My 2014 Reading List: 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Earlier, I shared what I read in 2013, and promised I'd share what I'd be reading in 2014, under my '52 in 52' Goal. These are not all speaking books, not all marketing books, not even all non-fiction books. Many of you suggested some of these titles, others are books I have always wanted to read, others are books I want to re-read. Many I'll end up listening to instead of reading, others I wouldn't dream of not perusing page by page.

As I finish each one, I'll talk about it, either here (for speaking books) or on my new blog which will be part of the revamped RichHopkins.com.

So here we go - the titles, in no particular order, and a few comments. I considered linking them to where you can buy them, but I'm not looking for affiliate sales, and changes are you know how to find a book online, right?

1. Under The Dome - Stephen King - I've gotten about halfway through this, but put it down last year. Now that it's a hit TV show, I suppose I should finish it...

2. Moby Dick - Herman Melville - A classic I've never read, perhaps appropriate for contest season.
3. Book yourself Solid - Michael Port - I've never made it through this, because I want to actually do the exercises in it, not just browse it. Now's the time.
4. Think and Grow Rich, 61 & 62. The Law of Success, The Lost Prosperity Secrets, The Magic Ladder to Success - Napoleon Hill - delving into his other works, versus re-reading TAGR.
5. Black Book of Networking - Jeffrey Gitomer - it's been a few years - may choose the audible just to hear Jeffrey's encouraging voice.
6. From History's Shadow. A Star Trek book - Dayton Ward. A guilty pleasure I haven't allowed in years. TBD.
7. Presentation Zen - Garr Reynolds - hard to believe I haven't read this, actually.
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - a SF/Fantasy Classic I have inexplicably never read.
9. The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Conan Doyle - A book I've had for 30 years, just waiting for me to actually read it all. I've read a few stories, but not in the last 15 years.
10. The Message of You - Judy Carter - My top speaking book of 2013, a must re-read resource.
11. Million Dollar Speaking - Alan Weiss - I'm about halfway through this on Kindle, need to finish it.
12. World Class Speaking - Craig Valentine - As with the above, halfway through.
13. The Element - Ken Robinson - highly recommended from this TEDTalk icon.
14. The Bully Pulpit - Doris Kearns Goodwin - saw this in Barnes and Noble a couple weeks ago, and have since had several friends recommend it. At 928 pages, I may have to listen to it instead...
15. The Slight Edge - Jeff Olsen - another motivational classic that has slipped under my radar.
16. 80/20 - Perry Marshall - need to order it - the recommendation was through the roof.
17. Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes - a literary classic I have avoided, but will give a try.
18. The Giver - Lois Lowry - never heard of it, but it has potential.

19. The Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela - perhaps the must-read auto-biography of the year for me.
20. Salt - Mark Kurlansky - I'm a bit leery of this, but perhaps it will add some flavor to my reading habits.
21. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - no, I won't cheat and just rent the movie. Just.
22. Ishmael - Daniel Quinn - Have no idea what to expect here.
23. Improv for Storytellers - Keith Johnstone - Always good to brush up.
24. Go Giver - Bob Burg - a short business metaphor book, I assume.
25. Instant Influence - Michael Pantalon - easily persuaded to read this.
26. The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg - expect it to take 7 weeks to read
27. Leaders Eat Last - Simon Sinek - I need more leadership reading, I believe.
28. Comedy Writing Secrets - Mel Helitzer - ...and always need humor brush-ups as well.
29. Dave's Way - Dave Thomas - why not? Can I read it while eating a Baconator?
30. The Alchemist - Paulo Cuelho - shocked I haven't read this yet, actually.
31. The Attitude Check - Heath Suddleson - I bet if he sent me a signed copy I'd read it faster and review it here on Speak & Deliver :)
32. Dirty Little Secrets - Sharon Drew Morgen - this one too...(she didn't send me a copy, but I read it anyway.
33. How Successful People Think Differently - Akash Karia
34. Ted:ology - Akash Karia, Michelle Mazur - Akash is a prolific author, and it's time I spend some effort reading his work, and seeing what his ideas are, and how they can help my audience.
35. The Boy Behind the Gate - Larry Jacobson - another book I'd love to see come in the mail, wink wink.
36. Life of Pi - Yann Martel - enjoyed the movie, but everyone says the book is better.

