The Ultimate List of Books for Communications Professionals

The authority on mixternal communications

I reached out to internal communications professionals on Twitter, LinkedIn, and through this newsletter to ask for book recommendations for internal comms. I was overwhelmed by suggestions. 

Below is the ultimate list of books for internal comms professionals, recommended by internal comms professionals. They are categorized as follows: 

• Reference books

• Writing and Editing

• Internal communications profession

• Getting the most out of work

• Leadership and management

Noticeably the subject matter is spread across several subject areas, including communications, management, diversity and inclusion, human resources and talent development, storytelling, sociology, psychology, and even neuroscience. This broad array of topics reflects the nature of the internal comms function within an organization: IC cuts across disciplines because we have to work with every single department and layer of an organization. We must be knowledgeable across several fields to be successful.

Interestingly, most of the recommendations (32) are for books about leadership and management. This isn’t surprising, given that internal comms works so closely with an organization’s leadership; it helps to get into the mindset of those for whom you carry water. Of course, many IC professionals are also leaders of their own teams, and they’re also perceived as leaders by the general employee population. 

I am also pleased to see that so many people recommended self-improvement books. Again, no surprise, as the IC pros I come across tend to be driven, self-starters, and always on the lookout for a career-advancing opportunity. 

Click any link to read more about the book and to purchase it from an independent bookstore (U.S.). (Some books appear on more than one list.)

Special shout outs to @HarrietSmallies, @holddani, @CIPR, @KenR_FW_TX, @The_PRMan, @Vision2Voice, and the #ICBookClub for loads of recommendations!  

• Am I missing a book? Email me (editorshaun@gmail.com) and I’ll add them to the list! 

Reference

• The Associated Press Stylebook (for the U.S.) 

• The Economist Style Guide (for the U.K.)

• Roget’s International Thesaurus

• The American Heritage Dictionary

• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

Writing and Editing

• The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Marilyn Schwartz and Amy Einsohn

• Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White, Jr.

• The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better by Will Storr

• The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker

• Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter’s Guide by John Warshawsky, Brain Fugere, and Chelsea Hardaway

• On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Well by William Zinsser 

Internal Communications Profession

• The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh

• Innovative Internal Communication: How Creativity, Curiosity and Technology Can Create Lasting Impact by Joanna Parsons

• Beyond the Babble: Leadership Communications That Drives Results by Bob Matha, Macy Boehm, and Marcia Silverman

• Brand From the Inside: Eight Essentials to Emotionally Connect Your Employees to Your Business by Libby Sartain and Mark Schumann

• Chartered Public Relations: Lessons from Expert Practitioners edited by Stephen Waddington

• Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice by Joep P Cornelissen 

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink

• Effective Internal Communication by Lyn Smith and Pamela Mounter 

• Excellence in Internal Communication Management by Rita Linjuan Men and Shannon A. Bowen

• Exploring Internal Communication: Towards Informed Employee Voice by Kevin Ruck

• Gower Handbook of Internal Communication by Marc Wright

• The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership edited by Tamara Gillis 

• Internal Communication: Continuity and Change by Daya Kishan Thussu 

• Internal Communications: A Manual for Practitioners by Klavs Vasklov and Liam Fitzpatrick

• Leading Change by John P. Kotter

• Leading Successful Change: 8 Keys to Making Change Work by Gregory P. Shea and Cassie A. Solomon

• Localizing Employee Communications: A Handbook by Ray Walsh and Val Swisher

• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

• Making the Connections: Using Internal Communication to Turn Strategy Into Action by Bill Quirke

• Maximizing Internal Communication: Strategies to Turn Heads, Win Hearts, Engage Employees and Get Results by Paul Barton

• Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr with a foreword by Larry Page

• Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don't, and Why by Stephen Martin and Joseph Marks

• Neuroscience for Organizational Change: An Evidence-Based Practical Guide to Managing Change by Hilary Scarlett 

• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg with a foreword by Deepak Chopra

• Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

• The People Business: How Ten Leaders Drive Engagement Through Internal Communications by Annabel Dunstan and Imogen Osborne

• Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte

• The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better by Will Storr

• Strategic Internal Communication: How to Build Employee Engagement and Performance by David Cowan

• Successful Employee Communications: A Practitioner's Guide to Tools, Models and Best Practice for Internal Communication by Sue Dewhurst and Liam Fitzpatrick

• Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter’s Guide by John Warshawsky, Brain Fugere, and Chelsea Hardaway

Getting the Most Out of Work

• The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation by Timothy R. Clarke 

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

• Alive at Work: The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do by Daniel M. Cable

• Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much by Tony Crabbe

• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport 

• Ditching Imposter Syndrome: How To Finally Feel Good Enough And Become The Leader You Were Born To Be by Clare Josa

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink

• Eat Sleep Work Repeat: 30 Hacks for Bringing Joy to Your Job by Bruce Daisley

• The Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein 

• Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr with a foreword by Larry Page

• The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh and Laszlo Bock

• The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Dan Heath and Chip Heath

• The Science of Fear: How the Culture of Fear Manipulates Your Brain by Daniel Gardner

• The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen Covey and  Rebecca R. Merrill

• Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal

Leadership and Management

• The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh

• Beyond the Babble: Leadership Communication That Drives Results by Bob Matha, Macy Boehm, and Marcia Silverman 

• Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn from Their Mistakes--But Some Do by Matthew Syed

• Brand From the Inside: Eight Essentials to Emotionally Connect Your Employees to Your Business by Libby Sartain and Mark Schumann

• Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention by Ben Parr

• The Ceo: Chief Engagement Officer: Turning Hierarchy Upside Down to Drive Performance by John Smythe

• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown

• Do Good to Lead Well: The Science and Practice of Positive Leadership by Craig Dowden

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink 

• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy Edmondson

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

• Ignite: Setting Your Organization's Culture on Fire with Innovation by Randal C. Moss and  David J. Neff

• The Language of Leaders: How Top CEOs Communicate to Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results by Kevin Murray

• Lead From the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking Into Breakthrough Growth by Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz

• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't Simon Sinek

• Leading Change by John P. Kotter

• Leading Successful Change: 8 Keys to Making Change Work by Gregory P. Shea and Cassie A. Solomon

• Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall

• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

• Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr with a foreword by Larry Page

• The Naked Corporation: How the Age of Transparency Will Revolutionize Business by Don Tapscott and David Ticoll

• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg with a foreword by Deepak Chopra

• The People Business: How Ten Leaders Drive Engagement Through Internal Communications by Annabel Dunstan and Imogen Osborne

• Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio

• The Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

• The Purpose Revolution: How Leaders Create Engagement and Competitive Advantage in an Age of Social Good by John Izzo and Jeff Vanderwielen

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

• Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed

• The Rolling Desk: A Story of How Lasting Success Depends on a Purposeful and Well-Defined Company Culture by Chris Heyer and David Morris

• The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help—Or Hurt—How You Lead by Carol Kinsey Goman

• Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham

• Smart Trust: The Defining Skill That Transforms Managers Into Leaders by Stephen Covey, Greg Link, and Rebecca R. Merrill 

• Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

• Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell

• Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman  

• The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford Charles H. Green

• Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader's Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss

• Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter’s Guide by John Warshawsky, Brain Fugere, and Chelsea Hardaway

• Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader's Guide to Solving Hard Problems by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss

Am I missing a book? Email me (editorshaun@gmail.com) and I’ll add them to the list!