This is rare. I usually avoid making book recommendations, but I actually enjoyed an academic textbook so much that I’m going to recommend it to anyone who works for a global company or works with a multi-cultural team. (If you work in ‪#‎techcomm‬, I’m more than recommending it. I’m insisting you read it.)

Unplanned Coincidence

I recently read an “academic” textbook at the same time that I happened to be listening to a “for leisure” audiobook on a similar topic (unplanned, but nice coincidence). I found the combination of the academic and the practical book very interesting and informative. It was like listening to two different versions of the same story but from very different storytellers. In addition, having to make connections, find similarities, and identify differences between the two books helped me to process and internalize the information better.

Plan Going Forward

This unplanned coincidence helped  me realize that I enjoy the combination of “scholarly” text with “non-scholarly” text.  I often read scholarly articles and practical articles in combination, so I’m not sure why I didn’t make this connection with books sooner. My brain craves variety,  so from this point forward (when available), I’m going to find a practical-skills book that compliments any academic textbook I’m reading and read/listen to them in combination.

Book-Combo Recommendation

Finally, here’s my first book-combo recommendation for anyone interested in practical skills and academic learning related to culture and communication.

• Intercultural Communication: A Discourse Approach (Academic)
• The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business (Practical)