37. Unstoppable - Nick Vujucic - been on my list a long time, actually.

38. The Barefoot Executive - Carrie Wilkerson - I've read the kindle, but want to listen to it and her dulcet, southern tones.

39. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook - Gary Vaynerchuck - loved Crush It - and Gary is a great reader, and often adds more to his audio books than what's in the printed edition.

40. Living an Exceptional Life - Jim Rohn - always worth a listen.

41. Talent is Never Enough Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn - John Maxwell - back before I got involved with speaking, I bought a Maxwell book in preparation to become a manager. Since then, I've read nothing else from him. That changes this year.

42. Little Green Book of Getting Your Way - Jeffrey Gitomer - on Audible, most likely.

43. Decisive - Chip & Dan Heath - listening to this now, actually, at least earlier today, at the gym.

44. The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz - long on my list.

45. Drive - Daniel Pink - next one cued up on Audible

Audio Programs to Listen or Re-Listen to in 2014

46. Speaker Machine – Rick Butts/Felicia Slattery - with lifetime access, why not?

47. Wisdom Thesis - Rick Butts - see above.

48. Own the Stage - Darren LaCroix/Craig Valentine - worth a second look, always pumps me up.

49. How to Build a Keynote by Next Week - Darren LaCroix/Patricia Fripp - sharpen the saw. How to 

50. Outline, Design, and Deliver a Dynamic Sales Presentation - Patricia Fripp - newly acquired, and looking forward to it.

51. Mastering Your Speech - Lance Miller - probably need to watch this before seeing him at the training later this month.

52. Create Your Killer Keynote - Craig Valentine - more keynote info to just keep getting better.

53. Lady and the Champs 2013 - Various - about halfway through this.

54. Get More Laughs - Darren LaCroix - you can never laugh enough.

Extra Books & Programs Added on the Fly

55. The Media Training Bible - Brad Phillips - getting interviewed more in 2014 is a goal
56. Speaker Leader Champion - Ryan Avery & Jeremey Donovan - just cause I'm curious

57. Epic Content Marketing - Joe Pulizzi - because I'm a marketing Junkie
58. Speak Up For Your Business - Michelle Mazur - cause, well, we're friends :)
59. Own Your Industry - Douglas Kruger - see above :)
60. amazon's Dirty Little Secrets - Greg Jameson - local author and friend
61. 11 Deadly Presentation Sins - Rob Biesenbach

The Breakdown:

10 fiction books

15 Speaking books

18 Marketing/Sales books

...and a few leadership, parable, and sundry uncategorical type tomes.

Hmm. Looks like I need a couple of extra weeks! I don't guarantee I won't replace a few of these with other books that come in for review, or just on a whim. But I will still work to get '52 in 52' - or more.

What will you be reading? Feel free to share below!

What Were the Best Speaking Programs/Books of the Year?

I've always loved reading. I grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown and The Great Brain and then the Robert Heinlein books for youth (and later his more mature material), C.S. Lewis, Tolkein, Bradbury, and every Star Trek book I could get my hands on.

In my twenties, I read a lot less, and in my thirties, my attention turned to business/self-help books, as I discovered Tony Robbins, Tom Hopkins, and Zig Ziglar through the variety of sales jobs I worked. The more I got into Toastmasters, the more I started studying the art of presentations, both in the mainstream (Alan Weiss, Patricia Fripp, Nick Morgan) and through niche trainers like Tom Antion, James Malinchak, Darren LaCroix, and Craig Valentine.

As my time shrank (having six kids will do that to you), I read less and less, and started to listen to audio programs more and more. In 2012, I bit the bullet and joined Audible - with the goal of being able to keep up with the mainstream books the same way I was devouring my niche speaking trainers.

I still read - but the last few years I've kept the real reading to fiction - some classic and 'intellectual', such as Atlas Shrugged, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and Grapes of Wrath, others a bit easier and mainstream, such as the Percy Jackson series.


