Fun with Ballet Stencils (Dover Little Activity Books)

Book Description

6 charming pre-cut stencils depict male and female figures in varied ballet poses. Hours of tracing and coloring fun; great for decorating walls, posters, more.

Customer Reviews:

Nice little gift item.......2007-02-23

I try to keep some of this handy little booklets on hand to give as gifts to young ballet students. They love them! A quality little item at a fair price.

Stickers.......2005-08-30

Wonderful for a little girl doing scrapbooking. My 7 year old niece that the stencils rocked!

Book Description

Famously elusive, Greta Garbo only had her picture taken when a contract required it. She shunned publicity, kept her private life a secret, and rejected the spotlight. Though ambivalent about fame and her public image, Garbo saved all of her favorite portraits, carefully archiving original prints by Clarence Sinclair Bull, Arnold Genthe, Ruth Harriet Louise, Edward Steichen, and Cecil Beaton, among others.
Published here for the first time are these portraits–impeccably reproduced in tritone, one more beautiful than the next. In addition, the book features family pictures, candid photographs, and letters previously viewed only by her closest friends and relatives.
Scott Reisfield provides an intimate portrait of his great aunt, spanning well beyond her career in the public eye–from the earliest days in Sweden when she would sneak through the back door of the theater to see actors rehearse, to her later years in New York when she traveled exclusively through back entrances, side doors, and secret elevators.
Co-author Robert Dance’s essay traces the evolution of the image of Garbo–from the ingénue of her first publicity shots to the icon that she became–while an illustrated film production history documents all the still photography and portraiture of her entire career.
Long treasured by her immediate family alone, this collection of photographs, and the essays that accompany them, form a spectacular tribute to Garbo, the woman and the myth, on the eve of her centennial.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent gift for any Garbo fan!!!!.......2007-01-19

I gave this book as a gift to a good friend. She enjoyed the book's pictures and information very much. The pictures are from one of Garbo's relatives, so these pics are not common. I was looking for a good informative piece with accurate Garbo memories, and I found them in this book. I would suggest this book if you're looking for something for a Garbo fan.

Photos nice, personal insights disappointing........2007-01-03

As a Garbo fan or really a Ms. G. fan. As she would say there is all the difference. With the thousands of pictures available this selection was o.k., not great. Good quality. Seems they could have been more creative, personal. Got the impression of a clever quick buck. The so called writing? Disappointing. Fluff, lacking detail, personal depth. Makes an attractive decorative addition to book collection.

Anatomy of Illusion.......2006-05-11

Garbo - Portraits from her Private Collection

Anatomy is the operative theme in Garbo's story. It has been said she had the ideal facial structure. To me, the most important thing to know about her is her will to excel. And her will to resist being dominated by the male chauvinist pigs who ran the studios of her era. Her story, then, is the anatomy of a woman who left her mark on a generation. Show business chews up those who aren't strong, then spits them out after sucking out their lifeblood. Women get terrible roles in films. Stereotypes. Vamps. Dumb. Home wreckers. Greta Garbo had, within the first few years of starting her career in America, effectively taken control of her films, getting the leading men she wanted, the cinematographers, directors, still photographers, costume designers.

Her films grossed two to three times as much revenue as the average film of her day. She represented about fifteen percent of MGM's revenue at one point. She was unique. She projected a sultry sexuality, an hauteur, a weltschmerz, an intelligence, an ability to resist love - then give in to all its pain. She represented everything men thought they wanted in a women, and represented for women everything they wished they were.

Some of the early still photos from the late 1920's are striking in their revelation of how captivating a woman's face can be. And for years after her film career effectively ended in 1941, the public was occasionally treated to photos which revealed how gracefully she aged from 1950 onward to her death in 1990 at age eighty-five in New York. She is buried in Stockholm, her home. A credit to two nations, she helped British intelligence during world war two by identifying NAZI sympathizers in Sweden.

Her grand-nephew knew her as Kata. The world knew her as Mata Hari, or Queen Christina. It was said she had no enemies in Hollywood. A bold statement about that venomous town. She was professional, dependable. Mayer, the head of MGM, said her word was better than any contract. The last forty years of her life she llived in the anonymity of New York, respected and liked by neighbors, shopkeepers, and her circle of friends.

