Customer Reviews

The Writer's Guide to Corporate Communications

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The author's premise is unfortunately that her readers are all wannabee Nobel Laureates who somehow see writing for the mundane corporate world as demeaning. As such, she emphasises those areas of corporate communications that would be more attractive to people who have pigeon-holed themselves as "artistes". Writing for corporate communications is satisfying in itself and doesn't need to be sold. Her slant is best exemplified by the fact that despite her own admission that "The annual shareholder's report might be the corporation's most important communication", she spends no more than half a page (in a book of 178 pages!) discussing the issues involved in writing annual reports. On the other hand, writing for corporate videos, admittedly fun but far from providing a bread-and-butter income, receives a full ten pages (presumably due to the less demeaning nature of such work). As a senior editor and text writer in the corporate communications department of a major multinational bank, with more than 15 years of experience in the writing business, I have seen my fair share of writers who can produce nothing but "froth". True art combines substance with aesthetic satisfaction. This book provides good coverage of those areas of corporate writing that would appeal to "froth producers", but is seriously remiss in areas relating to the core of corporate comunications, namely good business writing. To this end, aspiring corporate writers would be better off reading a book like "Writing at Work" by Ernst Jacobi.

This is indeed a no-nonsence, to-the-point, practical, realistic aid to help business people write better. Without wandering examples, without marginally personal stories, and without useless theory that are presented in some other how-to-write books, this gives the reader solid, specific tips. Small but comprehensive, this is the book for anyone who wants to write better corporate communications.