1 comments about Public Speaking: Concepts and Skills for a Diverse Society (Wadsworth Series in Communication Studies).

1. The book is great! After reading this book, I feel that I am able to: 1.Have a broader and deeper understanding of myself and of others. 2. Have a thorough theoretical and working knowledge of the various concepts of public speaking. 3. Listen actively and speak with a greater feel for me and for my audience.

5 comments about Using Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience (Part of the Essence of Public Speaking Series) (Essence of Public Speaking Series).

1. This book is merely a compilation of common-sense, "nothing-new" ideas about public speaking techniques. The approach is heavily dependent on the reader's use of his own creativity, and does little to enhance one's abilities. It would seem that the author herself could use some help in "grabbing" her intended audience. It's not even worth the paperback price.



2. As an author, I'm very comfortable expressing myself via the written word--funny stories,quick wit, no problem. But put me in front of a live, breathing audience and: instant jitters! I was recently invited to act as KEYNOTE speaker for a conference, and was so relieved by the "toolkit" that Ms. Slan's USING STORIES and HUMOR provided to me. With the book's guidance, I was able to develop my own humorous stories, interact personally with my audience and present an entertaining and inspiring first-time keynote address. Especially effective, was the information on developing a "theme" for the humorous stories, and how a speaker uses this to support the ideas presented--I hadn't thought about that. Important too, was the encouragement to speak "from the heart," in order to engage the audience, as well as techno-tips regarding microphones, lighting, etc. The book was instrumental in changing my jitters to confidence,and my presentation was met with laughter, applause--and an immediate offer for another speaking engagement! I highly recommend this book.



3. This is a valuable book for the public speaker who would like to enhance the speaking style by the use of stories and humor. It provides practical tips and exercises to make effective use of stories in public presentaions. Stories have always been used in our society not only to add flavor and appeal to presentations but also to instruct and inform the audience. The first few chapters of the book deal with the importance of the use of stories for our generation and what follows is a clear road map for story-tellers out of the rich experience of the author and many other accomplished public speakers like herself. This handy guide with eleven chapters deals more with stories than with humor. Each chapter provides a summary and some exercises at the end. The basic nuts and bolts provided by the author here have been very useful to me in my teaching and preaching.



4. This is one of the most valuable books on public speaking that I have read. Before you buy a book on one liners, joke book or how to keep them laughing. Read this book and find out how to develop your own personal stories. I took it page by page and found that I had an amazing number of stories to develop. As she says: Your own stories will ring true. I know a CEO of a large company that starts each speech with a very dumb joke that he seems to think works. He must pay a lot to his speech writer. In real life people laugh at old jokes that are O.K., but they are still old. I have been crafting my own stories after reading this book. It makes me sound like a more interesting person than I am. It has got to be a lot fresher material, Im the only one that lived it. I bought a bunch of joke books early on and I wish I could get my money back. They become boring so fast. The only story worth telling is one that is relevant to your point. That is where this book comes in. The book details so many aspects of humor. How to use humor. Where it comes from. Shaping stories. The best in the Essence of Public Speaking Series.



5. Author's comments: Bore no more! A step-by-step guide for finding, developing and sharing great stories. In addition, the section on humor offers important rules for using humor effectively and appropriately. Great storytellers sense the inherent drama in life's daily activities and work to heighten it, taking ordinary moments and transforming them into extraordinary insights. This book is a must for clergy, speakers, teachers, presenters, parents, sales people, association executives, business people, therapists, and anyone who wants to improve his/her communications skills. Includes: ways to find great stories, how to build characters and drama, use of significant detail to make your stories "sing," presentation techniques, practice techniques, tips for stage presence, when to use humor, where to find humor, how to deliver humor and who laughs and when. By exploring the tools of fiction writers, I encourage my readers to awaken the theatre of the mind. Once our audiences experience our stories, they will never be the same. Using the techniques in this book faithfully, you too can tell compelling stories!

3 comments about Elegantly Frugal Costumes: The Poor Man's Do-It-Yourself Costume Maker's Guide.

1. I received this book as a gift, and I am grateful for it. It does have some good ideas, some that I hadn't thought about, some different ways of doing things. It helps to think in different ways, do some brain-exercising.



2. What I like about this book is that it foregoes any esoterica and costuming theory in favor of good old fashioned practicality. The reader doesn't have to sift through the excruciating snobby details, but instead is given the real lowdown as if visiting with a best friend who happens to be a costume mistress.

   This book focuses mainly on costuming for low-budget productions (such as community theatre or a school play), providing useful information and advice on making good-looking costumes from already existing garments and/or thrift store offerings. Information abounds about time period, costume cuts & styles, ways to splurge or skimp on your costumes and still have them look fabulous, as well as details that an inexperienced costumer might overlook (such as using velcro instead of buttons for ease in costume changes).

