Kudos to Matt and Ron for writing a workbook that focuses on strategic communicators to think and operate as business leaders. There is no doubt that the business side of the craft is directly proportional to the impact of the enterprise. The workbook will provide a guide to the profession that truly wants to understand how the CEO and the board of directors, in particular, thinks and how she or he makes decisions. This will only make CCOs more valuable to all stakeholders.
-- Kim Hunter, CEO, LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS. Chairman & CEO, The LAGRANT Foundation. Managing partner, KLH & Associates
As your communications career progresses, you become part of a larger team charged with making business decisions not simply communications decisions. Your communications functional expertise will be expected, but it is your business knowledge especially your financial literacy that will accelerate your career growth. Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators: The Workbook is the perfect roadmap needed to start this journey.
-- Ron DeFeo, Executive vice president, chief communications and marketing officer, American Airlines
PR pros who claim they entered the industry because they dont like numbers are doomed. Students and ambitious pros will learn how to find and use important information in balance sheets, annual reports and more in Ragas and Culps Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators: The Workbook.
-- Kim Sample (President, PR Council)
I wish this book was available much earlier in my career - it would have saved me a lot of time, energy and embarrassment. And Im sure Ill keep it handy at this relatively late stage of my professional life - the glossary alone is an enormously valuable resource!
-- David Gallagher (Managing Partner, Next Practices Group)
Matt Ragas and Ron Culp continue to champion the need for deep business acumen among communications professionals and to provide a critical roadmap and tools to attain such knowledge. The 32-page glossary alone provides us a rich collection of essential terms from which to guide pursuit of the knowledge essential to better fulfill our roles as strategic communicators.
-- Rodrigo Sierra (CCO, American Medical Association)
In this terrific new workbook, Matt Ragas and Ron Culp demonstrate the importance of both acquiring and applying business acumen in strategic communication. I wish such resources had been available decades ago when I was a rookie corporate communication professional tasked with drafting quarterly earnings reports I knew virtually nothing about!
-- Kathy Fitzpatrick, JD, APR (Director & Professor, The Zimmerman School at the University of South Florida)
Timely and relevant, Business Acumen for Strategic Communicators offers clear insights and actionable advice for communicators looking to elevate their role and impact globally. With practical examples and vital strategies, this workbook is essential for navigating todays business landscape.
-- Tracy Faulkner (Chief Communications and External Relations Officer, First Abu Dhabi Bank)
