Books on communications/PR
August 2, 2011 2:01 AM Subscribe
Books on communications/PR
I've been thrown in the deep end at work after only a few months in the communications field, and I'm trying to acquire a lot of knowledge quickly. Can you recommend good books on corporate communications and PR? (Blogs, websites, etc. are welcome suggestions too.)
General overviews or books specific to internal communications, media relations, crisis communications, brand strategy, reputation building, social media are all welcome.
Thanks mefi!
I've been thrown in the deep end at work after only a few months in the communications field, and I'm trying to acquire a lot of knowledge quickly. Can you recommend good books on corporate communications and PR? (Blogs, websites, etc. are welcome suggestions too.)
General overviews or books specific to internal communications, media relations, crisis communications, brand strategy, reputation building, social media are all welcome.
Thanks mefi!
I was in a similar situation early in my career and tried to get up to speed with books. Honestly, it was a waste of time. The best way to learn PR and communications is to do it.
Hopefully your supervisor is also someone in a PR role. If so, learn from your boss. Ask questions. Make sure you understand the overall strategy for the company and the goal of your projects before you get mired down in tactics. Get clarification on your plans and instincts before you get too deep into a project.
If your boss doesn't have a strong background in PR (or actually even if he/she does), seek out professional organizations like PRSA or IABC in your area and ask if they have mentoring programs for young professionals. Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile and join PR and communications groups, both locally and nationally. LinkedIn groups can be a great source of information from experienced professionals.
That said, if you really feel that you need something on your desk for reference, look up the syllabus for an undergraduate PR course at a good university (either a Principles class or Strategy, depending on how much background you feel you need) and see if you can find a used copy of the textbook online.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:04 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hopefully your supervisor is also someone in a PR role. If so, learn from your boss. Ask questions. Make sure you understand the overall strategy for the company and the goal of your projects before you get mired down in tactics. Get clarification on your plans and instincts before you get too deep into a project.
If your boss doesn't have a strong background in PR (or actually even if he/she does), seek out professional organizations like PRSA or IABC in your area and ask if they have mentoring programs for young professionals. Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile and join PR and communications groups, both locally and nationally. LinkedIn groups can be a great source of information from experienced professionals.
That said, if you really feel that you need something on your desk for reference, look up the syllabus for an undergraduate PR course at a good university (either a Principles class or Strategy, depending on how much background you feel you need) and see if you can find a used copy of the textbook online.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:04 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh boy, that's a lot of stuff. Are you asking you to write a proposal or do you feel "dumb"? The fact is contacts and specific, tailored talking points mean more and do more than what Seth Godin said last month in Aspen. If you were to read any book on corporate communications now, it would be "The Power of Corporate Communication" by Paul Argenti. It's available from Amazon.
posted by parmanparman at 5:53 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by parmanparman at 5:53 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
Great newsletter archives on corporate crisis communication found here.
posted by jicinabox at 3:17 PM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jicinabox at 3:17 PM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by mfoight at 3:08 AM on August 2, 2011