   I would highly recommend this to anyone who is involved in costuming for a production, or anyone who simply loves costumes and loves to recycle old clothes into great new ones. I love this book and have read through it several times just for inspiration.




3. An excellent book of ideas and help for someone wanting to learn to costume for community theatre. It contains excellent examples of her own work that is easy to follow. It does not overload your brain with useless information. A good starting out book, that aids a person in organizing the information , and research problems needed to suceeded in this field. Also a good read for veterans of the design buisness to give fresh ideas and back up what they have done . After 35 years finally I have found someone who appreciates the use of thrift stores , goodwill and lace curtains for stage costumes. Thank you Shirley for putting it into words and pictures.

5 comments about Acting for Animators, Revised Edition: A Complete Guide to Performance Animation.

1. To be successful it is not enough for an animation to dazzle the audience visually. More importantly, it must tell a story in terms of the objectives and conflicts of its characters in a way that's new and surprising. And the audience must be able to empathize with its characters. Ed Hook's book is not only about acting for animators but also about the essence of good storytelling. It provides simple, easily employed techniques to create animations that appeal to people, whether they are 20 seconds long or two hours. And this book also gets you results. Sharon Coleman's first short animated film, Badgered, won an Oscar nomination in 2006 in part because she followed the principles in this book.



2. Ed Hooks' books are a must have for anyone serious about Animation and/or any character based type of storytelling. After getting used to his concepts it becomes second nature to look at scenes and put the finger right on the problem, if it has any.



3. I wish I read this book years ago. I've been animating professionaly for years, but there's information in this book that has given me a different mind set into accomplishing what I need to create.
   I've always been able to 'see' faults in my work and fix it without knowing consiously how I made the error in the first place. Now, after reading this book I take a new vantage point and can prevent any errors occuring (usually). I think my style of animation has changed a little too.
   
   The book is fun to read and the chapters are straight to the point. Recommended to every animator.



4. This is the first book who explain the acting principles for animators, the book comes with one CD of demos from lessons.



5. Mr. Hooks has succeeded in condensing years of experience teaching his internationally recognized Master Class "Acting for Animators" into a manageably sized and reasonably priced book & CD combination. This is an expanded 2nd Edition of a title first published in 2000 and now in use around the world, as a source manual and text book, by industry leading professional animators as well as animation students in the most highly regarded animation schools.

   Traditional 2D, contemporary 3D, and experimental animators devoted to "telling a story" with their characters will relish the wealth of straightforward insight presented on topics critical to character design and animations development such as movement and body language, power centers, using psychological gestures, scene development, knowing the audience, and much more.

   Dispersed throughout "Acting for Animators"- entertainingly illustrating the principals discussed in each chapter- are delightful little line drawn characters from the pen of renowned animator and director Paul Naas. And, not only does this unique and timely book contain a remarkable "Acting Analysis" of the groundbreaking and sure to be classic feature length animation "Iron Giant," it opens with a glowing forward by the film's Director, Brad Bird.

   Ed Hooks is the original and still leading "Acting for Animators" teacher called upon by animation studios and schools in the United States and overseas. The contents of this book parallel his teaching perfectly.

   Speaking as an animator in training and a Producer in action- who has had the good fortune to participate in Ed Hooks' recent Master Class in Denver after first meeting him as an acting student in California at the beginning of his now 20 year career as a highly regarded stage, tv & film acting coach- I say this is a "must have" for any animator who wants their work to stand out from the pack and grab the audience by the funny bone and/or the heart!

   Consult "Acting for Animators" right along with Richard Williams' "The Animator's Survival Kit" and your animations will rock!

   Anne-Elizabeth
   Denver, Colorado
   inside@centralvectors.com

1 comments about Life Itself!.

1. I came to this soon after reading "Breaking Clean" so it suffered by comparison. What makes an autobiography into a compelling story is very often the struggle against adversity. It's not Dundy's fault that she was born to inherited wealth but it takes away a vital ingredient. (She never tells us exactly how much money she had, which would have been interesting, although giving uncensored details of her sex life).
   She did manage to create some adversity for herself to struggle against, by drinking and drugging and by marrying Kenneth Tynan. The story of the Tynan marriage is the centerpiece of the book. Of course Tynan's writing was a a theater critic and the work of even the greatest theater critic is necessarily ephemeral. He also achieved fame by his personality and was in that category of well-known for being well-known. Her own artistic achievements were three novels, one of which was a brilliant best-seller "The Dud Avocado" and two celebrity biographies (Peter Finch and Elvis Presley).
   Aside from the Tynan marriage most of the rest is life-style-of-the-rich-and-famous stuff, with many anecdotes about celebrities she has known that are interesting (and some were very interesting to me) if you are already curious about some of these people. For example she was close to Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, and was present at a meeting of Hemmingway and Tenessee Williams.

