Internal Communications: A Manual for Practitioners (PR In Practice)

Detailed, comprehensive and entertaining.

[[ASIN:0749469323 Internal Communications: A Manual for Practitioners (PR in Practice)]

I have gotten through only about 2 chapters of this book, but I don't know if I want to continue. The writing is very poor. It seems to have been written by a college freshman rather than by professional communicators, and I'm concerned that the quality of the information may be as poor as the writing. It's hard to take the authors seriously or to think of this book as an authority on the subject when it reads like a poorly constructed college essay. It's not just that there are grammar and punctuation mistakes. The authors ramble and go off topic. This book is extremely difficult to follow.

I found Internal Communications easy to read, readily accessible, intelligent and insightful. Whether you are a student, PR consultant or have built your career in-house, this book is essential reading. It will change the way you think about internal communications – but in a good way. It is obvious that the authors have a wealth of knowledge and real world experience which they are willing to share. I read it, I refer to it and I recommend it to you.

Authoritative stuff--even if one has different opinions to Liam and Klavs, you cannot fault the rigor and structure of a book which beautifully lays out the fundamentals of an unnecessarily misunderstood discipline. Well considered and very well crafted.

As a communicator, a major challenge with new stakeholders is to gain rapid credibility by illustrating the benefits of good communication in a lucid and convincing manner. The authors' knack of explaining the essence of internal communications in practical but persuasive language is something you can readily borrow to use in your own organisations.While it's essential reading for students of internal communication or newcomers to the profession, it's also useful for long-term practitioners, HR professionals and leaders too. As a communications professional, it's tempting to eagerly grasp at new ideas and inspiration that come your way. But that can sometimes mean you slip away from focusing on the essentials of your craft. Internal Communication: A Manual for Practitioners is a great way to re-focus and improve your grasp of the the basics.Refreshingly, it's devoid of sensationalism about new channels or the latest fads. For example, the authors pour ice on the theory that Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs) like Yammer and Jive are transforming internal communications overnight, despite their impressive potential. Far better to consider social media as a tool like any other, they argue, and not throw the baby out with the bath water.There are lots of suggested tools and approaches which I expect to return to on a regular basis, including:- A message palette to help you clearly define your key messages at the start of any project.- The 'plan to a page' format: in my experience, leaders are increasingly disinterested in spending much time on extensive communications strategy or plans, and this provides a practical alternative approach.- A really useful section on the different approaches and benefits/weaknesses of audience segmentation.- A handy discussion of basic change theory, and a helpful five-step model to help you consider the basics of communicating change.- A great chapter on the importance of line managers, covering everything from how to raise their capability to providing them with the most helpful information.The book draws on an extensive range of sources, including classic internal communications theory from the likes of Angela Sinickas and Bill Quirke - and it's great to see how much of Quirke's work is as relevant as ever.It's also good to see more attention thrown on Dewhurst and Fitzpatrick's Internal Communication competency model. It's a tool likely to challenge any internal communicator's sense of expertise and offers up a wealth of possible areas to develop - yet one that for me has seen too little exposure since its inception.Overall, Internal Communication: A Manual for Practitioners provides a comprehensive overview of internal communications, and offers practical tools for any communicator - whatever their level of experience.

I would have wanted more of the ideas and suggestions for creative IC, problem = solution, case scenarios in the book.

Easy read and informative to someone starting in an internal comms role.

Very good book

As I moved from general marketing into internal comms this book has been my bible, giving me insight into the latest best practice and refreshing my memories of the theory behind it all. As internal comms continues to grow as a respected profession this book will be the go-to manual for everyone stepping into the field.