Some of you may have read my review last month of Shiv Shivakumar’s debut book ‘The Right Choice’. The book gave advice on career choices but was not directly connected to the world of Public Relations. In my second instalment of the 12 books I intend to review in the coming year, I chose ‘Little Joys of Communication’ by Ritu Bararia, an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience in the communications field having served in communication leadership roles at Kingfisher Airlines, The Park Hotels and Bird Group to name a few.
Ritu was one of the first communication professional to contribute to the Reputation Today column which commenced in 2016. The book, titled ‘Little Joys of Communication’ is a compilation of Ritu’s column spread over the years. The 45 chapters highlight the joys and experiences one may encounter in day-to-day life as a PR professional.
What does the book cover?
As the book is a compilation of columns based on the author’s experiences, each chapter has a situation or a question that you may have in mind and the book gives a simple answer or solution to navigate the situation. Be it on dressing up to work, or on ethics or on story-telling or on how to put together a PR strategy, the book has answers to all these questions and more. In short, the book is a handy guide on ones journey of understanding the little joys of communication we encounter at workplace irrespective of the situation or outcome.
Three takeways for me
- Start your day with a positive attitude for a productive day, offer help and smile more (even on video calls) it will make your team member’s day in these gloomy, virtual world, better
- Personal branding is important, a CEO or the founder needs to be known for who he is as a person (the real self) rather than just being a company head
- To be a successful PR professional one needs to be a great mix of ‘Right attitude and Patience’ — both are crucial to succeed in the world of public relations.
What’s in it for me?
Being in the profession for over 15 years, the book is quite relatable, and I have personally experienced most of the situations narrated by the author. It offers new insights for me but would be an interesting read for professionals who will begin their journey or have begun and will face certain dilemmas as they move up the career ladder. Highly recommended to be kept in offices and communication school libraries.
My recommendation
Like Ritu says in the book, “being joyful at work is, to a large extent, intentional. It’s a skill that needs to be practised and to be worked upon”- It’s true and much more apt with the current setting we are in. Covid-19 has taken away all the joy from our life, we are living with fear. This book is the much needed guide and support for professionals who would need guidance but are unsure who to approach. Just grab a copy and keep it by your table! Instant insight for any dilemma.
What’s also interesting is that this is a collection of 45 articles written over a period of time by Ritu compiled into a book. There are many more columnists who write for Reputation Today portal on a regular basis. If each columnist could work on compiling their columns into a book, imagine the repository of content we may have for the future PR aspirants. Must consider I say!
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Sarika has previously had stints with with Weber Shandwick as Vice President - Client Experience, Adfactors PR, Text100 (now Archetype) and Perfect Relations. With keen observation and analytical skills, Sarika has successfully led PR campaigns for key brands across multiple sectors by leveraging her strength and expertise in the communications arena.
She is a post graduate in communications from Xavier Institute of Communications. She is based in Mumbai and in her free time loves to spend time with her daughters, play with her dogs, read and travel.
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