Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #1

And so, we've reached the end of our countdown. This is the top book on my list of books all communicators (and business people) should read.

This book is somewhat of an anomaly: It's a book about social media, written well before any true social media channels even existed. It's a book that *every* book about social media written since then, pays tribute to (in fact, if there's a book about social media that you find that *doesn't* mention this book, just put the other book down - it will be useless to you).

It's a book that every CEO and marketing director should have read; but most likely, most didn't (and, they've probably suffered for it, on some level).

To those who know me, the book will come as no surprise -- I've championed the book for years now. The Cluetrain Manifesto is 10 years old this year, and yet, nearly every word resonates as strongly as it did when it was first released. Written by four authors (Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searsls, David Weinberger), the book foreshadowed the coming of what we term 'social media.'

I think it's important to identify social media -- too many people (including interviewers) ask, "do you know social media? Do you use Facebook and Twitter?" Facebook and Twitter are, in fact, quite useful channels for social media (just like blogs), but they are not all-encompassing of social media. Social media is more of a comprehensive movement -- one that embraces clear, conversational two-way communication over the previous standard jargon-filled, pompous writing of corporate America.

Facebook and Twitter were born out of the need for channels that would enable that type of communication; but it's infinitely more important to understand the concept (and the benefits) social media presents.

The book's name dervies from a quote from a veteran of a firm that free-fell out of the Fortune 500 -- "The clue train stopped there four times a day for ten years and they never took delivery."

Admittedly, the book is not easy to read. In fact, in the foreward, the guest author says, "...this is no feel-good book. Though the broad theme is overwhelmingly optimistic, the details will make you squirm. This is an obituary for business-as-usual. It reveals how the Internet has made your entry-level employees as powerful as your senior vice-president of marketing."

I've said many times the book is hard to get through. It's one of the most audacious, pretentious and condescending books I've ever read. The entire book, I felt annoyed with the authors - almost a feeling of "...who do these guys think they are?" And then, at the end of the book, you realize they really were the smartest guys in the room. It's certainly not a pleasant feeling; but it's one everyone owes to themselves to feel.

And, although you can buy it from Amazon, you can also read the entire book for free online. That's how important the book is, and how strongly the authors believe in what they wrote -- you can access the entire book (in PDF, ASCII or html format) on its website: www.cluetrain.com.

The book opens up with powerful content: "Corporate firewalls have kept smart employees in and smart markets out. It's going to cause real pain to tear those walls down..."

The book then launches into its 95 Theses (I warned you it was arrogant). Here's a sampling of some of the powerful ideas discussed there:

1. Markets are conversations.
2. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.
16. Companies that speak in the language of the pitch are no longer speaking to anyone.
17. Companies that assume online markets are the same markets that used to watch their ads on television are kidding themselves.
40. Companies that do not belong to a community of discourse will die.
45. Intranets naturally tend to route around boredom.
52. Paranoia kills conversation. But lack of open conversation kills companies.
74. We are immune to advertising. Just forget it.
94. To traditional corporations, networked conversations may appear confused, may sound confusing. But, we are organizing faster than they are. We have better tools, more new ideas, no rules to slow us down.
95. We are waking up and linking to each other. We are watching. But we are not waiting.

The book is about 180 pages long, and each page, basically, begs companies (and marketing professionals) to change the way they communicate -- with their customers and with their colleagues. There are seven LONG chapters that - as stated above - are fairly difficult to get through; but the end result is worth it.

To put the book's impact into perspective, here's a brief list of the services launched AFTER Cluetrain:

• Wikipedia
• Second Life
• Facebook
• MySpace
• iTunes
• Flickr
• World of Warcraft
• YouTube
• Podcasts

And, the first blogs were launched in August 1999 -- just a few months prior to Cluetrain's release.

Smart companies have already adopted what the authors recommended; for some companies, there may still be time to salvage their operations; for others, it's already too late (something the recent recession probably accelerated).

