Product reviews for The Magic of Metaphor

The contents are accurately summed up in the book's subtitle, `77 Stories for Teachers. Trainers & Thinkers'. Drawn from a variety of sources, the stories are well-chosen and accessible. neatly combining ancient Sufi wisdom with road rage, two-pound coins and other 21st century trappings. Trainers and public speakers will be well aware of the value of anecdotes: they can stimulate group discussion, make people stop and think about a topic from a new perspective, vary the tone and pace of a session, and so on (the author lists 58 possible uses). To help teachers and trainers find anecdotes to fit a particular context, stories are arranged in six sections, and within each section there's a good variety to choose from - short, epigrammatic ones to underline the message, or long, rambling ones that will give listeners a chance to relax and -˜tighten up' during a demanding session. There is also advice from the author on how to develop and improve your storytelling skills, as we[[ as dialogues between the Magician and his hungry young Apprentice about how to use stories to best effect, why the same story can be interpreted in different but equally valid ways, and other related topics. The entire book is in keeping with its subject-matter: easy to read and offering its advice gently and obliquely, it contains plenty of food for thought for those who want it.