3 comments about Public Speaking: Strategies for Success (5th Edition) (MySpeechLab Series).

1. I had to get this book from COM101 (public speaking) I will admit that the book is often very dry but it's a decent book. The book looks very contemporary. It is a very politically correct textbook.(Aren't they all) This book came to me in perfect condition.



2. I received the book in good condition and in a timely manner.



3. For most people, public speaking isn't something that comes easy. In fact, most people dislike giving speeches (putting it mildly). I was one of those people that didn't come easy for. But, after careful studying of the tips/techniques to give a good speech, ways to analyze your audience, and many other concepts, I was able to give successful speeches, with the confidence that being well prepared provides. The topics in this book are easy to understand and remember, explain nearly all of the issues important for a successful speech, and are arranged in a manner that allows the student to get more sophisticated as he/she progresses through the course without presenting an information overload in the beginning and without holding all of the useful information until the end. I think that this book is a valuable text not only for the student but for anyone that would like to improve their public speaking skills.

5 comments about The Vagina Monologues: The V-Day Edition.

1. If one enjoys depravity, vulgarity, lewdness and shameful text, then one may enjoy this book. It is senseless, unnecessary, and exists merely to sensationalize its perversity.



2. Our small town is in a dither because our local theater group is going to put on this play. So I decided to read this book to "be informed before I judged". I'm so glad I did, this book wasn't what I thought it would be. With humor, wit and sadness, Eve takes us on a journey of pain and pleasure through our "down there parts". I don't think I will ever wear my "I love my Vulva" t-shirt. But it's nice to know that others do.



3. Despite years of buildup I found myself severely disappointed and slightly disgusted by The Vagina Monologues. I respect that the purpose is to (as the opening page read) empower women, make them feel equal, not to be ashamed of their sexuality and to make rape and violence against women to be known and for it to stop. That is a fantastic and admirable cause and one I support, but one I feel The Vagina Monologues does not.
   
   I question how a work can claim to be against rape and then include a story endorsing statutory rape. The chapter entitled "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could" explicitly details a 13 year old girl being raped repeatedly by an older woman and declares it a good experience. I don't care how the story is spun. Rape of any kind should never be endorsed.
   
   One offensive chapter does not ruin a book for me. I was under whelmed by other material as well. Instead of the usual male copouts used against the book I blame my disappointment on a bad transition from stage to book. These stories are supposed to fill the reader with emotions. I felt nothing while reading the chapters. Worse still was chapters like "My Angry Vagina" and "The Flood" really do seem potent. I would enjoy seeing them performed at their full emotional capabilities. Unfortunately simply reading doesn't allow the reader to take away any emotion.
   
   I'm not totally writing off The Vagina Monologues just yet. My value judgment on the book would be that it potentially has entertainment and informational value, but I just happened to encounter it in the wrong medium. A worthwhile stage production could change my view. As it now stands I find The Vagina Monologues to be an emotionless and contradicted work.



4. Eve Ensler's (1953) Vagina Monologues were written in 1996 in response to the guilt and embarrassment some women experience with their bodies and/or sexuality. This book is an adaptation of performance pieces based on Ensler's one-woman, Obie Award winning show, and includes monologues relating to the vagina as a symbol of female empowerment: "The Flood," I Was Twelve, My Mother Slapped Me," "Because He Liked to Look At It," "My Vagina Was My Village," "My Angry Vagina," "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could," and "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy." Outrageous? Yes. Hilarious? Yes. Eye-opening? Yes. Not surprisingly, however, Ensler's Monologues have also sparked much criticism, including criticism from feminist critics, some of whom note that Ensler's monologues have a negative and restrictive view of sexuality and an anti-male bias (see Betty Dodson; Wendy McElroyn). As written monologues, unfortunately these pieces do not stand up to the intended delivery of a spoken performance. (Just as reading a play isn't the same as experiencing the performance, reading these monologues in a book doesn't quite offer the same experience as a live performance.) And as for theatrical monologues, Ensler's pieces lack the wit, revelation, hilarity and human truths of other monologists such as Spalding Gray, who transformed the form into art with Swimming to Cambodia, Monster in a Box, and Slippery Slope before his suicide.
   
   G. Merritt



5. After seeing a performance of the Vagina Monologues, I was inspired. As a dedicated feminist and a person who wants to see violence against women (and everyone) stopped I was impressed and grateful for the Vagina Monologues. That has been a few months now. I recently purchased a copy of the Vagina Monologues- The V-Day edition and am re-energized and inspired all over again. It's witty, senstive, sexy, saddening, aw inspiring, thought provoking, and so much more. Reading it makes me want to go out there and help and scream. I would reccomend this book to anyone and everyone!