She was frugal. She invested her money wisely. A good idea for a woman who, around 1935, had the highest salary of anyone in America. She lived her retirement years in comfort. She traveled, hobnobbed with Aristotle Onassis, Jackie Kennedy, John F. Kennedy - who gave her a piece of scrimshaw from his collection as a spontaneous act of appreciation of her. Within ten days, he was dead in Dallas. It was November, 1963, don't you know.

Frankly, most of the photos in the book don't do her justice. But then, she was a living woman. Only cinema could begin to show to advantage the characters she played. Only those who knew her personally could know what a fine, principled, truly lovely individual she was - that's true beauty. That's the real anatomy of a successful life. To be an inspiration to those who love you. Rest in peace, Kata.

Garbo : Portraits from her Private Collections.......2005-10-12

What a beautiful book this is, when I realised that they were releasing yet another 2 coffeee table books on Greta Garbo (GG.), I was a little apprehensive about buying them as I already own most of the published books on her and most have been rather overall a let down, full of the same quotes and background stuff, I thought that her life story before, during, and after her acting career was over had been fully explored. But I ordered them anyway, and I have to say this is a keeper.Its not too heavy on the bio side but has been published by the Reisfields ( her family) so it is the nearest to the real GG were ever going to find. And the rest of the book is simply STUNNING is full off quality photos of GG throughout her life, nearly all never released before, and some are quite breathtaking, I have been collecting GG stuff for years and have to say that this is the best book I have ever seen on her.BUY THIS BOOK YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED, its massive and very heavy ( God, I love super-saver as would have cost a fortune for this to be delivered from U.S.)and is now the gem of my collection.I am away to buy a spare as, no doubt this will be out of print soon, and will have to remorgage to buy it again, trust me its that good.

Beautiful and Intelligent... the book........2005-09-23

If you love the Garbo mystique, this is the book for you. These photographs of the star, collected by Garbo during her career, are amazing! Rizzoli's has created an excellent book and should be commended for bringing this book to press.

Reisfield, who is a nephew of Garbo, provide insight into her early years and a glimpse into the woman behind the Garbo name. Robert Dance has written a wonderful essay on the formation of Garbo's image, the film industry and photographers who helped create it.

The book also provides a surprising Film Production History which outlines the who, what, and where of virtually every Garbo photograph. A must for any Garbo connoisseur!

Book Description

For those who have never dipped their toes into the singular world of Glen Baxter, this is the moment of truth. For those already addicted, relief is at hand.

In this new volume great issues of the day are tackled boldly and head-on.

Corduroy and its tragic implications, the truth about group therapy and guacamole, the sinster rise in th enumber of quiche self-help groups, the resurgence of woad and distressing new developments in the field of marquetry are but a sampling of the subjects confronted.

Glen Baxter's earlier works inlude Atlas, The Impending Gleam, Jodhpurs in the Quantocks, The Billiard Table Murders, Return to Normal, and Glen Baxter's Gourment Guide.

Customer Reviews:

not for everyone..........2002-03-17

...but if you like absurd, cerebral humor, it's definitely for you. it will have you giggling for hours.

Only disconnect.......1999-12-01

rarely can one find a work of such surreal disconnection...a delight of bizarreness

Average customer rating:

Blizzards of Tweed Poster
Zzz , and Bloomsbury Point Of Sale
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0747547165

Book Description

Hundreds of laugh-out-loud quotations from witty writers, comics, and more.

Arranged by subject, from Academia to Youth and everything in between, this collection of funny quotes -- some famous and some less well known -- is a treasure-trove of original humor.

Quoted figures include Mark Twain, Dave Barry, Carol Burnett, and Ernest Hemingway, among many others. Examples include:

"I've had a wonderful evening, but this wasn't it."
--Groucho Marx, when leaving a party

"The best fame is a writer's fame. It's enough to get you a table at a good restaurant, but not enough to get you interrupted when you eat."
--Fran Lebowitz

A perfect inexpensive impulse buy or stocking-stuffer!
Hundreds of quotes for half the price of other humorous quote collections.

