Synopses & Reviews
"Valerie Wiener knows how to pinpoint issues, formulate plans, communicate messages, develop and maintain people skills, produce positive results. I have benefitted from her expertise and know that those who read this book will also significantly improve their abilities to understand the complex world of communications."
U.S. Senator Harry Reid
"If you want to learn how to stake out a position for yourself as a creditable authority-an expert the media turns to for analysis-this book can show you how. Wiener knows what she's talking about. A great self-training aid!"
Michael Baird, Editorial Supervisor, Headline News
"Power Communication gives extraordinary insight into how to acquire positive visibility. Written by a successful speaker and expert in the field of total communications, this book focuses on everything from perceptions to listening skills to high-impact words to public- speaking to media interactions, and more. This is a must-read for people seeking success."
Joyce McLaughlin, President, National Association of Women Business Owners
"A leader's vision for a community is meaningless unless it is effectively communicated. Good ideas are not enough; it takes practical skills to be an effective communicator. Wiener excels at explaining these skills, step-by-step. This information is pivotal to the leadership development process."
Wendell J. Walls, Executive Director, National Association for Community Leadership
"Valerie Wiener is a master at positioning people who want to create or sustain positive public profiles. She knows what it takes to communicate in today's rapidly changing world and has her finger on the latest pulse affecting all sectors, private and public."
Frankie Sue Del Papa, Attorney General, State of Nevada
"A masterful treatment of a very important topic in business today. Wiener provides solid information and presents it in a practical manner. I highly recommend this book."
Nido R. Qubein, Past President, National Speakers Association, Author of Communicate Like a Pro
"This book brings to life the essence of communication excellence. It is a necessity in today's world of `not enough time and even fewer words.' Wiener details techniques that help high-profile people present themselves to diverse publics in positive, productive, and precise ways. Required reading for people on the move."
Charles J. Taylor, Manager, Environmental Health and Safety, ITT Cannon
"Knowing first-hand her expertise in communications, I consider Wiener's book a requirement for those on the way up, as well as for those who daily travel the high-visibility track."
Stan May, Publisher, Pacesetter Publications/International Trade Associates, Inc.
"Take advantage of a rare opportunity to learn from the high-visibility expert. For years, Wiener has been the on-call resource for top professionals in business, politics, sports, and education. This book will set standards for all high-profile executivesas well as their families and colleagues-who wish to properly position themselves with the people they want to influence."
Dr. Tom Kubistant, President, Performance and Productivity Specialists, Author of Performing Your Best
"A comprehensive and crucial component for everyone's success tool kit. Power Communications will show you how to gain, maintain and master the communication skills necessary to take you to the top of your field. This is the one book you should read to thrive in the nanosecond Nineties!"
Robert Posten, Managing Partner/COO, Landis Group
"A primer for both corporate and political persons who have inherited visibility or aspire to it. Learn from a successful, high-visibility professional who does it as well as she teaches it. Wiener has distinguished herself in communications in the political and business worlds. Her book is for the professional or political person who is smart and motivated enough to learn from a cutting-edge communicator."
Maureen Marr, Consumer Advocate
How can you make the media work for you? How can you master interviews so that your points are the ones an audience remembers? How can you give presentations that do not just convey information but also promote you as a leader? How can you develop listening habits that will substantially enhance the entire communication process? What are the challenges and opportunities of public personhood inside and outside the workplace?
Power Communications: Positioning Yourself for High Visibility teaches people-from corporate CEOs to civic leaders to designated spokespersons-how to enhance their positioning and maximize their success. Chapter by chapter, the reader learns how to master public visibility in the workplace, the professional arena, and the community. The reader gleans ways to create proper perceptions in the minds of the public and the media. The book also details how high-profile people can lead others by mastering the total power communications processeffective presentation of message, constructive listening, and executive or community action. In addition to learning how to create and maintain positive public personhood, the reader also learns specific methods and channels for dispersing important messages.
This book focuses on proactive techniques that address the full spectrum of needs and issues that go into establishing and sustaining a public identity. Power Communications is an irreplaceable resource for corporate executives, top and middle management, elected officials, heads of organizations, governmental representatives, official spokespersons, and public relations and marketing professionals.
To many people, communicating itself creates a daunting challenge. Power Communications helps its readers turn challenges into exciting opportunities.