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #2

I know I've prefaced this book countdown by saying these books are must-reads for communicators and business people, but that mantra really holds through for these final two books.

A quick background - when I was younger, in middle school, my career goal was to be a sabermetrician. There's no listing for that position in the Department of Labor. Basically, it was a term coined by Bill James, to reflect interest in baseball statistics and new ways to interpret them.

So, in 9th grade, I was taking an independent study course, and my project was going to be to write a book about sabermetrics. I was unable to reach James, but I did find a willing mentor in Craig Wright, who was a contemporary of James; the main difference being that Wright was working for the Texas Rangers in that capacity.

One day, I asked him, "what courses do I need to focus on to become a sabermetrician?" And, he replied, without hesitating, "English." I was confused. I'd expected to hear something like statistics or algebra or calculus or accounting; why would English be important? I asked him if he'd heard my initial question, since his answer didn't seem to make sense. He said (and, I remember this as if it was yesterday - it may be the most meaningful comment I've ever heard in my life), "If you can't effectively communicate your findings, it's as good as never having done them in the first place."

So - communications matters to everyone - not just communicators. Smart business people know this.

Our #4 book, Made to Stick, is the top-rated writing-focused book on my list. While there are some books that are classics (like the great Elements of Style), this "writing" book is appropriate for all audiences.

And, in a definite change of pace from the rest of this list, the tips in this book are not dedicated to social media. Then again, good content is good content, regardless of the channel being used.

The authors (brothers Chip and Dan Heath) term content that is memorable as "sticky," and they list six factors that contribute to stickiness:

• Simplicity (it can't be too complex)
• Unexpectednes (if the audience sees it coming, it won't capture their attention)
• Concreteness (ideas must be explained in human actions to avoid being ambiguous and/or meaningless)
• Credibility (if the information is too unbelievable, it won't be sticky)
• Emotional (you need to connect with the audience)
• Stories (metaphors and anecdotes resonate far more than abstract concepts)

Each of these six factors includes ample examples of how content was made sticky. And, each of them is powerful (and realistic, more importantly - the reader completely believes creating sticky content is well within his grasp).

The book opens, inronically, with a story that is sticky while being completely untrue (but credible, so it qualifies as sticky). The story - the Kidney Heist - has been told time and again, and has preserved its stickiness by adhering to the six factors above (even though it's untrue). Such is the power of creating communication that is sticky.

There's not really a bad example in the book. I'm going to list two here that I have been lucky enough to remember to this day (but, by no means are these the only good examples -- the whole book is chock full of them).

1. (From the "Credible" section): The use of vivid details helps build credibility. An organization - Beyond War - wanted to address the following paradox: When we see a child running with scissors, we wince; but when we read newspaper articles about nuclear weapons, it provokes, at best, a moment of dismay.

To get their point across, the organization would arrange house parties where a representative would speak with guests. One common presentation would involve a metal bucket and BB pellets. At the appropriate point in the presentation, the speaker would take a metal BB out of his pocket and drop it in the empty bucket. "This is the Hiroshima bomb," he'd say, as the BB made a loud clatter. He'd then spend a few minutes describing the devastation of the bomb - the miles of flattened buildings, the tens of thousands killed instantly.

Then, he'd drop 10 BBs into the bucket. This clatter was louder and more chaotic. "This is the firepower of the missiles on one U.S. or Soviet nuclear submarine." Then, he'd ask the attendees to close their eyes. "This is the world's current arsenal of nuclear weapons," he'd say, as he poured 5,000 BBs into the bucket - one for every nuclear warhead in the world. The noise was startling and terrifying. The roar of the BBs went on and on, and then, there was always dead silence.

This is a great example of how to make something abstract more credible -- how to turn a statistic like 5,000 warheads into something meaningful. The demonstration added a sensory dimension to an otherwise abstract concept. It turned an abstract statistic into something sticky.

