Ask communications honchos what they want most, and seven out of 10 will say: “Higher writers.”
I simply made that up. It’s actually 10 out of 10.
Right now, fewer communicators come from journalism, so that they’ve missed out on the expertise of working for a tough-as-nails editor who ripped their copy to shreds and despatched them again for extra reporting and a rewrite, however secretly beloved that they had been prepared to work so laborious to get it proper.
That was Lou Grant, the crusty editor with the type coronary heart, performed by Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner on not one, however two TV exhibits within the Nineteen Seventies.
With all the brand new instruments and applied sciences (or perhaps due to them), the power to place one good sentence after one other is extra necessary than ever. Should you’re within the enterprise of modifying different individuals’s copy, right here’s your Lou Grant guidelines, as helpful in a company newsroom as another.
1. Deal with information prefer it’s information. All organizations generate information ― data that’s time-sensitive and noteworthy to a specific viewers. Whether or not it’s open enrollment or the invention of a treatment for most cancers, information ought to demand readers’ consideration. Don’t bury it and don’t again into it. In a compelling headline and grabby lede, inform us all we have to know. Ask your writers, “What’s the information doing down there? Transfer it up!”
2. Viewers first, group second. The cardinal rule in each firm is to place the group first in any communication. That’s fully flawed. Everybody on the receiving finish of your press launch or social media publish is aware of it’s from you. As an alternative, get our consideration by telling us why we must always care.
3. Pull the tales out of the numbers. Organizations are awash in knowledge and statistics. However individuals don’t recall numbers; they bear in mind tales. You’re not there to dutifully copy the numbers out of a report and publish them. Your job is to clarify them, to interpret them and to discover the human tales that assist illustrate them.
4. Don’t fall into the cliché lure. Cease quoting executives speaking about how thrilled they’re with the brand new org chart. Don’t inform us that the worker of the month at all times has a smile on her face. Don’t ever let the boss say that “individuals are our biggest asset.” Filter out all of the jargon, company converse and newest buzzwords. Should you inform the viewers that your group is pivoting again to its core competencies, there’s going to be hell to pay.
5. Solely quote individuals who say one thing. I do know there’s quite a lot of politics right here. You must quote all of the necessary individuals concerned in your story or they’ll complain. So, right here’s the deal: To get into your story, they have to present worth. They have to share an perception or be inspiring, and so they must say it in a means which may persist with the viewers. After all, that is your drawback, not theirs. If the VP of Industrial Engineering must be within the story, it’s as much as you to get him to cough up quote.
6. Push again. Company communicators aren’t order takers, and so they’re not courtroom reporters. Get what it’s essential inform story. Should you didn’t get it within the first interview, name again. Should you didn’t perceive the subject material skilled’s reply, ask the query once more. You are able to do all of this with out being a jerk. These are your colleagues and others in your business. You’ll be able to ask for his or her assist to get it proper, and also you’ll be shocked by what number of of them will oblige.
7. Examine your info. Nothing made Lou Grant blow a gasket greater than a narrative that obtained it flawed. I do know everybody’s in a rush, however info matter. The place did you get yours? Are the numbers correct? Did you get the proper spelling of everybody’s identify? Earlier than you flip it in, nail it down.
8. No matter you do, don’t be boring. That is the toughest rule of all. Some subjects, regardless of how necessary, are lethal uninteresting. Your problem is to seek out one thing which may join together with your viewers. Search for one other means in or a distinct angle. Attempt to shock them. Add a bit of coloration or description. Would you learn your individual story? If the reply is not any, there’s likelihood nobody else will.
Jim Ylisela is co-founder of Ragan Consulting Group and has edited extra crappy copy than anybody presently alive. Schedule a name with Kristin Hart to find out how we can assist you enhance your communications effort with coaching, consulting and strategic counsel. Comply with RCG on LinkedIn and subscribe to our weekly publication right here.