Review
“[Zuckerman] tells of a magical land where life expectancy is high and infant mortality low, where wealth is spread and genders live in equity, where happy, fish-fed citizens score high in every quality-of-life index: economic competitiveness, healthcare, environmental protection, lack of corruption, educational investment, technological literacy . . . well, you get the idea. Zuckerman (who has explored the sociology of religion in two previous books) has managed to show what nonbelief looks like when its ‘normal, regular, mainstream, common. And hes gone at least partway to proving the central thesis of his book: ‘Religious faithwhile admittedly widespreadis not natural or innate to the human condition. Nor is religion a necessary ingredient for a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, and . . . deeply good society. ”
- Louis Bayard, Salon.com
Review
“In an anecdotal and eminently readable manner, Zuckerman offers a novel idea within the study of religious sociology.”
- Library Journal
Review
“For those interested in the burgeoning field of secular studies or for those curious about a world much different from the devout U.S.this book will offer some compelling reading.”
- Publishers Weekly
Review
“For those interested in the burgeoning field of secular studiesor for those curious about a world much different from the devout U.S.this book will offer some compelling reading.”
- Publishers Weekly
Review
"Valerie Wiener knows how to pinpoint issues, formulate plans, communicate messages, develop and maintain people skills, produce positive results. I have benefitted from her expertise and know that those who read this book will also significantly improve their abilities to understand the complex world of communications." -Harry Reid,U.S. Senator
Review
“Most Americans are convinced that faith in God is the foundation of civil society.
Society Without God reveals this to be nothing more than a well-subscribed, and strangely American, delusion. Even atheists living in the United States will be astonished to discover how unencumbered by religion most Danes and Swedes currently are. This glimpse of an alternate, secular reality is at once humbling and profoundly inspiring and it comes not a moment too soon. Zuckermans research is truly indispensable.”
- Sam Harris, founder of the Reason Project and author of the New York Times best sellers The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation
Review
"Valerie Wiener is a master at positioning people who want to create or sustain positive public profiles. She knows what it takes to communicate in today's rapidly changing world and has her finger on the latest pulse affecting all sectors, private and public." -Frankie Sue Del Papa, Attorney General, State of Nevada
Review
“Much that he found will surprise many people, as it did him.”
- The New York Times
“[Zuckerman] tells of a magical land where life expectancy is high and infant mortality low, where wealth is spread and genders live in equity, where happy, fish-fed citizens score high in every quality-of-life index: economic competitiveness, healthcare, environmental protection, lack of corruption, educational investment, technological literacy . . . well, you get the idea. Zuckerman (who has explored the sociology of religion in two previous books) has managed to show what nonbelief looks like when its ‘normal, regular, mainstream, common. And hes gone at least partway to proving the central thesis of his book: ‘Religious faithwhile admittedly widespreadis not natural or innate to the human condition. Nor is religion a necessary ingredient for a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, and . . . deeply good society. ”
- Louis Bayard, Salon.com
“For those interested in the burgeoning field of secular studies or for those curious about a world much different from the devout U.S.this book will offer some compelling reading.”
- Publishers Weekly
“In an anecdotal and eminently readable manner, Zuckerman offers a novel idea within the study of religious sociology.”
- Library Journal
“Most Americans are convinced that faith in God is the foundation of civil society. Society Without God reveals this to be nothing more than a well-subscribed, and strangely American, delusion. Even atheists living in the United States will be astonished to discover how unencumbered by religion most Danes and Swedes currently are. This glimpse of an alternate, secular reality is at once humbling and profoundly inspiring and it comes not a moment too soon. Zuckermans research is truly indispensable.”
- Sam Harris, founder of the Reason Project and author of the New York Times best sellers The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation
Review
"Valerie Wiener knows how to pinpoint issues, formulate plans, communicate messages, develop and maintain people skills, produce positive results. I have benefitted from her expertise and know that those who read this book will also significantly improve their abilities to understand the complex world of communications."
"If you want to learn how to stake out a position for yourself as a creditable authority-an expert the media turns to for analysis-this book can show you how. Wiener knows what she's talking about. A great self-training aid!"
"Power Communication gives extraordinary insight into how to acquire positive visibility. Written by a successful speaker and expert in the field of total communications, this book focuses on everything from perceptions to listening skills to high-impact words to public- speaking to media interactions, and more. This is a must-read for people seeking success."
"A leader's vision for a community is meaningless unless it is effectively communicated. Good ideas are not enough; it takes practical skills to be an effective communicator. Wiener excels at explaining these skills, step-by-step. This information is pivotal to the leadership development process."
