Chiasson and Gregory have written, with the help of dozens of contributors, an open-source book that teaches readers how to create data visualizations “in such a way that is ethical and clearly communicates the data’s inherent story.” Their vision is to make data simple, and they do that by walking readers through the process from start to finish. The book, in totality, achieves exactly what the authors intended, which is not only to help readers become more data literate, but to become more design literate, as well.

In this article, Davenport begins by lamenting that many data analyses end up in the trash can because decision-makers simply don’t understand them. He’s on a mission to stop that from happening. Success is, according to Davenport, dependent on presenting data in such a way that the intended audience will be drawn to, capable of understanding, and prepared to act on.

Berinato is a passionate believer in the power of visualizations “to explore ideas and communicate information.” And while visual communication is indeed on the rise, many knowledge workers and managers lack the skills to do it well. In this article, Berinato says strategy is the place to start when creating a visualization.

“Every media interview is akin to being on stage, and a good spokesperson knows how to perform.” Such is the assertion Fathi makes in this brief how-to on giving a good media interview. Fathi identifies five key “stage directions”: conviction, conversation, composure, confidence, and color. Fathi makes clear that these directions require practice, but mastering them will reap great rewards for spokespeople.

This brief article outlines Grant’s “ABC approach” that anyone can use to answer tough questions in a high-pressure setting – be it a pitch or proposal, a media interview, or a meeting at work. Following this process will help anyone who struggles to communicate clearly, effectively, and tactfully when in the hot seat.

In part one of his book, Wu guides readers through the birth of the advertising industry and shows how exactly American companies went from spending $700 million on advertising in 1914 to almost $30 billion by 1929. The root cause, Wu posits, is the “attention industry” and its concomitant “Attention Merchants” who viewed attention as a commodity and recognized the potential of capturing it and converting it into revenue.

Edmondson presents in this article four leadership practices that are essential to cross-industry teams. Such collaboration is geared toward solving what she calls “wicked problems” – i.e., “those with incomplete, contradictory, or changing requirements.” However, bringing together people from diverse industries can be among the greatest of leadership challenges because team members’ norms, values, and cultures vary and their perspectives are likely to conflict.

Catmull gives an insider tour of Pixar in this article that’s designed to help leaders foster atmospheres of collective creativity and problem-solving. The key, according to Catmull, is valuing good people over good ideas. Originality involves risk, and a time will inevitably come “when your organization takes a big risk and fails”; people are the key to recovering when that time comes.

In this article, Coutu interviews J. Richard Hackman, a social and organizational psychology professor at Harvard University and one of the world’s leading experts on teams. The interview is free-flowing, but Coutu places a spotlight on the five conditions that Hackman argues are essential to making teams “work.” If all these conditions are met, Hackman says, a team has a chance to live up to its full performance potential.

Garvin and Roberto argue in this article that leaders who approach decision-making as a process of inquiry rather than of advocacy are more likely to reach a satisfactory result. Inquiry-based approaches are marked by open-mindedness, the generation of many ideas and options, and higher-quality, well-tested solutions. Garvin and Roberto instruct leaders to usher in an inquiry mindset by following “the ‘three C’s’ of effective decision making.”

In 2008, Richard Edelman, head of the renowned global communications firm Edelman, cast a vision for engagement as “the future of public relations.” But according to Dhanesh, “engagement” is an unclear term that most take to mean as any “communicative interaction” between organizations and their publics. Dhanesh combs through the literature and finds three relevant collections of research, and then proposes a new model that views engagement as a two-way process.

In this chapter of Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory & Practice, Cornelissen dives deep into the notion of stakeholders: first discussing who qualifies as a stakeholder, then presenting two models for evaluating stakeholders, and finally making the case for two-way (rather than one-way) engagement of stakeholders.

Kotter’s landmark article on change management addresses the eight biggest errors leaders are at risk of making if they don’t follow the recommended actions for each of his corresponding eight stages of change. Kotter takes care to advise that change is messy and that even the best leaders will make mistakes. It’s crucial, though, to not speed through the process or skip steps. Kotter argues that doing so will result in more errors and endanger the entire change management initiative.

Cornelissen presents in this chapter of Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory & Practice a comprehensive framework for understanding corporate identity, its reflection in corporate branding, and the process of managing corporate reputation.

Heimans and Timms present in this article a clear articulation of the ways in which power is changing in the world today. They make clear that organizations should assess and be mindful of the type of power at play in their operating models and values, especially if they want to make a change. Doing so is crucial to selecting appropriate strategies and tactics for communication with stakeholders.

Argenti, Howell, and Beck make the case in this article for strategic communication – that is, “communication aligned with the company’s overall strategy, to enhance its strategic positioning.” Organizations are growing more complex, many executives and companies are losing credibility in the eyes of the public, and regulations are placing organizations under increasingly brighter spotlights. No longer is a “tactical, short-term approach” to communication sufficient.

Cultural fluency builds trust, and trusting relationships are the key to unlocking potential in the workplace. That’s the underlying premise of this piece by Hyun and Conant, but they don’t stop there. In order to fully utilize the talent of every member of a team, leaders must take three critical steps to improve their cultural fluency.

In this article, Nordell investigates the efficacy of anti-bias trainings and highlights an approach that is particularly successful for two reasons: 1) It treats bias as a habit that, with sufficient awareness, motivation, and tools, can be broken, and 2) It targets people’s beliefs about bias – namely, by strengthening beliefs that they may be participating in discrimination and that discrimination is a problem.