Top 5 Training/Business Books

I am often asked to recommend books.

It's tough... 

Do I tell you my favorites?

Or the ones I think are the 'best'? Whatever that means?

Instead, I'll tell you the 5 books that I have most often picked up and read - or at least referenced - in the past year.

1. slide:ology by Nancy Duarte 
   Hands down, this is number one.
   If you want to know anything about slide design, this is the bible.
   There's a lot here I didn't understand a year ago, but as my skill has grown, so has my understanding.
2. Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko
   Whenever I want to think 'out of the box', I turn to this outstanding reference.
   Michalko captures more innovation exercises than you can ever need. 
3. Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
   The word 'bible' can be applied to four out of these five books.
   McCloud has definitely written the bible for anyone who wants to understand comics.
   Since I've been working on a manga-workbook for one of my classes, this book has been my constant companion. 
4. Don't Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor 
   It may not be a popular thing to say, but we can learn a lot about training people from dog and dolphin training. Concepts like shaping, reinforcement, incompatible behavior, and successive approximation should be part of Training 101 - but aren't.
5. Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni 
   Not much to say about this except that it's clear and effective.
   We use it with teams constantly.