Customer Reviews:

An enjoyable quick read.......2007-06-01

In this quick-moving and well-researched biography, Ms. Golden paints a compelling picture of Jean Harlow's short life. Though her life was tragically short, the story itself isn't short, and is never uninteresting. As with many stars over the years who have died before their time, there have been numerous rumors and urban legends about Harlow, particularly in a trashy 1964 "biography" written by Irving Shulman. Ms. Golden debunks all of them, such as how she was allegedly beaten by her second husband Paul Bern on their wedding night, that Bern killed himself because he was impotent, that Jean had orgies and drug parties, and that she died because her mother was a Christian Scientist and kept her imprisoned at home as she was dying. She keeps a professional tone throughout, never descending into either of the two extremes of fanatical fawning and sugarcoating or mean-spirited degradation and slander.

Jean comes across as one of the more normal celebrities, someone who was more like the girl nextdoor in real life than a glamorous sex kitten. She had a relatively stable normal childhood in spite of her parents' eventual divorce, and was first bitten by the acting bug during her family's first stay in Hollywood. She eventually broke into the business after her return in the late Twenties, but the disapproval of her husband and grandfather compelled her to cancel the contract she'd been offered by Hal Roach Studios; luckily, she was able to return to acting not too long afterwards and got another big break, and this time wasn't forced to abandon her career just as it was starting. Though she wasn't always given stellar material to work with and grew to resent how she was more often than not cast as a ditzy blonde or a dangerous or "immoral" type of woman, she proved that she was capable of serious acting and was more than just another blonde. In addition to covering her acting career, Ms. Golden covers how she was also very devoted to her mother, had three marriages and a possible fourth on the horizon, became close friends with many of the other stars of the time, was an animal-lover and a passionate Democrat, and did some writing on the side, even writing a novel that was posthumously published. One can only speculate on how her career might have continued to soar had she lived past 1937. The book is also full of gorgeous photographs.

However, the book isn't without its errors, such as how Jean's mother is constantly called "Mama Jean" instead of "Mother Jean" and the misidentification of the 1931 Laurel and Hardy short 'Beau Hunks,' which Jean appears in via a photograph (and is soon revealed to have broken the hearts of all of the men in the Foreign Legion), as 'Beau Chumps.' There were also some subjects that perhaps could have been delved into a little more deeply, such as Jean's stepfather Marino Bello, the non-acting part of her life (particularly since Ms. Golden emphasises how normal she was), and some of the apparent contradictions in her life, such as how she sought to live a normal life and to be seen as more than just a blonde bombshell, while maintaining a taste for things such as expensive jewelry and clothing. All in all, though, I found it to be a fast-paced compelling biography.

Platinum Blonde Life.......2004-03-09

She became famous for playing a smoldering succession of bad girls, and the platinum look now mainly favored by Gwen Stefani. But Jean Harlow wasn't the person the public believed her to be, as revealed by "Platinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow." It's serviceable, but not too much more.

Jean Harlow was born into an unhappy but not horrific family (her original name was Harlean) and jumped into a teen marriage while still at school. Her marriage disintegrated as her star rose (nude photos didn't help), where her striking face and platinum hair made her a fashion icon -- something not hurt by legendary weird rich guy Howard Hughes. Two marriages, one husband's mysterious suicide, one scam and many movies later, the Platinum Girl suddenly died of kidney failure.

Eve Golden keeps a professional attitude towards Jean Harlow. There's plenty of focus on her mind, fears, hopes and her professional life. On the other hand, there's little of her sex life, and what Golden does dip into, she does to debunk (the freaky story about Harlow's brief marriage to her second husband). A tone of professional and personal respect -- but not fannishness -- permeates the book. A particularly nice touch is her emphasis on Harlow's early love of writing, which prompted her to write a novel later in life.

Harlow lived a comparatively peaceful life, with some tragedy and scandal but not a huge amount. A really good writer could manage to keep it moving. But Golden isn't a particularly adept writer; she gets rather tedious at times (enough about bleaching hair!), and fails to elaborate about some points like Harlow's slimy stepfather. She emphasizes Harlow's "normality" in the opening chapter, but doesn't really follow up on that. It seems like she's trying to get us to continue reading.

"Platinum Girl: The Life of Legends of Jean Harlow" is a nice but unimpressive work that describes the basics of Harlow's life. While the professional attitude towards Harlow's too-short life is refreshing, the mediocre writing bogs it down.

