We’re always on the lookout for resources to help clients become better communicators.
Here are some books (including several written by our founder Ken Haseley) that pass muster. Also included is an archive of Forward Look, our quarterly newsletter on smarter IR communications.
Oh No, Not PowerPoint! Relax, Help Is on the Way. A PowerPoint Repair Manual by Ken Haseley
Despite PowerPoint’s widespread use, perhaps no other communications tool in business gets as much ridicule – from the very people who use it or sit through it. This amazing tool is simply being misused. This book will change the way you think about and use PowerPoint.
Mission Point Press, 2024. 148 pp.
Change the Way You Communicate: Why You Should. How You Can. by Ken Haseley
The book provides a practical, comprehensive look at the communication situations those in business will likely face, and the communication skills they’ll need in their professional life.
Mission Point Press, 2021. 225 pp.
Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte
One of the best books on how to craft an effective presentation.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010. 250 pp.
The Essentials of Persuasive Public Speaking by Sims Wyeth
A cleverly written book that can be read in less than an hour, but one that provides solid, useful information.
W.W. Norton & Company, 2014. 165pp.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Essential reading for anyone involved in message development (that’s most of us, right?). This book will change the way you communicate.
Random House, 2007. 294pp.
You’ve Got To Be Believed To Be Heard by Bert Decker.
A book that’s been around for a while, but is still worth reading.
St. Martin’s Press, 1992. 300pp.
Forward Look Newsletter Archive
Forward Look is our firm’s quarterly newsletter for IR professionals and C-suite execs. It explores a variety of ideas – some of them unconventional, many of them new and research-based – about communicating effectively with investors, analysts, investment bankers and business reporters. (To get on the mailing list for this free, quick-read resource, subscribe here.)
Caution: Analyst Interaction Slip-ups (Q1 2025)
For executives and IR professionals, interacting with analysts is a given. But every interaction – whether during earnings calls, presentations or in more informal situations (cocktail hours, lunches, dinners, tours) – involves a degree of risk. Here are the most common and damaging mistakes made, especially during those informal moments.
Those Pesky Safe Harbor Statements (Q4 2024)
Among the first words usually spoken by IR professionals during earnings calls and analyst presentations are that forward-looking statements will be made. And on screen is a text-heavy slide – usually unreadable – communicating that message. But there’s a better way to begin.
Surprising Research: When You Hold Your Earnings Call Matters (Q3 2024)
Research shows that the best days for earnings releases and conference calls are Tuesday through Thursday. But there’s evidence that suggests the time of day you hold your earnings call also matters.
Live Video: The Future of Earnings Calls (Q2 2024)
Quarterly earnings conference calls haven’t changed much. A typical call features executives sitting around a conference table with scripts, notes and a speaker phone. Today, many companies are transitioning away from outdated, audio-only calls to live, video earnings calls that can help them deliver more engaging content and improve audience attention and enjoyment.