Episode 160 – The Best Bits

Episode 160 - The best Bits

A few of the stand-out moments from the last few Extraordinary Business Book Club episodes – there’s a celebratory feel as it marks the fifth birthday of Practical Inspiration, and this week we’re focused on finding inspiration in the uncomfortable and owning your ideas. Niki Schafer on submerging yourself in things…

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Episode 159 – PR for Humans with Mike Sergeant

Episode 159 -PR for Humans with Mike Sergeant

As a journalist, Mike Sergeant’s job was to communicate complex issues clearly and quickly. He had to find within huge geopolitical issues the human stories that listeners could connect with. Today he uses that experience to help business leaders communicate more powerfully.  Mike believes that PR is simply storytelling –…

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Episode 154 – Upskilling with Chris Watson

Episode 154 - Upskilling with Chris Watson

‘Wouldn’t it be helpful if somehow you could anticipate the key skills that would be needed in the future to support people’s professional growth?’ And that was the question that eventually led Chris Watson to write his first book: Upskill: 21 Keys to Professional Growth. In this conversation we explore the steps…

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Episode 152 – Blinkist – finding books with Niklas Jansen

Episode 152 - Blinkist and discoverability with Niklas Jansen

‘We have trailers and teasers about a movie. So why shouldn’t there be a teaser or trailer for a book?’ When Niklas Jansen graduated he knew he wanted to start a business, but he didn’t know much about running a business. And he also realised that suddenly he didn’t have…

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Episode 150 – The Sesquicentennial Best Bits

Episode 150 - The Sesquicentennial Best Bits

There aren’t many opportunities to slip the word ‘sesquicentennial’ into conversation, so make the most of this one by recommending it, casual-like, to all your friends. A few of my favourite moments from the last few Extraordinary Business Book Club episodes, with the focus today on serendipity. (There’s another great word…

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Episode 148 – Disrupting Yourself with Whitney Johnson

‘We are learning machines. It’s the biology of who we are.’ We’re used to thinking about disruption as a force that shapes industries, products and services. But have you ever thought about disrupting yourself? Whitney Johnson recommends that you jump to a new learning curve every five years or so,…

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Episode 146 – The Reading and Writing Resolutions Special

Episode 146 - The Reading and Writing Resolutions Special

LINKS: Alison on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookstothesky The Extraordinary Business Book Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1447064765612358/ Sign up for the weekly Extraordinary Business Book Club newsletter, including a review of what I’m reading now and writing and marketing tips: https://www.getdrip.com/forms/887338035/submissions/new Sign up for the January 2019 10-day Business Book Proposal Challenge: https://alisonjones.leadpages.co/proposal-challenge/ Sign up for PI Live…

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Episode 141 – Lead Like a Coach with Karen Morley

Episode 141 - Lead Like a Coach with Karen Morley

Karen Morley knew there’d be no problem writing about the principles of leading like a coach, and she found it relatively easy to structure her ideas and practice into a methodology. But how to bring that alive for a reader? The answer of course was to use stories, and Karen…

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Episode 140 – The Best Bits

Episode 140 - The Best Bits

A few of my favourite moments from the last few Extraordinary Business Book Club episodes, and this time it’s all about grit – which seems to be an inevitable ingredient in the writing of a business book. Ayse Birsel on optimism and finding the best answers in the worst places Elaine Halligan,…

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Episode 139 – Being the champion of your book with Pete Williams

Episode 139 - Being the champion of your book with Pete Williams

Writing a great book is a good start. But it’s only a start. After that comes the marketing, which is every bit as important as the writing. ‘If you’re not going to be the biggest champion for your book, who is?’ asks Pete Williams. The author of several best-selling books…

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