"Valerie Wiener is a master at positioning people who want to create or sustain positive public profiles. She knows what it takes to communicate in today's rapidly changing world and has her finger on the latest pulse affecting all sectors, private and public."
Review
"Despite this book's weighty topic, with its conversational writing style, Society Without God is amazingly readable, even fun. It presents rigorous arguments that are deceptively simple to understand, but that are, when you think about them more deeply, quite transformative." "While never presuming to offer a strictly generalizable snapshot, by focusing his attention on what are "probably the least religious countries in the world" (2), his provocative and engagingly written book is very effective in helping readers to examine numerous assumptions concerning the place of religion in the modern world... The real strength of this book is that, by challenging widespread analytical assumptions, it presents us with more complexity and with more nuanced questions regarding the nexus of the religious and the secular in contemporary life. To quote a famous Dane on this very point, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." If, as Horatio should have done, we are to heed these words in terms of expanding the frameworks of our
accordingly, it will be due in good measure to paying attention to thoughtful and creative books like this one. In my estimation, not to do so would be, well, a tragedy." “For those interested in the burgeoning field of secular studies’ or for those curious about a world much different from the devout U.S.—this book will offer some compelling reading.”
- Publishers Weekly
“In an anecdotal and eminently readable manner, Zuckerman offers a novel idea within the study of religious sociology.”
- Library Journal
“In an anecdotal and eminently readable manner, Zuckerman offers a novel idea within the study of religious sociology.”
Review
"If you want to learn how to stake out a position for yourself as a creditable authority-an expert the media turns to for analysis-this book can show you how. Wiener knows what she's talking about. A great self-training aid!" -Michael Baird,Editorial Supervisor, Headline News
Review
"Power Communication gives extraordinary insight into how to acquire positive visibility. Written by a successful speaker and expert in the field of total communications, this book focuses on everything from perceptions to listening skills to high-impact words to public- speaking to media interactions, and more. This is a must-read for people seeking success." -Joyce McLaughlin,President, National Association of Women Business Owners
Review
"A leader's vision for a community is meaningless unless it is effectively communicated. Good ideas are not enough; it takes practical skills to be an effective communicator. Wiener excels at explaining these skills, step-by-step. This information is pivotal to the leadership development process." -Wendell J. Walls,Executive Director, National Association for Community Leadership
Synopsis
How to increase your visibility and maximize your success through powerful, proven communication techniques
How can you make the media work for you? How can you master interviews so that your points are the ones an audience remembers? How can you give presentations that do not just convey information but also promote you as a leader? How can you develop listening habits that will substantially enhance the entire communication process? What are the challenges and opportunities of public personhood inside and outside the workplace?
Power Communications: Positioning Yourself for High Visibility teaches people-from corporate CEOs to civic leaders to designated spokespersons-how to enhance their positioning and maximize their success. Chapter by chapter, the reader learns how to master public visibility in the workplace, the professional arena, and the community. The reader gleans ways to create proper perceptions in the minds of the public and the media. The book also details how high-profile people can lead others by mastering the total power communications process--effective presentation of message, constructive listening, and executive or community action. In addition to learning how to create and maintain positive public personhood, the reader also learns specific methods and channels for dispersing important messages.
This book focuses on proactive techniques that address the full spectrum of needs and issues that go into establishing and sustaining a public identity. Power Communications is an irreplaceable resource for corporate executives, top and middle management, elected officials, heads of organizations, governmental representatives, official spokespersons, and public relations and marketing professionals.
To many people, communicating itself creates a daunting challenge. Power Communications helps its readers turn challenges into exciting opportunities.
Synopsis
“Silver” Winner of the 2008 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award, Religion CategoryBefore he began his recent travels, it seemed to Phil Zuckerman as if humans all over the globe were “getting religion”—praising deities, performing holy rites, and soberly defending the world from sin. But most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, don't worship any god at all, don't pray, and don't give much credence to religious dogma of any kind. Instead of being bastions of sin and corruption, however, as the Christian Right has suggested a godless society would be, these countries are filled with residents who score at the very top of the "happiness index" and enjoy their healthy societies, which boast some of the lowest rates of violent crime in the world (along with some of the lowest levels of corruption), excellent educational systems, strong economies, well-supported arts, free health care, egalitarian social policies, outstanding bike paths, and great beer.
