Contributors to the October 2023 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.

Ariel Berger

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

by Stephen R. Covey

This is a timeless read. It has completely changed my approach and perspective on how I tackle projects and handle various situations both in my personal and professional life. It has opened me up to innovative approaches and success in collaborating with others.

The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age

By Cammy Bean

This is one of my favorite reads in the past year. I found that a good chunk of my role is unofficial instructional design and this book helped me understand the fundamentals as I built out the New Hire Journey and resources. I identified so much with all scenarios and experiences within each chapter. Such a great read if you are in a similar role!

Susan Gatti

The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level

by Gay Hendricks

This is an excellent read to better understand our relationships with time, money, and resources. If you have ever said, "But I'm too busy" or "I can't afford that," this book is for you. It will change your perspective.

Power vs. Force

By David R. Hawkins

Turns out emotions are what fuel action, not how much we have learned. If you want to understand why your participants, team members, and even yourself know better but can’t seem to do better - this is it! Life-changing insights inside.

Why Forgive?

By Johann Christoph Arnold

Holding onto grudges, anger, or past events is a heavy burden to carry, and we don’t realize how they actually hold us back from reaching for our goals. Who knew the simple art of forgiveness could be just what was needed to increase performance at work?

Brave Enough to Succeed: 40 Strategies for Getting Unstuck

By Valorie Burton

Finally, a book that speaks to the fear of success we all carry around in one way or another. Self-doubt, perfectionism, and other stalling behaviors are how we protect ourselves from harmful situations. Learning how to release that protection and feel safe is how you become brave. This book is an exceptional peek inside how to do that for yourself.

Kristopher Newbauer

Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

by Brené Brown

This book explores how people make sense of the world using internal narratives (Brown terms it "the story I'm telling myself"). It's extremely helpful in understanding how we create beliefs that lead to how we respond to the world.

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life

By Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell

This book is really great at helping you examine the beliefs you hold on to and examining them (Byron calls this “the work”) to determine if they are true. She postulates that holding on to beliefs that are not or cannot be true is what leads to human suffering

Kelly Johnson

Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

By Seth Godin

Find your purple cow! This book reminds us that no matter what line of work we are in, we all have the power of a purple cow - an opportunity to build remarkable products and spread powerful ideas.

Growing Influence: A Story of How to Lead with Character, Expertise, and Impact

By Ron Price and Stacy Ennis

Following Emily’s story (not unlike so many of our own), this book provides ways to build influence and credibility over time, while managing family, life, and ambitions.

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter)

By Susan Weinschenk

Brings the human back into design. Great way to step back and examine how people are impacted and interact with your design elements.

Mark Sheppard

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

By Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer

I consider this book to be one of the foundational texts for online or technology-driven training environments. Its evidence-driven guidance still holds up since it was first published in 2003. One key takeaway: I appreciated the “Design Dilemmas” included at the end of chapters, where I was forced to reflect on the challenge presented, as well as how I might solve a similar problem. Almost all of them are still relevant today.

Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

By Nancy Duarte

For those like me, who appreciate a more visual and graphical approach to storytelling, this book is it. Since we depend so heavily on graphics and visuals to support our learning solutions, it makes sense for us to think carefully about how we can leverage the benefits of stories with compelling visuals and an audience-centric approach. One key takeaway: Applying different story structures to your message can reveal much about what you want to say, what may be unsaid, and what needs to be remembered.

Agile for Instructional Designers: Iterative Project Management to Achieve Results

By Megan Torrance

Agile practices are much-discussed in our field, but practical guidance for a new adopter could prove overwhelming. Megan offers a fresh, plain-language approach to thinking about Agile concepts and how to put them into practice. One key takeaway was the application of Action Mapping techniques to managing the scope of a project. The other major takeaway is the mindset shift required to become iterative in your approach instead of just going over the waterfall, as it were.

Robert Porter

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

By Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger, and Mark A. McDaniel

This book uses evidence-based strategies and practical insights; this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to enhance their learning abilities and maximize knowledge retention for long-term success.

The New Social Learning: Connect. Collaborate. Work.

By Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner

This book is a transformative guide showcasing the potential of harnessing social technologies to foster collaborative and effective learning environments. It offers compelling insights and practical strategies that highlight the power of social learning in today's workplace.

Christina Treadway

People Styles at Work…And Beyond: Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better

By Robert Bolton

Leading Change

By John P. Kotter

The Emotionally Intelligent Manager: How to Develop and Use the Four Key Emotional Skills of Leadership

By David R. Caruso and Peter Salovey