Book: PING: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication
By: Andrew Brodsky
Reviewed by: Colleen Jones
The Premise: Harvard-trained organizational-behaviour professor Andrew Brodsky turns the “could-have-been-an-email” joke into a full-blown playbook for leaders drowning in Slack pings and Zoom fatigue. In Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication he argues that technology itself isn’t the villain—our unthinking use of it is. Split into three parts, the book shows when to choose email, IM, phone, video or face-to-face and how to wield each channel to build trust, boost productivity and even win negotiations from behind a screen. Brodsky’s four-step PING framework—Perspective-taking, Initiative, Non-verbal cues and Goals—anchors the narrative, illustrated with memorable research (think a thumbs-up emoji that cost a Canadian farmer $62 000) and leader interviews. Brodsky’s tone is light, practical and peppered with humour (“yes, your camera can stay off”), while end-of-chapter check-lists make the science instantly actionable.
The Bottom Line: I opened Ping hoping for a silver bullet to share with my clients who are struggling with an overflowing inbox; instead, Brodsky reminds us a more valuable lesson – the mental pause button. The Perspective-taking chapter reminds us to curb our impulses and hold off on the terse 5 p.m. replies. The call for Initiative (brief, frequent updates) feels like a gift to the senior stakeholders I coach, and the Non-verbal section is a goldmine for anyone debating whether an emoji belongs in a status report. Most striking is Brodsky’s reminder that how we communicate is as visible a performance signal as what we deliver—a truth that is even more important for leaders working in fully remote or hybrid situations.
Recommendation: If your team spans time zones—or if you’re coaching managers who complain about “ghost” employees—add Ping to your nightstand. It won’t empty your inbox, but it will teach you when to close it confidently, reach for a different channel, and explain why to your team. In the spirit of our familiar “Premise–Bottom Line–Recommendation” book review template, this is a highly recommended read for leaders who want their digital footprint to build—not erode—relationships.
