Here are twenty book recommendations in alphabetical order that everyone should have. This is not ‘THE LIST’, so I may have omitted your favorite book. This list is just a good starting point to building a solid magic library. At some point I’ll discuss some hidden treasure buried in the books.


• 13 Steps To Mentalism
• Art of Astonishment
• Card College
• Card Magic of LePaul
• Classic Magic of Larry Jennings
• Close-Up Card Magic
• Complete Works of Derek Dingle
• Dai Vernon Inner Card Trilogy (Out of Print)
• Effective Card Magic
• Expert Card Technique
• Expert Coin Magic
• Greater Magic (Out of Print)
• New Modern Coin Magic
• Practical Mental Effects
• Revolutionary Card Technique
• Royal Road to Card Magic
• Stars of Magic (Out of Print)
• Tarbell Course in Magic
• Versatile Card Magic

Find a device or game that acts as a randomizer, throwing up new combinations that can spark your imagination into life.




These days you also have plenty of digital oracles at your fingertips:





• If you’re stuck for an idea, think of your project or problem and put the first three words that come into your mind into Google and see what comes out.


• Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s Oblique Strategies cards for random inspiration are now available as a Mac dashboard widget and various software versions for PC and Mac.


• If you visit Roger von Oech’s home page and click on Roger’s picture at the top, you’ll be presented with a random ‘whack’ from his Creative Whack Pack.


• Stumbleupon is a great way to discover new websites by ’stumbling’ through the recommendations of its users.


• Burroughs had to laboriously cut up his texts with a pair of scissors - save yourself the trouble with this online cut-up engine.

AntiRSI

AntiRSI is a program for Mac OS X that helps prevent RSI (repetitive strain injury) and other computer related stress. It does so by forcing you to take regular breaks, yet without getting in the way. It also detects natural breaks so it won't force too many breaks on you.

Most people, when they hear the phrase ‘business coach’ think of an external consultant. Yet managers can have a powerful influence on their teams and the organisation as a whole when they adopt a coaching style of management. As a way of managing people, coaching differs from the traditional corporate ‘command and control’ approach in the following ways:





• collaborating instead of controlling


• delegating more responsibility


• talking less, listening more


• giving fewer orders, asking more questions


• giving specific feedback instead of making judgements

Giving observational feedback instead of making judgments

Coaches have a low tolerance for poor performance, so they deliver feedback in the way that is most likely to effect a change in behaviour. This often means avoiding pronouncing judgement in favour giving specific, observational feedback that helps people examine their own performance and come up with better options for the next time.

So a coach would be unlikely to say “You didn’t handle that meeting very well” - this is a vague judgement that could mean anything and immediately puts the other person on the defensive. Instead, the coach might ask “Did you see the look on the client’s face when you told her we couldn’t change the text at this stage?” - which draws attention to the consequences of a specific action and invites reflection on whether it would be better to do things differently in future.

Table of contents for An Introduction to Business Coaching

1. An Introduction to Business Coaching
2. What Is Business Coaching?
3. Coaching Is Not Training, Mentoring or Counselling
4. Different Types of Coaching
5. The External Coach, or Coaching Consultant
6. The Manager as Coach
7. Coaching and Leadership
8. Key Coaching Skills
9. The GROW Coaching Model
10. Formal and Informal Coaching
11. The Business Impact of Coaching
12. Why Coaching Matters to Creative Companies
13. Recommended Business Coaching Books