Top 5 Must-Read Books For a PR Pro

Posted by Honza on 4/09/09 • Categorized as Books,Marketing,Public Relations

We all know that reading is fundamental to success in PR. We also know that there are many books on how to do Public Relations properly. Their problem, though, is their tendency to approach issues from one side. In order to be better at what we do, we must turn to supplemental reading. Here are some books I would recommend everyone to read, because each of them contributes to making you a better PR professional.

1) The Dilbert Principle

Humor is the most powerful tool of making a story stick. Adams has a very powerful idiosyncratic knack to make nearly any story full of fun. Observing his style will make you see the world differently, which is always good.

2) Opening Skinner’s Box

A collection of the most famous experiments from the field of psychology will provide you with insights on how our mind works. This is very much prized in the world of PR. You can follow up on this book by reading more on applying the theory into practice. It is a useful start indeed.

3) The Definitive Book of Body Language

Non-verbal communication constitutes over 70% of human interaction, yet many people know so little of this fascinating way we connect with other humans. This book will help you to deconstruct basic codes, as well as teach you to be a better communicator. It is a must-read for all PR professionals.

4) Who Moved My Cheese?

We know that change is inevitable, especially in today’s crumbling economy. This book will help you to cope with it as efficiently as possible. It is a good tool helping you to survive in tough environment.

5) Anything involving mythology (I recommend Greek mythology)

Myths and legends are full of narratives that were honed to perfection by constant repetition and refinement throughout the centuries. What remained is the narrative in the rawest, most memorable form. If you want to create great stories about brands, this is the fountain of inspiration you ought to be sipping from.

These are only some of the sources that offer different perspectives on the world around us. What are your favorite non-PR books?

Photo Credit: Paul Watson

Tagged as: body language, Books, change, communication, dilbert, humor, Management, mythology, psychology, Public Relations, who moved my cheese

http://flackme.com/2009/04/five-offbeat-books-for-pr-pros/ Five (Offbeat) Books for PR Pros | Flack Me

[...] something of an offbeat reading list for PR pros, including Who Moved my Cheese? and Greek mythology. The five titles cover coping with change and [...]
http://writersremorse.com/2009/04/22/footsteps-on-the-web/ Writer’s Remorse » Footsteps on the Web

[...] information about writing, especially for the PR and Marketing niche. Nice post about his top five book recommendations on that topic. Share and [...]
http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisshallow Chris Shallow

Very interesting selection, Honza. I’d also recommend that anyone in business, marketing and P.R. should study evolutionary psychology as it gives a very useful perspective on why people behave as they do (rather than people would wish). Geoffrey Miller (http://www.unm.edu/~psych/faculty/lg_gmiller.html) is the author I’d recommend. His book, “The Mating Game” gives many interesting perspectives on the relations between men and women. His more recent book, is of more specific interest to marketers: “Spent: Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism”. Reviewed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/aug/08/spent-geoffrey-miller-book-review .

Best regards,
Chris
http://www.cyberfootprint.eu Honza

Chris, I think you are making a valid point. Marketing is about 80% of psychology and 20% of art. When it comes to deciding what type of psychology to start with, I would suggest social psych, followed by cognitive psychology and maybe neuroscience. Stay away from Freud, because it will not only make you depressed, it will also instill many misconceptions about how human mind works. I would put evolutionary psych. somewhere in the middle.

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