The Semester in Review by Books

We're down to the last week. I know all of you have different schedules with your jobs and schools, but I assume you're all near the end of this semester as well. For me, this is literally the last week: Commencement ceremonies begin on Thursday.

We have covered a lot this semester. I'm not financial expert, but we've covered my focus of public finance, and even explored some more traditional financial industry questions. And don't forget those nice videos.

Now, as we wrap up the semester and the year, I wanted to finish with a review of the semester...by books. These are some great educational books on a variety of topics. Again, I'm not the expert--there are tons of these books out there and I haven't read all of them to tell you which is best (check out reviews on places like amazon.com).

These are the books I've read, and I'll tell you the good and the bad. I'm sure most books of this nature are pretty well-written, so take this review as both a suggestion of the specific books and a topic list. You can find my entire collection in my amazon.com listmania!.

The most fundamental book in my collection is William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White's The Elements of Style. It covers all the important elements of writing, including usage rules (adding "'s", commas, colons, and elusive semi-colon), composition, misused words, and clever and concise style tips. Elements of Style is pocket size--take it with you anywhere and learn in just a few pages how to be a better writer. I'll be saying this many times: the advice in this book is applicable in every position at every company. Learn how to write and you'll be indispensable.

Once you learn how to write, learn how to say what you put on paper. The Elements of Great Public Speaking is a great start to using your voice confidently and effectively. Like the Elements of Style, this guide is pocket sized, easy to read, and a great primer for learning to be a powerful communicator. And like the tips for writing, some of the ideas for public speaking are both simple and yet, easily missed. The book covers the important business basics: presentations, introductions, and meetings. It also goes beyond and hits the public speaking events you might not immediately associate with your job or your career. But you never know who's listening, and opportunities such as toasts, speeches, presenting and receiving awards, and master of ceremony presentations, could end up being just as important. Again, this is important for any job. Anyone can deliver a fact-based presentation with authority after hours of practice. Read this book and learn to be "calm, confident, and compelling," as the cover promises.

On the subject of presentations, one of my favorite books of all time, Beyond Bullet Points, dives into the important idea of making your presentation interesting. It seems so simple, but we've all been there: the presentation comes on, the background is some silly business looking graphics with a globe or something, the title glides in, and the bullet points appear. At this point, I'm already dreading the rest. But then, the presenter starts in. First, he or she looks at the screen, then starts to read the bullet points out loud. For me, this type of presentation loses credibility, and I doubt the importance of the material. There is a better way: avoid the bullet points.

This book is a great issue-specific guide. It takes you through the entire process of designing an effective slide show, including brainstorming, creating the ideas, writing the story, putting PowerPoint to work for you, and delivering a fantastic and engaging presentation. It even includes design tips for slides that are great for other reports and documents. Follow this guide and you'll make a great presentation that keeps the audience engaged and focused. You'll be convincing and, maybe even more importantly, unique. Try this technique in a board meeting and I'm willing to bet you'll be seeing that promotion a little bit sooner. Try this technique at a conference with a bunch of presentations and watch the audience. When people are reading off the slides, people drift off. They might be listening and taking notes, as they are expected to do, but they're not hooked. Then, watch as you take them through the journey of your presentation, with minimal and simple yet effective graphics and text on screen to emphasis your important points. It's an incredible difference.

Also, for an example of a great presenter using many of the principles of this book, check out Steve Jobs. When he introduces new products for Apple Computers, he doesn't just throw up a list of bullet points. He walks us through the history, the development, and the new product. It's a wonderful experience. Check out this video below where he reveals the iPod Nano (the suspense is great):