Recommended books
As geeky as it sounds, I spend quite a bit of my free time reading books about business communication and writing. Here I will post recommendations for books I liked and found helpful. How do I decide whether to recommend a book? To make it onto my “worth reading” list, a book has to be:
- concise – I have low tolerance for fluff (unfortunately, many books I read are much longer than they need to be);
- useful – if I spend time reading the book, I feel I’m entitled to learn or gain something from it: a new concept, a fresh perspective on an old concept, or simply an inspiration – something readily applicable;
- engaging – as most readers, I like to be entertained, especially when reading about English grammar. If the author can grab and hold my attention – it’s a big plus, and if they make me laugh, I may even tolerate some weakness in the “concise” department.
Hope my recommendations will help you make satisfying choices.
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The Bliss or “Diss” Connection?
Email Etiquette for the Business Professional
Author: Cherie Kerr
This book contains many useful email etiquette tips, “always do’s”, and “don’t’ ever’s” applicable not only to electronic correspondence, but also to communication in general. The author explores the role of email in our daily communication, the widespread addiction to email and the tendency to rely on it as the default communication tool, which compromises our ability and willingness to develop and nurture relationships (“For every three emails you send, make one personal contact either by phone or in person”). Written in plain language and conversational tone, it is an easy and pleasant read. |
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Why Manners Matter
Author: Lucinda Holdforth
This is not a traditional etiquette manual. Just as promised in the title, rather than outlining protocols and propriety rules, the author explains why we should bother with manners at all. You may ask: is this really relevant to the subject of business writing? My answer is – YES! Manners are just as important in business communication as in any other aspect of life, and if we understand why exactly they are important and how our failure to extend basic courtesies affects our community and life, we will be much more likely to invest a little extra time and effort in being (even) nicer to others. Even if you are not particularly interested in the role of manners in human interaction, please read Why Manners Matter – it is beautifully written, humorous, and educational.
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How to Say It
Business Writing That Works
Author: Adina Rishe Gewirtz
If you struggle with organizing your thoughts and ideas in a logical manner to achieve the impact you are aiming for, you will find this book very useful. The practical ten-step approach to business writing (called the Target Outline System) described in How to Say It is applicable to a wide variety of documents – from letter and emails to proposals. The detailed step-by-step examples provided in the book make the system easy to understand and apply.
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Write Right
A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
Author: Jan Venolia
Spelling, grammar and style errors are the top credibility busters, and every accidental writer should brush up on the basics every so often. I realize that language rules may not be your all-time favourite topic to read about, but if you decide to read just one book about grammar, please pick up a copy of Write Right by Jan Venolia – it’s concise, well-organized, practical, and even entertaining (to illustrate application of the rules, the author is using interesting quotes by great and famous people).
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Recommended sites
Coming soon!
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My book
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