Michelle's Book Recommendations

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:43:44 -0400

Articles, Content & Resources

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:02:44 -0400

TOPIC: Human Behavior & Sociology

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) Assessment of Psychological Type

The MBTI is the world's leading psychological assessment tool. Knowing your type can help you communicate more effectively, reduce conflict in your life and overall just understand yourself (and others!) better.

"The Human Animal - A Personal View of The Human Species"

Desmond Morris' theories explain elements of human behavior from a zoological perspective in light of evolutionary adaptations. This six-part BBC series from 1994 explores all aspects of human life and behavior, from how we rear our young to our use of facial expressions and gestures. Fascinating.

Part One: "The Language of The Body" (*Full male and female nudity in first 3 min)
Part Two: "The Hunting Ape"
Part Three: "The Human Zoo"
Part Four: "The Biology of Love"
Part Five: "The Immortal Genes"
Part Six: "Beyond Survival"

"Watching Desmond Morris" - BBC Special

Learn more about the man behind The Naked Ape, The Human Zoo, "The Human Animal," "The Human Sexes," and many other illuminating (and at times controversial) books and TV shows.

Enneagrams

Enneagrams segment people into 9 personality orientations and explain the basic motivations of each type. Understanding them can be useful in all aspects of life, not just business! Take the 36-question Enneagram Sampler to get an idea of your probable type. Note that the Sampler is not scientifically validated, but it's a good place to start. Enjoy.

TOPIC: Business Management

"One Brain and One Heart – Unleashing the Magic in Organizations"
Kathleen Dannemiller & Mary Eggers

"The Complete Guide to Managing Traditional Brainstorming Events"
By Jeffrey Baumgartner

Ignition Consulting - Agency Strategy, Structure & Process
Tim Williams focuses on improving Advertising and Creative Agency strategy, structure and process, and his website is a treasure trove of articles and great info - much of which applies to managing and running any kind of business better.

The Socratic Method - A Real-World Example
A transcript of Rick Garlikov teaching a classroom full of 2nd graders binary arithmetic! You've got to read it to believe it.

"What's Next - The Idiocy of Crowds"

"The effectiveness of groups, teamwork, collaboration, and consensus is largely a myth. In many cases, individuals do much better on their own. Our bias toward groups is counterproductive. And the technology of ubiquitous connectedness is making the problem worse...."

David H. Freedman, "Inc." Magazine, September 2006

Patrick Lencioni's Free POV (Point of View) Articles

Author and business consultant Patrick Lencioni (see sidebar on right for a list of his books) offers great management tools and tips (free) on his website.

TOPIC: Minority is the New Majority (U.S. Hispanic Market Research)

U.S. Hispanic Market Insights

Business owners and marketers struggle with how to approach the U.S. Hispanic market because they know that it is extremely segmented in terms of country of origin, language preference or acculturation level. What language do you target them in? Some are Mexican, Colombian, Argentine... they're all so different, right? The (mistaken) belief is that you can't target them as a large group, and in some sense that's true. However, there ARE ways to connect with Hispanics on a large scale. How? By understanding certain insights that are true about almost all Hispanics. These are "touchpoints." Download the whole presentation to learn more.
By Michelle Villalobos

Pew Hispanic Center

This is one of the best resources we've found for research and reports on the U.S. Hispanic Market. The Center calls itself a "non-partisan 'fact tank' that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world." Research topics include economics, demography, education, identity, immigration, labor, politics and more. All of the information and studies are free. www.pewhispanic.org.

Hispanic Market Weekly

HMW is a subscription-based newsletter and website that defines itself as "the leading authority on news and events moving the Hispanic Market." They are especially focused on information relevant to advertising, media and marketing. Though they provide some free information, to really get the most out of it, you'll have to purchase full access, for $397/year. www.hmwonline.com.

Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHHA)

The mission of AHAA is to "grow, strengthen and protect the Hispanic Marketing and Advertising industry by providing leadership in raising awareness of the value of the Hispanic market opportunities and enhancing the professionalism of the industry." To this end, AHAA creates two big events each year (attended by the "who's who" of Hispanic advertising and marketing." www.ahaa.org.

TOPIC: Social Issues, Consciousness & Awareness

The Girl Effect
Investing in young women can have a bigger social impact than investing the same amount of money in other ways. To understand why, look at this video or read this document. We aren't necessarily supporting this particular organization (since we don't know it firsthand) but we agree wholeheartedly with the philosophy. If you agree, here are some other organizations that may interest you: Care (www.care.org) and Global Giving (www.globalgiving.com).

TOPIC: Fun Stuff!

Learn to Solve a Rubik's Cube
Just a fun thing to know how to do...
Video Guide: How to Solve a Rubik's Cube Part 1
Video Guide: How to Solve a Rubik's Cube Part 2

Improvisational Theater

I love improv and encourage you to check it out in your area. Above is a link to Improv Encyclopedia (a resource for games and fun stuff that you can do). My favorite here in Miami is Just the Funny. They have performances twice a month and also teach great classes for adults and kids.

Femfessionals

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:26:10 -0400

Founders & Officers

Violette Sproul
Co-Founder/President

Marita Leonard
Co-Founder/Vice President

Michelle E. Villalobos
Co-Founder/VP Strategy & Development

Sara Berkowitz
Co-Founder/VP Events & Community outreach

Nikol Solares
Co-Founder/VP of Schmoozing

Kimesha Wing
Co-Founder/VP of Finance

Erika Mayor-Diaz
Co-Founder/VP of Public Relations

Join Femfessionals on Facebook to learn about our upcoming events!

Really Bad Powerpoint by Seth Godin

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:41:40 -0500

Learn the cardinal rules of proper powerpointing. As with everything Seth writes, it's honest, useful and to the point. Download the entire presentation at his website here.

Value-Based Pricing

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:31:12 -0500

In preparing a presentation on how to price for profits during tight economy, I remembered one of my favorite books ever: Value Pricing.

Pricing based on cost, hours, target ROI or in response to a competitor's price is sooooo yesterday. Read this book and learn about how to base price on the only thing that matters: value to your buyer.

– Michelle Villalobos –

The Human Animal - Desmond Morris

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:05:48 -0400

Desmond Morris studies human beings as a zoologist observes animals in the wild. He explains and interprets human behavior from an evolutionary perspective and the result is fascinating and instructive. I wasn't able to stop watching and watched all 6 episodes beginning to end, back to back!

Though the series is from 1994, the concepts and theories are still relevant, both for business in particular and life in general. If human behavior interests you, and you don't yet know Desmond Morris, prepare to be blown away!

Click below to stream each episode online.

Note: Be prepared, there is full nudity (both sexes) during the beginning of Part One: The Language of The Body - I guess the BBC is pretty liberal when it comes to that sort of thing!

Part One: The Language of The Body

Part Two: The Hunting Ape

Part Three: The Human Zoo

Part Four: The Biology of Love

Part Five: The Immortal Genes

Part Six: Beyond Survival

– Michelle Villalobos –

Michelle Recommends | Michelle Villalobos