Gives some misinformation, but still captures Jean's spirit........2003-11-04

I thought Platinum Girl was well written, in that it is easy to read, and draws you into the life of one of the greatest stars of all time. However, Ms. Golden does give some incorrect facts; as one reviewer pointed out, Jean Harlow's mother was called "Mother Jean" and not "Mama Jean," as Ms. Golden constantly refers to her. Also, when she talks about Jean's grave, she says her name is written in Jean's handwriting. I have visited Jean's grave, and that is not true. She also says that the people who work at Forest Lawn will tell you where she is buried. Again, not true. The employees at Forest Lawn will NOT tell you anything about the location of any celebrities buried there.
Misinformation aside, this book is still a good read. I loved the pictures and how they were placed throughout the book. One photo in particular stood out and still stays in my mind weeks after I read the book; a photo from Jean's second wedding, to Paul Bern. It is a group photo, and her mother is in the photo, absolutely glowing on her daughter's happy day. What shocked me was how much she looked like her daughter. It was like seeing what might have been, had Jean not died so tragically at 26.

The Platinum Girl gets the Golden touch.......2003-05-04

Eve Golden is a writer who knows Hollywood, especially classic Hollywood in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. For anyone who read Moveline magazine back in it's heyday, Eve Golden wrote witty video reviews along with other contributions.

Golden turns her attention to Jean Harlow and the result is stunning. The tragic, short life of the wisecracking blonde from the Mid-West is told without being too sugar-sweet and refrains from wallowing in gutter like a cetain 1960s biography of Harlow. Jean Harlow was a nice person with a longing to be more than just the blonde bombshell the public saw, not a nymphomaniac who needed a navy fleet and an ocean of booze to get through the night.

The layout of the book and the photographs are amazing. Reading this in hardcover is knowing you're reading some very special beyonf the usual as-told-to film/tv/ star tat that crowds the Biography sections.

For the film buff or newbie that wants a worthwhile read that's not hard on the eyes, "Platinum Girl" is a clear winner.

Worth having, but Golden Misses the Gold........2003-01-31

I much prefer David Stenn's "Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow" over Ms. Golden's biography. While her book has a wonderful array of sumptuous photos, it is not enough to make up for factual errors and there are numerous factual errors in this book. She states that Marino Bello was in Los Angeles during the 1920s with Mother Jean but that was a totally different man. Bello did not enter into Mother Jean's life until Harlean (Jean Harlow) was at Ferry Hall School for Girls in Lake Forest, Ill. Golden consistently refers to Harlow's big white house on Beverly Glen Boulevard as the house on Club View Drive. I cannot help but to find this as inexcuseable. Mother Jean, as she was called, was never called Mama Jean. Yet, Golden uses "Mama Jean" throughout the entire book. Harlow called her mother Mother or Mommie. Everyone else referred to her as Mother Jean or Mrs. Bello.
There is too much gleaned from movie magazines from the 1930s. I have had contact with several women who attended school with Harlean at Ferry Hall and the school was far too strict to allow the pranks that Ms. Golden writes about. They never happened! I cannot imagine where such information was ever obtained.
This is in no way the definitive biography on Jean Harlow. The defamation of Jean Harlow by Shulman's fictitious and lurid tome is insightful. "Platinum Girl" has its moments but the tangents of Hollywood History seem to this reader as easy filler. Jean Harlow had a tragic life. She was a kind and sensitive girl and was dominated by her Mother. This biography misses that fact and calls Harlow's life a "success story". In terms of becoming a greatly beloved star who transcended her sex symbol image, then it is a success story. Jean Harlow was insecure and passive. She did what the studio told her to do because it was what her mother wanted her to do. Jean Harlow didn't long to become a big star--her mother wanted her to become a star because Mother Jean wasn't able to break into films during the years of 1923-1925. Mother Jean lived vicariously through her daughter, whom she called The Baby. Thus, Jean Harlow never really knew who she was. She was unlucky in romantic love and when told to fight to live, she said, "I don't want to." She died shortly after uttering those words.
Jean Harlow was MGM's most beloved star by the cast and crew and all who knew her. Yet she was plagued by a domineering stage mother, drank to excess, and gave less love to herself than she deserved. Statistical errors aside, Golden paints a far more happy story of Jean Harlow than what was actually true. Read both and decide--but don't bother with Irving Shulman's so-called biography!