2. (From the "Unexpected" section): Nora Ephron, a famous screenwriter, started her career as a journalist. Her first day of journalism class in high school, she walked into the class with a sense of what a journalist does - they get the facts and report them. To get the facts, you track down the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why).

The teacher announced the first assignment. They would write the lead of a newspaper story for the school paper. The teacher reeled off the facts, "Kenneth Peters, principal of the high school, announced today that the entire high school faculty will travel to Sacramento next Thursday for a seminar on new teaching methods. Among the speakers will be anthropologist Margaret Mead, college professor Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins and California governor Edmund "Pat" Brown."

The budding writers sat at their typewriters and pecked out their first leads. According to Ephron, she and most of the other students, produced leads that reordered the facts into one sentence, "Governor Pat Brown, Margaret Mead and Robert Maynard Hutchins will address the High School faculty Thursday in Sacramento ... blah, blah, blah."

The teacher collected the leads and scanned the rapidly. Then, he laid them aside and paused for a moment. Finally, he said, "The lead to the story is, 'There will be no school next Thursday!'"

There are two key points: 1) know your audience and 2) writing is more than just the 5 Ws; it also means figuring out the point and why it matters.

**************************************************

This is - by far - the best book on communicating I've ever read. Each example is powerfully chosen and the concept of "stickiness" is spot-on. If you're responsible for communicating, this is the book for you. But, even if it isn't your primary responsibility, this is a book for everyone to read. There's just too much good information here for the book to be dismissed as a "communications" book.

Next up - the #1 book, and the one that truly revolutionized the world of communications.

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #5

The #5 book on my list of Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) is also the newest one on the list:

Twitterville, by Shel Israel
Before reading this book, I was quite undecided on the purpose/use of Twitter as a business tool. I certainly saw the use as a general information tool (and, I'll admit I've used it to 'follow' celebrities, all of whom have mobile devices and use the tool as a way to stay "in touch" with fans).

But, I didn't think there was much hope for the tool in the business world. It smacked of 'fad', and - maybe more terrifyingly - a continued devolving of the written word (something that has already suffered greatly).

Unlike Twitter Power, which I reviewed last week, in the Honorable Mentions post on this topic, Twitterville doesn't provide a step-by-step process for setting up an account and using Twitter. It assumes you already have an account, and it shows you how other companies have used the tool to their advantage (and, in some cases, how using it might have helped other companies).

The book starts by outlining how Twitter began; from the original company (Odeo) to the new initiative. It discusses Twitter's "coming-out" party at Austin's popular South by Southwest festival (SXSW), where it gained rapid acceptance, as attendees used the tool to find each other and to share recommendations of which day and night events to attend.

I won't recap the entire book -- safe to say, there are ample demonstrations of companies using Twitter in a business capacity -- Dell, Comcast (which has truly embraced Twitter as a tool -- now boasting a 10-person Twitter Team for customer service), Southwest Airlines, Pepsi, Zappos (obviously) and even H&R Block. And, as I mentioned earlier, a nearly equal number of companies that haven't taken to the tool (or any real tool for that matter) with details of the damage caused by their ignorance towards social media.

There are discussions on using Twitter in b2b settings; for recruiting; and for branding; as well as an abundance of examples on the uses in customer service.

At this point, there should be no doubt that social media is here to stay -- as I mentioned in the first post in this series, three of the books deal with social media, specifically. The fact that newer, faster (and more comprehensive) tools are being introduced proves that companies may finally be "getting it." Unfortunately, the fact that this rise in awareness coincides with the worst economic recession has done little to make people believers (I can hear the nay-sayers now, asking, "well, if social media is so great, why aren't we recovering faster?") Sigh.

I heartily recommend this work - it's a truly comprehensive book on the influence of Twitter, and - while every tip/anecdote in the book won't be a great fit for every company, even a small nugget is worth the $16 this book will set you back.

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?