Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - The Honorable Mentions

This is the beginning of a series I've been planning for a while, on the Top 5 Books for Communicators (and business people in general). While they're definitively communication-related, any business person who doesn't think communication is an integral part of doing business - especially today - is missing the boat.

Accordingly, at least two of the top 5 are devoted to social media; while one is almost certainly the forefather of the movement. At least 4 of the books I'll be covering were instrumental in the crafting of my communications model (for which I received the Achievement in Communications Award in 2008 from the International Association of Business Communicators).

I chose to deal more with philosophical works as compared to tactical books; but, there are some outstanding tactical books available. Since I've relied upon many of those to hone my skills, I thought it would be appropriate to pay some homage to the best tactical books. Consider these my "Honorable Mentions."

Beyond Spin, by Markos Kounalakis, Drew Banks, Kim Daus.
This one may be more philosophical than tactical, but only slightly. It attempts to explain how corporate journalism (or business communications) differs from public relations. In business journalism, it's imperative that the information/conversation be open and transparent; not pumped up to sound like propaganda. Since, especially with regards to internal communications, the audience is the workplace, it's very important they not view the communication as being less-than-honest. Any gains made from the fabricated information is easily trashed by the incremental lack of trust that will build up in the organization.

There's a lot of high-brow information here, and the sentiment is valuable; but I think other books make the point a little more easily.

Twitter Power, by Joel Comm
Admittedly, I've read the first version of this book (and, to show the growth of Twitter, there's already a second version - the first version came out in 2009!)

We're going to cover Twitter more in depth in a later installment, but, this book does a great job of getting someone up-and-running with a Twitter account. It begins by discussing social media in general and then, identifies how Twitter fits into that landscape. Details on signing up, posting and designing a profile follow.

And, then, it launches into how to build a following and how to use Twitter for business and team communication. It's easily one of the best primers I've read on going from zero to 60 in the Twitter world. What it lacks (which is why it's an honorable mention) are case studies; real-world examples of how these tactics have worked. Even still, this is a definite read for anyone looking to learn more about Twitter.

The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing, by Natalie Canavor, Claire Meirowitz
Admittedly, I'm slightly biased, as I know both Natalie and Claire - and, Natalie was one of the judges on the panel when I won my award (and Claire was the president of the organization at the time).

This is a solid book on writing, broken into a great format. It's a VERY broadly focused book -- with 52 "truths" (or tips) for writers. These truths are separated into different sections - self-editing, letters, new media, websites, etc. These truths include gems on "forget outlines - organize your thinking," "less can be a whole lot more"and "know your email dos and don'ts."

It avoids being preachy (no small feat!) and sprinkles in enough examples of how to perform the tips. Most of the tips are discussed in fewer than three pages, which makes the book easy to digest and understand.

Although there are no case studies, there are a number of instances of when it makes sense to employ these tasks (for example, the lead in to the tip on "Effective Messages Lead with Strength" is "Did you freeze whenever your high school or college teachers told you to develop a "strong thesis statement" for your "essays"?). This is authentic - something everyone can identify with - and certainly better than any metaphor. The entire book follows this same format.

Corporate Conversations, by Shel Holtz
I've had the pleasure of meeting Shel Holtz several times at various conventions. He's on my short list of people I "pay attention to." His book - Corporate Conversations - was one of the first I read when I was named to my position as corporate communications manager.

It was incredibly difficult to not include this in the top 5 - but, I think most of the top 5 books are more focused (which, almost became a barometer, I guess).

This book is completely dedicated to internal communications (although, many of the tactics are not all that dissimilar to the practice of external communications). He breaks things down into planning, tools, online tools, communicating bad news and communicating change. He preserves the identity of the companies he's worked with (and for) by attributing the "bad" communication practices to Amalgamated Pulp & Paper (a clueless company) and the "good" practices to Allied Gate & Fence, a company taking advantage of the fruits of effective internal communication.

Shel is a great author - he gets right into the information, without spending a lot of time trying to sell you on why internal communications is important, preferring, instead, to show through the plentiful examples.

When my last company needed to communicate bad news, I followed his guidelines -- tell employees first, deal with rumors, be candid and comprehensive, focus on the future and be visible.

Everything in this book is practical, hard-hitting and incredibly useful. It's a must-have for anyone in the communications world (and, almost certainly for any business person -- as Shel says, 'if communications is not a company's main priority, all its other priorities are at risk.') And, more than ever, today, internal/employee communications are even more important than when Shel wrote this book, back in 2004. The recession and subsequent reduction of benefits and increase in productivity have led to record-lows in employee engagement. One of the key components to improving employee engagement is communications.

For a tactical book, this is my #1 choice, bar none. And, although it's set up for internal audiences, I'd suggest all the information in the book is appropriate for external audiences, as well.

Next week, I'll tackle the #5 and #4 books on my list. Any guesses as to what will be in the top 5? Any books you think *should* be in there?