelings. Learn when it is appropriate to do this.
· Encourage open discussions, to enable you both to have a better understanding of each other’s point of view.
· Realise you are never going to get it right so stop trying.
· Be reasonable, flexible and fair in your responses – but know when enough is enough (you will know when this happens by the feeling in your gut that screams – stop).
· Treat yourself kindly.
· Acknowledge how much you have achieved.
· Don’t be afraid to recognise your needs, wants and desires – you have a right to them.
· Accept that you ‘can’t have it all’ but make sure you ‘get some.’
· Take charge of you and know that any change you want to achieve in your life is up to you.

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: I wrote this book with a focus on the following audiences:

Those who are doing well and want more from life.

Those who have heard about NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and want to learn more.

Parents, coaches, members of the helping professions or managers who are looking for new ways and techniques to feel good about themselves, accomplish what they desire and to assist others to do so as well.

Those who are about to take an NLP seminar and would like to have a solid grounding before beginning.

Those who have studied NLP and are looking for a basic NLP reference book.

Q: What is the book about?
A: The core of the book is an introduction to NLP, but it is much more than that. In the book, I speak to you from different perspectives as the situation warrants:

As a coach to assist you to open up your thinking about yourself and the world around you.
As a guide to assist you in getting a sense of what NLP is and isn’t.
As a trainer to assist you in understanding and using NLP techniques.
As a source of knowledge so that you have access to a broad range of NLP tips and techniques.
As a friend who has and continues to benefit from using NLP.

Throughout the book, I share my life experiences with you and ask questions of you so that you too can explore new possibilities in your life or in assisting others. You are provided with sufficient information and questions for you to explore the question “What if I used this in my life or in interactions with others?”

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: My original background – Undergraduate degrees in the pure sciences, PhD (Statistics), Informatics Professional, Certified Management Consultant – at first glance does not make me an obvious candidate to write this book. However, I have been on a personal journey of discovery of ‘who am I’ for over 20 years. During this period I have studied many different personal development methodologies, have transformed my own life and have helped many others to do so as well. I have been a certified NLP trainer and coach since 1996.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: I start with the comments of a book reviewer at Amazon.com (I have never had any contact with this person):

“Ellerton is Brilliant, Concise, Precise, Lucid, and Comprehensive. This is an in-depth explanation of, journey through, and discovery of NLP in its most clear and most comprehensively engaging representation. By far the most comprehensive and thorough and easy-to-understand book on NLP. I’m still reading it (plan to read it cover to cover) and will constantly use it for reference.”

For the most part, the material is presented as if you were in a training session with me. That is, I address the four major learning styles: Why? (discussion), What? (teaching), How? (coaching) and What if? (self-discovery). For those who learn best by discussing the reasons why you would use NLP, I often present the material in a discussion format and ask questions of you to stimulate your thinking. Each aspect of NLP and the tips and techniques are presented in enough detail to satisfy those who prefer to explore the question “What is NLP?” The basic concepts and techniques of NLP are described in sufficient detail for you know how to apply them in your own life or with others.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Live Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up is available from all online stores such as Amazon.com and chapters.ca. If it is not on the shelf of your favorite bookstore, it can easily be ordered by them.

For additional information, please see www.live-your-dreams.biz

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Disenfranchised corporate flunkies, frazzled entrepreneurs, exhausted parents, squabbling spouses and anyone who needs a touch of grace to deal with the angst of daily life.

Q: What is the book about?
A: From TV and religion to sex and fast food, no topic is off-limits as syndicated humor columnist applies her edgy humor to the everyday issues that drive us all nuts. McLeod turns traditional thinking on its head by asking:

• What is the meaning of life, and why are other people so *#$%@! annoying?
• Can Sponge Bob get you into Mensa?
• Does Buddha need Botox?
• Why Isn’t marriage as exciting as dating?

Always funny, often touching, and sometimes politically incorrect, Finding Grace is a wickedly funny take on the people and problems that vex us all.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I’m the only person who can write about fake boobs, reality TV and annoying in-laws and turn it into a spiritual experience. I shine a light on the nutty behavior of humans and show readers how to find grace in the less than perfect moment they’re in.
I’m an expert in corporate disillusionment, mommy guilt, marital misery, slacker parenting, faux housework, flat-line libidos and drive-thru spirituality.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: It’s a bust a gut funny, and instead of telling you how to fix your life, I show how to actually enjoy it, warts and all.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Erma Bombeck’s daughter Betsy said, “Lisa McLeod is channelling my mother.”

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: The Confident Speaker is for those who experience public speaking anxiety and want to present themselves as more self-assured, poised, and charismatic.

Q: What is the book about?
A: This book is about opening up doors and opportunities by communicating with confidence. Speaking anxiety is addressed in all situations, from formal presentations in front of large audiences, to cocktail parties, to introducing yourself at meetings. Readers will no longer be held back by the fear of public speaking and will be confident to pursue all of their personal and professional goals.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I (Larina Kase) paired up with executive speech coach to CEOs and politicians, Harrison Monarth, on this book. I’m a licensed psychologist specializing in performance anxiety. A few years ago I was on clinical faculty at The Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at The University of Pennsylvania and I learned cutting edge treatments for speaking anxiety, which I was eager to share in this book. Harrison brings his expertise in how to create and deliver powerful presentations. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts and our combined backgrounds give readers everything they need to communicate with confidence.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: First, as I mentioned above, The Confident Speaker addresses both how to overcome public speaking anxiety and how to develop the presentation skills of top professional speakers.

Second, the research which this book is based on shows several fascinating findings which are not addressed in any other public speaking book. For example, recent research shows that the way that you focus your attention while preparing for your speech and delivering it (or while in conversations) is a key factor in whether or not you are self-conscious and nervous.

Third, The Confident Speaker gives specific action steps and coaching points for people to use in the real world, so it is like having your own personal coach.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Anyone can overcome public speaking anxiety. Using the strategies in this book I’ve helped hundreds of people, even those with severe performance anxiety, to become wonderful presenters. Reading a book will not make you a confident speaker, but reading it and putting it into practice absolutely will.