> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.philsimon.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Looking for Examples and Case Studies for My Next Book - URL: https://www.philsimon.com/looking-for-examples-and-case-studies-for-my-next-book/ - Published: 2014-07-09T11:52:35.000Z - Updated: 2025-05-11T20:29:01.000Z - Description: Would you like to contribute to The Visual Organization? - Author: Phil Simon - Tags: Announcements, Collaboration, Communication, Breaking Bad, Language, Message Not Received ![case-study](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/2025/05/case-study-3.png) ## Updated: 08.06.14 Thanks for all of the responses. At this point, I have nearly ten promising case studies. The balcony is closed. --- My next book, *Message Not Received: Why Business Communication Is Broken and How to Fix It*, will examine technology, language, and business communication. (Read the announcement [here](https://www.philsimon.com/blog/writing/the-skinny-on-my-seventh-book/).) Although I have plenty of opinions and thoughts on these topics, I am not just looking inward. As I did with *The New Small*, *Too Big to Ignore*, and *The Visual Organization*, I am reaching outward, In those books, I solicited proper case studies to make them richer. I just think that, if at all possible, that's the right way to do research and write a business book. What am I looking for this time? Funny you should ask. Here are a few types of questions to think about: - Do you work with people who rely upon e-mail far too often and/or when it's not appropriate? Don't get me wrong. E-mail is critical in many if not most organizations, but there's certainly a time and place for it. Did something huge fall through the cracks at the last minute because someone erroneously believed that sending an e-mail was sufficient? - Are any of your employees too text- and acronym-happy? Has your organization lost deals because prospective clients couldn't get a timely and appropriate response in plain English from, you know, *a human voice*? - Could your organization have ever averted a massive problem–or at least minimized it–if the key parties had just taken five minutes to get on a call together? - Have you ever tried to show someone a new way of doing things only to be rebuffed? For instance, have you ever told the guy who sends 30-mb e-mail attachments that it's not 1998 and there are better ways? ([WeTransfer, DropBox, Box.Net, and others](https://www.philsimon.com/whats-inhibiting-employee-productivity/).) - Have you come across any employees, consultants, software vendors, thought leaders, and/or management types who routinely use words incorrectly in a vain attempt to sound smart? I'm not talking about people who legitimately make mistakes (e.g., [verbiage](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verbiage?ref=philsimon.com)). Do you work with individuals who believe that they're effectively explaining technology-related things when they're only confusing others? - Did you ever leave a job because of the organization's unwillingness to embrace new applications and tools? - Did your team, department, or organization miss key deadlines because a software salesperson or vendor couldn't communicate effectively? Did a team suffer because several members' communication skills weren't up to snuff? - On the positive side, is your organization using a raft of truly collaborative tools like Asana to manage projects and actually get work done? I am particularly interested in the effects that poor business communication habits and styles have on others. Does that mean that I need some type of ROI calculation? Of course not. At the same time, though, I'm looking for more than just complaints like "[Saul](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7404XMzHr-M&ref=philsimon.com) would never talk about our meth business in person; he always wanted to use a secure line." ## FAQ Here's a very simple FAQ. Click on the question to expand the answer. --- ### My boss uses jargon repeatedly and no one understands him. I don't want to get fired. Can I contribute anonymously? Yes. My first book is replete with pseudonyms. I didn't want to get sued. More important, I respect the confidentiality of my sources. ### Does my contribution have to be unnamed? No. ### What do I get in return? I believe that writing is cathartic. I've saved thousands of dollars that I would have spent on shrinks. Beyond that, if your contribution makes it into the book, I'm happy to hook you up with a free physical copy of when it's published in mid-2015. ### OK. How do I get started? Click [here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XFSMIyZlpQXKsgGV2HHLq5K4EeH9A7vp0Dyo8ILt%5FUw/viewform?ref=philsimon.com) to go to a Google form. ### Does filling out that form guarantee that my unedited contribution makes it into the book? No. Not all rants are book-worthy, much less without an edit. --- Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.