5 comments about Avenue Q - The Musical (Piano/Vocal arrangement).

1. I am most pleased with this book because of the very detailed arrangement. Although the melody is written in the Treble Clef, the music survives arrangement very well. The chords are accurate, and in my case, difficult to play, but all the songs are included. But the most surprising thing about this book is that it includes all the vocal harmonies as well. Currently I am learning how to better play the music (it is NOT for beginners) and I'm sure I will appreciate the score when I can play it more effectively. This was a very good buy.



2. I bought this book because the other Avenue Q book I have was only the "Vocal Selections" and it was missing several songs. This songbook has every song from the Broadway Cast Album, with the exception of "School For Monsters/Money Song (Reprise)" and "There's A Fine Fine Line (Reprise)/What Do You Do With A B.A. In English? (Reprise)". Other than that, every song is here.
   
   This book, unlike my other Vocal Selections book incorporates the melody into the right hand, but it can be easily removed to make room for vocalists if needbe.
   
   The best songs to play/sing in this book are "Schadenfreude", "There's A Fine Fine Line", "It Sucks To Be Me", and "Fantasies Come True". At least, that's what I think. To each his own.



3. I like the book I bought. It had all the songs I wanted. It came in a decent amount of time from when I bought it.



4. If you haven't seen the show, go and do it. If you have, well done.
   
   What many piano arrangements for recent Broadway musicals nowadays such as Wicked, Mamma Mia, and Spamalot have in their respective arrangements is a lack of a challenging score to play, though it may sound easy, and how oftentimes, they composer tries to alter the original score into something more adaptive for the public. Although this may sound like a good idea, it really isn't, because as soon as you play it based on the arrangement or sing it, you quickly realize it's not as good as the original, which is what everyone wants, right?
   
   The Avenue Q Piano arrangement, however, keeps all the songs in their original context, letting everyone emulate the classic songs the way they're supposed to be sang. No one wants to sing "Defying Gravity" from Wicked without the chorus back-up or Glinda singing in every now and then, right? Avenue Q gives you the score straight from the source, without awkwardly messing up the original greatness of the music. A must-buy.



5. As a casual piano player and a Broadway fanatic, I was so jazzed to play some of the songs from Avenue Q. The book contains everything you find on the CD and includes a few production photos.
   Of course the little details are fun, using terms like "manilowesque" "Huey-Lewis shuffle" "prissy sonata" and "funky a** groove" to describe some of the songs. Fun fun fun

No comments about Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility (Wadsworth Series in Communication Studies).

5 comments about Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing.

1. It's a good book to read if you are or want to become a belly dancer.



2. This as an excellent book. Rosina talks about growing up as a child...what the dance means for women and all the different rituals and meanings of movements of dance. This book is for someone who wants extensive knowledge about the background of bellydance and its meaning. I appreciate that it is written by an arabic woman because no matter how good a belly dancer is from america or wherever else...the middle eastern woman is born with it in her blood..it has been their escape and freedom and personalization as a woman for centuries. I couldn't put it down....give it a chance!!!



3. Al-Rawi's account of her own introduction into a middle-eastern inflected version of women's spirituality is charmingly told, if occasionally a bit too good to be true. Perhaps the rose-colored glasses of recollection are to blame rather than any conscious attempt to manipulate the narrative...and the reader. However, when the focus shifts from personal reflections to general discussion of the titular "secrets," we are handed yet another variant of the women's spirituality mythology that appears in Eisler, Sjoo, Walker, Stone, Gimbutas, and even in the works of late 19th/early 20th century patriarchs like Engels, Bachofen, Jung, and Neumann. Of course, there are always good political reasons to perpetuate this story. The political goals have shifted several times over the past hundred years or so, and the interpretations offered alongside the mythology have been adjusted accordingly. In a way, it's refreshing to see this old torch taken up by a new, multicultural generation, and Al-Rawi gamely and competently spins a veil of Eastern mysticism around this tired narrative. Grandmother's Secrets is a fun read if you haven't already been overexposed to the alleged secrets. If this is a story you've already heard from other writers, the cosmetic changes made to it here will not hold your interest.



4. This is a wonderful book beginning with personal experiences by the author who is from a Middle Eastern culture that is followed by historical information and then a more practical guide for belly dancing. It gives insight into what belly dancing is really meant to mean and how it glorifies the woman's body without shame. I don't think many people (maybe Americans) realize this because it came to our country after the wars and was done strictly for entertainment of men who looked upon women as objects for their enjoyment. On a less serious note, it is indeed an enlightening book and I thoroughly enjoyed it...you will too---man or woman!



5. A very informative book on the subject of Belly Dancing with clear meaning as to the Why's and Where's of movements