I do believe books and audios can be an important part of our mental growth, our continued education, and even our vital relaxation. 2013 was a great year for me, in part because I was constantly feeding myself with positive, encouraging, and enlightening material - which made me a better speaker, a better coach, even a better parent.

Below is my list from 2013, including, at the bottom, my TOP TWO picks for books/programs specifically for those of us who want to Speak & Deliver. In Pt. II, I'll post my reading list for 2014, a combination of books I have on reserve, books I've always wanted to read, and books suggested to me on Facebook by many of YOU.

Rich's 2013 Reading List

Real Books

Percy Jackson Series - 5 books - Rick Riordan
Really had fun with this series, reading it mostly while Riker was on the karate mat.

Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

A classic I'd never read, took me from June to end of the year. Like Percy, read most at karate. Still pertinent in many ways today, with some interesting observations on the human condition and economic theory. That ending though...creepy.

Audio Books

Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi

Not as good as I'd hoped, but still offered an idea or two.

Do It! Marketing – David Newman

The second half is better than the first, but it's chock full of ideas for entrepreneurs at all stages.

David & Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell

Love Gladwell - he just makes me feel more intelligent after I'm done listening.

Start With Why – Simon Sinek

Watching Ryan Avery present earlier this year inspired me to pick this book up - excellent concepts, though you can catch much of the gist in Sinek's TEDTalk.

Attention – This Book Will Make You Money – Jim Kukral

Some great personal stories and unique ideas. Not as replicable as I'd hoped, but much to inspire similar success, if you choose to follow his thought processes.

Twitter 2.0 – Joel Comm

If you're looking to make the most of Twitter, Joel has the experience you need, and lays it out simply.

Platform– Michael Hyatt

Loved this book - the content and the tone make this one I turn on (re-read?) often. A must for speakers.

The Icarus Deception – Seth Godin

I'd never read Godin beyond his blog. Good ideas, but I can't say much has stayed with me. May be more a matter of listening to it after so many other books with similar concepts. Probably worth a re-listen in 2014.

The Impact Equation – Chris Brogan, Julien Smith

My first Chris Brogan book as well. Good stuff, though a bit long. Chris and Julien offer a strong combination of expertise, and I enjoy the direct nature of their writing.

Thinking Big – David Schwartz

A good old-fashioned pump yourself up book. Mostly emotional fluff, but good to charge yourself up occasionally.

Audio Programs
Neither books or Audibles, these are programs developed by the niche trainers/speakers I mentioned above.

How to Build a Keynote by Next Week - Darren LaCroix and Patricia Fripp
Another strong program about building a keynote. It's heavy on encouraging you that you have something of value to say and how to find and package said message. Would have loved more on the back-end in terms of application to the final product.  Still, a strong entry into the keynote writing instructional genre

Solid Gold Marketing Design - Sheryl Roush

A DVD-set of a seminar focusing on one-sheet creation and similar marketing. Some great information, and a good reminder that my design degree is actually still applicable to the speaking industry as well as the advertising world.

Own the Stage - Darren LaCroix & Craig Valentine
A wonderful DVD/CD collection of a coaching weekend, where Darren and Craig took on individual coaching for a variety of speakers of different expertise levels. We see their coaching after the initial speech, the improved speech on day two, and continued coaching after the changes made. They also include a fair amount of valuable extra content with just them talking about different aspects of the industry

My BEST of the YEAR

I have two top books/programs for the year, both on the keynote-building side, which was a heavy focus for me this year. 

The Wisdom Thesis - Rick Butts
An Audio Program/Training/Membership Site 

This program is down-to-earth, practical, energetic, and specifically addresses everything from keynote structure to introductions to preparation to booking dates to dealing with problems at a venue. He offers a tremendous amount of recorded content as well as ongoing mastermind training. 

The Message of You – Judy Carter

First listened to on Audible.

This book was transformative for me - from how I design my own speeches to how I coach my clients. Judy's ideas, her humor, her enthusiasm and authenticity made this book my winner for the year - I bought the Kindle edition too, and am tempted to buy the real edition soon. A must-have for any speaker, and I'll be reading it again in 2014. Often.