Average customer rating:
Discover the Lead Piano Book & CD
Warner Bros. Publications
Manufacturer: International Music Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1843280450

Book Description

This instrumental series provides beginners of all ages fun, alternative material that will increase their repertoire and enhance the overall enjoyment of their instrument. The books contain simplified arrangements of well known tunes designed to help players develop reading and playing skills, while increasing confidence in solo playing. The professionally recorded CD's feature full backing and demonstration tracks. Discover the lead: Christmas Carols contains: Away in a Manger. The First Nowell. Hark! The Herald Anges Sing. O Come All Ye Faithful. O little Town of Bethlehem. Once in Royal David's City. Silent Night. We Three Kings of Orient Are.

Customer Reviews:

A Ludicrous Adventure .......2005-09-24

This game is a tear away from the usual technical meanderings of the average RPG. Elements of great humor seemingly inspired by all great Sci Fi novels, games, and movies. Anyone interested in playing a game where the laws of physics seem to be miss placed in some deity's pocket this is the out of control, pizza gorging, beer guzzling (the game listed above does not approve of underage consumption of alcohol, neither do I) game for you and your friends.

Good poke and good fun!.......2000-03-29

A great poke at the often all to serious pen and paper role paying game genre. Rather than a 'dungeon master', you're a 'barkeeper', and it pretty much follows that line. And it's playable!

Adventure with No Name (Tales from the Floating Vagabond)

Average customer rating:

Adventure with No Name (Tales from the Floating Vagabond)
Sheeley
Manufacturer: Avalon Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1560380470

Cosmic Paternity Suit (Tales From the Floating Vagabond)

Average customer rating:

Cosmic Paternity Suit (Tales From the Floating Vagabond)
Ahg G5032
Manufacturer: Avalon Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1560380608

Hypercad 54, Where Are You? (Tales From the Floating Vagabond)

Average customer rating:

Hypercad 54, Where Are You? (Tales From the Floating Vagabond)

Manufacturer: Avalon Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1560380489

Product Description

"Somedays, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. Take today, for instance. The headline of The Alternate Times reads; "King Averts Piano Accident" and "1978 Return of the King Tour in Limbo." You sigh, swill the cup of grounds your secretary, Miss Concepcion, lovingly refers to as coffee, and await the call you know will come any minute. And whaddya know? The phone does ring. YOU lick your dry lips as a single bead of sweat trails down your cheek and onto the pile of Ack Dep forms on your desk. The palm of your hand is wet and clammy as it hovers over the cold receiver. You know without a doubt that the caller on the other end is your superior, Captain Ahab, and that he wants you to look into this case, a case he'll probably call "The Return of the King." Getting up on the wrong side of the bed doesnt make it any easier especially when that side's the bottom side of a king-size waterbed."

The Reich Stuff (Tales From Floating Vagabond)

Average customer rating:

The Reich Stuff (Tales From Floating Vagabond)
Lee Garvin
Manufacturer: Avalon Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1560380454

Tales From the Floating Vagabond - Bar Wars

Average customer rating:

Tales From the Floating Vagabond - Bar Wars
Lee Garvin , and Nick Atlas
Manufacturer: Avalon Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TWT64A

Product Description

This is a supplement to the Tales From the Floating Vagabond roleplaying game. It includes the star-spanning adventure, Bar Wars. Included are super hero rules, cybernetic rules, bar-room brawl rules, a two-sided map with the Floating Vagabond on one side and teh Crane's Nest on the other. The cardboard cover of the booklet doubles as a four-panel gamemaster's screen. Comes with a booklet of cut-out, stand-up paper figures and maps to use with new miniature fighting rules.

Weirder Tales... A Space Opera (Tales From the Floating Vagabond)

Average customer rating:

Weirder Tales... A Space Opera (Tales From the Floating Vagabond)

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1560380594

Where's George? (Tales from The Floating Vagabond)

Average customer rating:

Where's George? (Tales from The Floating Vagabond)
LIDBERG
Manufacturer: Avalon Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1560380632

Average customer rating:

Very good book

Super Help for Managers

Empowering!!

Build clarity, respect, trust--always need more of these!

