1st Edition
Answers for Modern Communicators A Guide to Effective Business Communication
This book provides students and professionals with practical answers to important career and communication questions, helping them to communicate successfully in a business setting. Communication expert, Deirdre Breakenridge, examines the ways in which professionals can make the most of their careers in a fast-changing media landscape, offering advice on how new and seasoned executives can utilize and adapt to the latest modes of communication.
The author breaks down the eight most critical areas for professionals seeking to develop their communication skills, opening with essentials that will prove useful in any setting. She then details the ways in which organizations can adapt to changes in technology and consumer behavior to improve relationships, social media presence, and brand recognition. The easy to follow question–answer format walks readers through the most pressing, confusing, and frequently asked questions about successful communication with plenty of advice and examples for a better learning experience. Covering traditional business communication topics like partnerships and storytelling, the book also includes material on digital and social media channels as well as a chapter on giving back as a mentor. "Experts Weigh In" boxes feature advice from other top professionals, exposing the reader to multiple perspectives from the field.
Grounded in decades of experience, Answers for Modern Communicators will benefit all students getting ready to enter the workforce as well as professionals looking to enhance their communication skills.
Foreword Stephen Waddington
Introduction: Every Modern Communicator Has a Question
1. Learning The Essentials
2. Growing Relationships Built to Last
3. Socializing Your Brand
4. Taking Your Stories to the Next Level
5. Owning Your Brand and Your Reputation
6. Measuring Your Success
7. Giving Back as a Mentor
8. Advancing with More Questions, Answers and Opportunities
Biography
Deirdre Breakenridge is Chief Executive Officer of Pure Performance Communications, USA, a firm that provides strategic communications consulting for building effective integrated marketing, public relations, and social media programs. She also teaches social media and PR classes at the University of Massachusetts—Amherst, USA and is a LinkedIn Learning Instructor with video courses in PR and marketing.
"Packed with insights and real-life examples, Breakenridge’s new book offers the best answers to PR professionals’ many questions about our industry and how it’s evolving. Breakenridge is a highly sought after strategist and thought-leader, a podcaster, author, professor, and Lynda.com instructor. She shares her considerable knowledge and expertise in a conversational style that makes you feel like she’s talking directly to you."
Martin Waxman, Martin Waxman Communications and Seneca College, Canada
"As I was reading Answers for Modern Communicators by my friend and colleague Deirdre Breakenridge, the all-too-familiar childhood refrain, "Curiosity killed the cat," kept running through my head. How many of us in our younger years found ourselves being admonished sternly by our elders when we persisted with our, "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" questions?!? And how many of us have found ourselves either working for someone who had no idea what comprises effective communication or have ourselves been at a loss for words when asked "What exactly is it that you do?"
As Deirdre says as she starts this excellent 'all the questions you should be able to answer' guide, "Asking questions helps you learn the essentials of your profession. The answers are critical to your role as a successful communicator."
After all, you wouldn’t want to find yourself in the position of Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland who, when asked by the Cheshire Cat where she wanted to go, responded, "I don’t much care where." To which the Cat promptly retorted, "Then it doesn’t matter which way you go."
Not only does Deirdre present the questions that every communicator should be asking, she also presents the rationale for asking those questions… how a deeper understanding of your profession can help you serve your client or employer more effectively and efficiently. Answers for Modern Communicators helps you understand the pathways that are available to you for communicating and the value that each can bring to your communication initiatives. As I say so often to my students and others, 'Read and heed!'"
Kirk Hazlett, APR, Fellow, PRSA, Curry College, USA
"Answers for Modern Communicators would have been a game-changer for me when I made the shift from journalism to corporate communications. The review copy I received so I could write this testimonial has already proven useful. Why nobody has approached a primer to communications as a Q&A based on the obvious questions any communicator might ask at various stages of their careers is beyond me. As if Deirdre's straightforward, common-sense answers aren't enough, she has added observations from some of the smartest professionals around who are best-suited to address specific questions. I'd like to say this book deserves a spot on every communicator's bookshelf, but it won't stay on the shelf for long. Unlike most read-it-once business books, it is bound to become a dog-eared reference volume.
Shel Holtz, Principal at Holtz Communication + Technology, USA
"Answers for Modern Communicators: A Guide to Effective Business Communication is an easy-to-read, basic book for all the modern communication questions. The book outlines the essentials in communication, defines the major key terms in business, and explains how to communicate successfully in business settings...Graduate students, scholars and professionals interested in business communications, mass communication, marketing, Public Relations, or advertising might find this book useful because it gives answers to those commonly asked questions in modern businesses."
Sara Seebaum. M.A. graduate from the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication studying Strategic Communication