In 2014, my goal is to read real books a bit more - and finally hit that golden '52 books in 52 weeks' goal we hear people talk about so often. I'll count both audio and Kindle books along with regular, hold-in-your-hand editions, and I'll mix genres, book sizes, and not hold myself to a book a week, since occasionally I'll be reading 100 page books, and other weeks 400 page books.

Want YOUR book reviewed, all by itself, like I've done for Nancy Duarte, Jerry Weissman, & Rory Vaden, among others here in Speak & Deliver? Send it to me, and I'll move it to the top of the list. Meanwhile, share what you've read in 2013 that has turned you into a better speaker, a better person, or just tickled your fancy for awhile!

Speak & Deliver Day of Reckoning, 2013

Last year, I tried a new method to list my goals here in Speak & Deliver. Here's a review of what I expected of myself, and my results.

I began with this: My All-Encompassing Goal, that all other goals must honor, the ultimate destination of my 'To Become' list: Strengthen my family's position, emotionally, physically, medically, and financially.

RESULT: Success, overall, though the level of success in each would not necessarily be to the level I desired. But progress is progress, and overall, 2013, in every way, was a dramatic improvement over any of the last 5 years.

I then categorized a few sub-goals:

Speaking Sub-Goals
Reach as many people with my Win Anyway message as possible
RESULT:  I gave this keynote roughly 15 times in my travels to Kansas City, Honolulu, and Toronto, as well as a time or two here in Denver.

Write MY book - the catalyst to my keynote
RESULT: No Progress. Disappointing, to say the least

Speak outside Toastmasters 25 times
RESULT: Outside of Toastmasters = 3x. Outside of my District = 25+

Coaching Sub-Goals
Coach and teach as many people as I'm able, both personally and by product proxy
RESULT: My biggest coaching and product sales year ever - many clients experiencing success, both in the contest world and the real world. Looking forward to an even bigger 2014.

Build Speak & Deliver's presence
RESULT: About the same as last year. My posting rate was similar, and I occasionally missed an entire month.

Write my speaking book
RESULT: No Progress. Disappointing, to say the least. I see so many others coming out with speaking books, it both inspires and discourages me simultaneously.

Physical Sub-Goals (these were personal, but do affect my speaking business, in terms of mobility and personal esteem on stage)

Get to 190 lbs.
RESULT: Not even close. More on this in my personal blog, will link when ready.

Play Basketball again
RESULT: I did shoot some hoops in the summer with my kids, but certainly did not reach the athletic heights I intended.

2013 was a good year for me, as I started this post saying. More clients and more travel than ever before. I created a new product - Secrets of Speak - interviewing my fellow co-stars in SPEAK: The Movie.

Success as an Area Governor, a fun High Performance Leadership project (which I will write about in January) and soon, I will get my DTM certification (goes in the mail tomorrow). 

I got back into competition, and took home trophies in Evaluation and Tall Tales at the highest level. My social media presence grew, and my personal network improved. I've built up some technology to help me video and audio record for 2014. I've absorbed a tremendous amount of information on speaking and marketing - I'll be posting my reading list from 2013 soon.

2014 can be better - in part because, for the first time in years, I feel I'm starting from a stronger place this year than last. Are you prepared to Speak & Deliver in 2014?

How to Speak & Offend Part III of IV: How to Speak & Offend Your Fellow Toastmasters - and Soon the World

In Part I, I gave some tips to avoiding offending your audience inadvertantly. In Part II, I suggested that offending the audience is actually our job as a speaker. A few people mentioned that we should be able to speak about 'offensive' topics - and wondered where they might test their material.

Toastmasters - the worldwide non-profit dedicated to helping people develop public speaking and leadership skills - is the perfect place to be offensive. It's also a great place to learn NOT to be, and, believe it or not, an ideal place to deliberately BE offensive, in preparation to offend the world.

Now, before you go off and join a club with the intent of riling everyone up with your latest Duck Dynasty rant, take a look at the list below.

1. Know Your Club - much like my oft=repeated mantra - Know Your Audience. Every TM club around the world, despite following the same basic educational program at their core, is different. You will find a corporate club - say the one that meets at lunch on the sixth floor in your company tower - to be significantly different in makeup and manner than a local community club meeting at your library.