Workplace Communication Defined

Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Any Management Situation (Perfect Phrases)
Meryl Runion
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
General | Business & Investing | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews : Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases That Describe Your Employees' Performance

2600 Phrases For Effective Performance Reviews: Ready-to-use Words And Phrases That Really Get Results

How to Use Power Phrases to Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, & Get What You Want

Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals : Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Goals for Any Performance Plan or Review

Perfect Phrases for Documenting Employee Performance Problems (Perfect Phrases)

ASIN: 0071452168

Book Description

Powerful phrases for effective communication in every management situation

The latest addition to the bestselling Perfect Phrases series, Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors is an indispensable tool for novice to mid-level managers and frontline supervisors. Corporate communications guru Meryl Runion coaches readers in the six fundamentals of effective delivery, including "Be Short, Specific, Targeted," and "Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, and Don't Be Mean When You Say It." And she arms them with:

Hundreds of perfect phrases for every phase of management, from supervising operations, to performance reviews, to communicating the company's mission
Expert advice on effective communication, with tips on what to say and what not to say, establishing the right tone, establishing authority, and more
Phrases for hundreds of specific tasks, including delegating, giving feedback, empowering employees, handling emotional employees, disciplining, and terminating

Customer Reviews:

Very good book.......2007-08-26

Very good book in general. Specifically for person who are not from US.
There are more than what book mentions but it give you good idea and direction to start with.

Super Help for Managers.......2007-01-03

Great phrases to facilitate choosing the "right" words to comment on the performance of employees and "just-in-time" help with important everyday management tasks for anyone and everyone who needs to communicate in today's business world!

Empowering!!.......2006-09-06

Once again, Meryl Runion guides us expertly through the complexities of communicating with others. Just as in her Power Phrase series, this new book offers us multiple wording choices for any imaginable interaction between employer and employee. In giving us just the right words, she is also giving us a voice. Her phrases empower us to speak up in situations in which we may otherwise have passively held our tongue or aggressively said the wrong thing. I have been using Meryl's phrasing for years now, and teaching it to enthusiastic response in my own classes on communication. I truly believe that if every worker had just such a tool at their fingertips, it would make for a much more honest and productive work environment.

Build clarity, respect, trust--always need more of these!.......2006-08-07

In her book Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors, Meryl Runion starts strong by addressing the WHY question--why it's important to adopt responsible communication habits. SHe writes: "Passive communication is ineffective. Agressive communication creates resistance. Assertive communication gets results. Perfect Phrases are assertive phrases." They promote clarity, respect, and trust, which are essentials in managing people in a myriad environments. Meryl then gives examples (more than 170 well-indexed pages) of Perfect Phrases throughout the book, all reflecting the overriding mission of her book and her business, SpeakStrong, Inc. Practicing these scripted Perfect Phrases leads to consistently using PowerPhrases, a term she defines as "short, specific, targeted expressions that say what you mean so you can mean whay you say without being mean when you say it." Now that's powerful.

I was particularly struck by Meryl's statement that when managers and supervisors don't know what to say, they say nothing. Every page in this book provides a "starter" for saying an assertive phrase that commands respect. What a great tool to put in anyone's hands!

As a writer, Meryl communicates crisply and succinctly. She tackles a deeper level of dealing with communication issues than other writers I've studied in my 25+ years as a writer/editor. I'd call this book "gutsy" because it doesn't shy away from any aspect of communicating with employees and bosses, plus it shows how Perfect Phrases can motivate and encourage anyone. In fact, I've noted several precious phrases I'll soon be using with people I care about!

Barbara McNichol

Workplace Communication Defined.......2006-08-02

Mery Runion does a great service for people in any type of business. From her opening paragraphs that outline the manager's dilemma of no free time to learn how to manage, to the end where she advises such things as waiting 24 hours before saying something that seems risky, this book is packed with good information. In particular, her understanding of the difference between aggressive and assertive communication as well as the suggestion to use scripts were very affirming. I could not think of a single situation that Runion did not address. The Table of Contents makes it a snap to find the exact situation you may be facing and thus, the exact phrase. In addition, the phrases in this book, though designed for face-to-face communication, which is the ideal, can also be used for email and other, less formal electronic communication. I know that I will keep this book at my fingertips along with my dictionary, thesaurus, grammar and style manuals.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books