Zuckerman formally interviewed nearly 150 Danes and Swedes of all ages and educational backgrounds over the course of fourteen months. He was particularly interested in the worldviews of people who live their lives without religious orientation. How do they think about and cope with death? Are they worried about an afterlife? What he found is that nearly all of his interviewees live their lives without much fear of the Grim Reaper or worries about the hereafter. This led him to wonder how and why it is that certain societies are non-religious in a world that seems to be marked by increasing religiosity. Drawing on prominent sociological theories and his own extensive research, Zuckerman ventures some interesting answers.
This fascinating approach directly counters the claims of outspoken, conservative American Christians who argue that a society without God would be hell on earth. It is crucial, Zuckerman believes, for Americans to know that “society without God is not only possible, but it can be quite civil and pleasant.”
Synopsis
How can you make the media work for you? How can you master interviews so that your points are the ones an audience remembers? How can you give presentations that do not just convey information but also promote you as a leader? How can you develop listening habits that will substantially enhance the entire communication process? What are the challenges and opportunities of public personhood inside and outside the workplace?
Power Communications: Positioning Yourself for High Visibility teaches people-from corporate CEOs to civic leaders to designated spokespersons-how to enhance their positioning and maximize their success. Chapter by chapter, the reader learns how to master public visibility in the workplace, the professional arena, and the community. The reader gleans ways to create proper perceptions in the minds of the public and the media. The book also details how high-profile people can lead others by mastering the total power communications processeffective presentation of message, constructive listening, and executive or community action. In addition to learning how to create and maintain positive public personhood, the reader also learns specific methods and channels for dispersing important messages.
This book focuses on proactive techniques that address the full spectrum of needs and issues that go into establishing and sustaining a public identity. Power Communications is an irreplaceable resource for corporate executives, top and middle management, elected officials, heads of organizations, governmental representatives, official spokespersons, and public relations and marketing professionals.
To many people, communicating itself creates a daunting challenge. Power Communications helps its readers turn challenges into exciting opportunities.
Synopsis
Samir Amin's ambitious new book argues that the ongoing American project to dominate the world through military force has its roots in European liberalism, but has developed certain features of liberal ideology in a new and uniquely dangerous way. Where European political culture since the French Revolution has given a central place to values of equality, the American state has developed to serve the interests of capital alone, and is now exporting this model throughout the world. American imperialism, Amin argues, will be far more barbaric than earlier forms of imperialism, pillaging natural resources and destroying the lives of the poor.
The Liberal Virus examines the ways in which the American model is being imposed on the world, and outlines its economic and political consequences. It shows how both citizenship and class consciousness are diluted in "low-intensity democracy" and argues instead for democratization as an ongoing processof fundamental importance for human progressrather than a fixed constitutional formula designed to support the logic of capital accumulation.
In a panoramic overview, Amin examines the objectives and outcomes of American policy in the different regions of the world. He concludes by outlining the challenges faced by those resisting the American project today: redefining European liberalism on the basis of a new compromise between capital and labor, re-establishing solidarity among the people of the South, and reconstructing an internationalism that serves the interests of regions that are currently divided against each other.
Synopsis
Are lawyers, by their very nature, agents of the state, of capital, of institutions of power? Or are there ways in which they can work constructively or transformatively for the disempowered, the working class, the underprivileged?
Lawyers in a Postmodern World explores how lawyers actively create the forms of power which they and others deploy. Through engaging case studies, the book examines how lawyers work within and for powerful institutions and provides suggestions--both general and practical--for ways in which the practice of law can be made to work with and for the powerless.
Individuals chapters address such subjects as the contradictions of radical law practice; legal work in South Africa; the economics and politics of negotiating justice; feminist legal scholarship and women's gendered lives; the overlapping worlds of law, business, and politics; theories of legal practice; and how lawyers are constitutive of gender relations.
Contributing to the book are Maureen Cain (University of West Indies), Yves Dezalay (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France), Martha Fineman (Columbia University), Sue Lees (University of North London), Doreen McBarnet (Wolfson College, Oxford), Frank Munger (SUNY, Buffalo), Wilfried Scharf (University of Cape Town), Stuart Scheingold (University of Washington), David Sugarman (Lancaster University), and Sally Wheeler (University of Nottingham).
Description
Includes bibliographical references ([275]-278) and index.
About the Author
Maureen Cain is Professor of Sociology at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. She is currently writing a book on feminism and realist methodology. The author of numerous books and articles,
Christene B. Harrington is an Associate Professor of Politics at New York University. She is currently writing a book on the role of the American legal profession in forming a twentieth-century administrative state.