What those differences are isn't easily predicted - they may actually be MORE able to handle touchy topics than said community club. Some clubs meet at churches or other public venues that might hamper the discussion of certain topics. But the most important aspect isn't the location - it's the people IN the club. Are they open to topics that may push the envelope on taste and appropriateness? Even that statement is up for interpretation. Bringing up the word sex, or discussing liberal vs. conservative ideals in one club might be enough to shake them to their core, or be so passe that you better go further just to be heard above the noise.

Visit a club for a few weeks to get an idea of their personal club standards. Talk to the VP of Education. If you're new - give yourself a speech or two before going for the jugular with your assessment of your current world leader you've deemed to be the anti-Christ.

2. Turn Your Audience Into Actors. One interesting aspect of Toastmasters is that it is specifically designed to be a supportive group for you to improve your skills. One way of taking full advantage of that is by telling your audience who they need to be for your speech. In your introduction, or perhaps as an objective read by your evaluator BEFORE you give your speech, mention that your audience is a group of women looking to enforce their rights to breastfeed in public, or a meeting of the National Meatcutters Association, or a group of freshmen college students attending a meeting on Safe Sex.

This gives the audience a bit of notice, so that you don't totally jar them unnecessarily, and improves your chances for helpful feedback vs. an outraged response. They can listen to you with the ears of your desired target listener, and do a better job evaluating your delivery method without being so bothered by the nature of your content.

3. Expand & Advance - to an Advanced Club. Once you've determined the clubs parameters on subject matter you can decide, at your own risk, whether to try to push a bit in that club environment or go elsewhere. That doesn't mean going outside Toastmasters. Advanced clubs often have a higher tolerance for off-color, controversial, or more-spirited topics. Some actually specialize in it. Ask around, check the website, and make some visits. You'll usually need to stay in your regular club as a membership-requirement for an Advanced Club, but even two clubs a year is peanuts compared to most public speaking training available.

4. Organize a 'No-Holds-Barred' Meeting. Many clubs have a variety of special meetings throughout the year, from Backward Meetings to Holiday themes - why not create a meeting specifically geared to tough topics, publicize it (heck, wouldn't your local paper love to hear about a group of citizens talking about everything from gay marriage to legalized marijuana to suspending kindergartners who kiss their fellow classmates?), and give everyone a chance to be prepared, and, of course, to participate. Be sure to explain it fully at the beginning of the night, in case you have guests. And let people know if they would rather have that night off, it's completely understood.

5. Record & Judge Thyself. Are you really saying what you want to say? Is your stage demeanor what you expected? Are your word choices intentional? Separating yourself from the speech, getting outside of yourself and your passion will help you become more objective as you continue to build your message. Share it with a few trusted friends and/or a presentations coach.

6. Let Your Audience Change You. The previous four methods all focus on gauging and managing your Toastmasters audience, to help them help you help others. Keep in mind, however, that you will run into everyday people in your real-life audiences who will be offended as well, no matter your venue. Bring an eval form for everyone in the room and find out which notes you're hitting well and which are off-key, and ask them to sign their forms so you can evaluate for yourself whether their feedback will work for you. You might find the perfect way to soften a statement or tone, or you might even discover you aren't as controversial as you think you are.

If you've found other strategies, or know of an Advanced Club in your area that can offer an open audience for broader topics - please share in the comments below, or on Speak & Deliver's Facebook Page.

Offend with Intention. I mentioned this in Part I, but it bears repeating. As a Speak & Deliver reader, I'm confident you truly care about your message and what your audience gets out of it. This makes learning to be 'offensive' in the most optimal manner crucial. Being crass or inappropriate for crassness and inappropriateness' sake will not help you, your audience, or your cause. Even Tony Robbins, often the crassest of the crass, swears and offends with intention - his belief is that if you can't handle the language, you're in the wrong audience, and he's actually trying to get your to leave. For many people I know, he is considered to be a terrible example as a speaker - people often tell me how much they hate him. But, just as often, I hear from people who absolutely love him - and he's built quite a career offending with purpose, whether we agree with his purposes or not.

If your audience hasn't moved toward your message by the time you finish, you've failed. Sometimes it takes a little push, sometimes a big one. Knowing the difference is knowing how to Speak...& Deliver.