World Book Day 2021

Find out what the FutureNet squad is recommending you to read in 2021:

The Books

Your Name: Dominie Shelley

Title: Internal Communications – A Manual for practitioners

Why you recommend it:

This is my go-to book. I fell into Internal Communications (and have never looked back!) and this book has brought me practical advice and confidence when I need it. It is like my bible; I can dip in and out of it when I need to. It provides easy steps and guidance on all areas of communications and I feel it's a must-have on your bookshelf for anyone starting out as an IC professional. 

Your Name: Lucy Aaron

Title: Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die

Why you recommend it: This is great book that delves into the art of storytelling. The authors look at what makes certain messages stick while others fall flat. Whether you're creating an internal comms video, crafting your next newsletter or working on a presentation, this book will tell you how to communicate your ideas with clarity and how to make them truly resonate with your audience. For me, storytelling is at the heart of internal comms. After all, if your message isn't engaging, it just won't cut through!

Your Name: Addea Amoa

Title: Start With Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action

Why you recommend it: I am a big Simon Sinek fan and many will have seen his hugely popular TED Talk inspiring leaders to take action and lead with purpose. The book explains that 'Why' is probably the most important message that an organisation or individual can communicate because this is what inspires others to action. I've used his Golden Circle theory on many occasions to help me get clarity of purpose when developing campaign ideas. I think this is a great one for every Internal Communicator both personally and in our roles helping others get their messages across.

Your Name: Becky Leonard

Title: The Joy of Work, Bruce Daisley

Why you recommend it: Since last year and the massive changes we've seen to our personal and professional lives, we've been talking more and more about the blur between home and work, working effectively in a world filled with distraction, and how stress at work has a strong impact on our health, mentally and physically. But the pandemic didn't bring about these realisations – it just brought them into focus. The Joy of Work, published in 2019, discusses all of the above, translating behavioural insight and psychological study into entertaining and practical advice. It may have been published pre-Covid, but you'll find it prescient to the conversations we're having today about finding the joy in work.

Your Name: Dan Holden

Title: From cascade to conversation, Katie Macaulay

Why you recommend it: I really enjoy this book, not only as a personal read but also as a source of reference for supporting workplace challenges such as digital communication and measurement. The book not only contains insights from Katie but each chapter also contains a conversation with a fellow comms professional, supporting the title of the book nicely. I've used this book on a number of occasions, helping to develop my own thoughts around a specific subject and would recommend it for an internal comms bookshelf. 

Your Name: Harriet Small
Title: Pig Wrestling: The Brilliantly Simple Way to Solve Any Problem, Mark Bawden
Why you recommend it: Its great for problem solving!

Your Name: Binu Jacob

Title: Nature of Work: The new story of work for a living age, Paul Miller and Shimrit James

Why you recommend it:

This is not your average business book. It explores the world of work as a living, breathing entity, and is a huge departure from our current perception of and behaviour within organisations – as machines.

Co-authored by Paul Miller and Shimrit Janes, the book's philosophy is drawn from nature, and the natural world around us. It illustrates a world of work that can be in harmony with our natural surroundings. It discusses how changes in the workplace can have an impact on how we live on Earth.

The book describes 12 essential workplace elements supported by success stories from organisations and people who are already on the journey of adapting new ways of working. It encourages communicators and change practitioners to view their workplaces as organisms in order to bring about the best possible change outcomes within their organisations.

The book was presented during the Digital Workplace Conference by Engage Business Media. A must read if you're looking to create holistic and nature-inspired workplace experiences.