Test Your Writing Skills: Get it Right

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Test Your Writing Skills
GET IT RIGHT
PRSSA October 20, 2007
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What is writing?
"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank
sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your
forehead. -Gene Fowler
I get a fine warm feeling when I'm doing well,
but that pleasure is pretty much negated by the
pain of getting started each day. Let's face it,
writing is hell. -William Styron
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Hurdles
Time Management
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Hurdles
Writers Block

• an inability to put words on paperbe it a term
  paper, press release, blog, proposal, e-mail,
  bylined article

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Your world

•  We asked 193 PRSSA members,
• What part of writing keeps you up at night? 

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Your world
What sort of writing assignments typically pose
the greatest challenges?

• Press releases ("coming up with a catchy,
  creative headline and lead paragraph")
• Research
• Meeting deadlines ("stuff like this where I am
  asked to come up with something instantly")

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Your world

• Make boring stories sound interesting
• Poor direction from professor ("Just do whatever
  you like.")
• Long papers on a short idea
• Op-eds/opinion pieces
• Personal/creative assignments ("I hate writing
  about myself.")

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Pain Points
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Is there anything scarier than this?
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How do you spend Sunday nights?
Avoid the Sunday Night Syndrome Manage
your time Print and proof A second set of
eyes Write for your audience/client Research
ahead of time
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Solving Writers Block

• Richard Harte, PhD
• "Identifying the obstacles to your block.
  Fill-out this sentence "Because of ______, I
  cannot write this paper, release, etc." Now, list
  the three steps you'll take to overcome that
  obstacle."

Julia Hood, Editor PRWeek "When you're stuck,
go off and do something else. The brain will keep
working on it behind the scenes. Often you will
kick start the process by going away. But, make
sure you go right back and keep going. Don't lose
the thread.
Darryl Salerno, PR industry consultant
"Meditating, long, calming walks and exercising
will take your mind off the assignment and enable
you to clear your mind."
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Peppercom Case Study

• Co-branded blogging survey with Bulldog Reporter
• 1,200 respondents in UK and US
• Wanted to uncover the differences and
  compare/contrast
• Main finding There were no differences. Everyone
  agreed blogging is important, but few are
  embracing it.
• Now what?

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Case Study Solution
DIVIDED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE, UNITED (IN
CONFUSION) OVER DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS Survey
Finds 1,200 U.S. and U.K. Marketing Executives in
Near Unanimous Disorder on the Use of
Consumer-Generated Media NEW YORK November
XX, 2006 Public relations professionals in the
U.S. and U.K. agree blogs are important to
corporate images. However, professional
communicators in both countries have yet to
embrace this new medium and establish common
practices in the blogosphere, according to
survey results released today by Peppercom
Strategic Communications and Bulldog
Reporter. The survey, composed of 1,200 public
relations executives from communication agencies
and leading corporations in the U.S. and U.K.,
revealed that most major companies in both
countries still have not defined their blogging
strategy. Despite the fact that a majority of
respondents consider blogs to have influence over
public opinion and decision making in U.S. and
the U.K., the survey found that only a fraction
of those companies are currently blogging to
promote themselves, their clients or industry
concerns. This even as they acknowledge that
others will soon expand their communication
efforts to include MySpace, Second Life and
other digital vehicles.
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K I S S
The wrong way In an effort to help raise the
overall awareness of, and need for, smart and
simple writing, Steven Cody today told a group of
PRSSA students that procrastination, time
management, fear and other factors were hurting
most college-age students.
The right way Steve Cody is speaking to the
PRSA today about the need for crisp, clear
writing.
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Writing is re-writing
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
TAs and Profs welcome and reward initiative.
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George Orwell

• A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he
  writes, will ask himself at least four questions,
  thus 
• What am I trying to say?
• What words will express it?
• What image or idiom will make it clearer?
• Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

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Orwells Guidelines

• Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of
  speech.
• Never use a long word where a short one will do.
• If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut
  it out.
• Never use the passive where you can use the
  active.
• Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or
  a jargon word if you can think of an everyday
  English equivalent.
• Break any of these rules sooner than say anything
  outright barbarous.  

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George Orwell 2.0

• Text messaging is ruining the English language.
• Junior employees are always in the chatspeak
  mindset.
• PR/Journalism
• Then Write like you speak.
• Now Write like you type.

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Chatspeak is a career killer.
Bosses, media and clients wont understand it or
take your writing seriously.
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The Sweet 16(not)
lol laughing out loud rofl rolling on the
floor laughing ttyl talk to you later idk I
dont know bc because btw by the way omg oh
my god gtg/g2g got to go
brb be right back plz/pls please ily I love
you my .02 my two cents imo in my opinion jk
just kidding noob newbie w/e whatever
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The Brand of YOU 2.0

• Think before you
• Avoid hysteria
• Avoid cut and paste shortcuts
• Remember Jayson Blair and Steven Glass?
• Attribution has become victimized by Web 2.0
• Too many junior PR people have damaged their own
  brands

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Ouch.
First off, I would like to thank you Mr.
Cody for being a great help for others in the PR
field. And would like to compliment you and your
company on accomplishing so many goals and
awards. Now these questions you can answer which
ever way you wish to sir, if at all possible
several answers for each question is an option
and would not hurt at all. First question What
are you daily routines that yo go through once
you enter the workplace? Second question How do
you see your job when you represent a client?
Employer/ interests at hand?and what you feel the
public wants? Third question How do you view you
interaction with other employees in the
workplace? those below and above you? is it
personal at times or strictly professional? Fourth
Question Have you ever had to make a judgment
call when involving representing a client, if
moral vales came in the way of the clients
practices, for example if "Company A" wanted you
to be there pr practitioner, and they were known
for dumping toxic waste and you hated that, how
would you handle that situation? Fifth question
what do you view is your overall goal as a public
relations practitioner? sixth question what
education and prior experience have you had that
got you to the position you are now in? seventh
question what advice do you recommend for anyone
entering the public relation field, as far as
career moves, what they should do when big
decisions need to be made, and what are good
practices to implement in there daily lives? Ok
I believe that is enough questions for you sir.
Hopefully they are not too many to bother you
with. And if these could be emailed back as soon
as possible that would be greatly appreciated Mr.
Cody. Once again thank you so much for your time,
and I hope for many great Successes for you and
the great company yo work for! Sincerely,
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Moron Publicist of the Month KFCs Flack READ
MORE Publicists, food, press releases, public
relations This is why people hate
publicists. Now, as people who have at least a
glancing familiarity with this website, you
probably realize that giveaway offers by national
fast-food chains do not, typically, fall within
our coverage area. One would expect even the
soulless flacks responsible for publicizing
giveaway offers by national fast-food chains to
be aware of this. (True, we once wrote about an
earlier stupid KFC gimmick, but that was only to
lambaste the chain for appropriating Office Space
for its nefarious purposes.) But theyre not.
While we understand that junior-level PR people
have to send out releases to whole big lists of
media, and so we try to simply ignore them
rather than get mad at them, or taunt them when
they send us silly, irrelevant things like news
about giveaway offers by national fast-food
chains, sometimes that becomes impossible.
Especially with the imbeciles who do press for
our old pals KFC. Who have recently taken to
hounding us. Like with this email, which arrived
yesterday
From Smulyan, Brandon To tips_at_gawker.com
Sent Monday, December 12, 2005 254 PM Subject
Tis the KFC-eason for giving Gawker, I realize
the Ultimate KFC Fan Contest ended yesterday.
However, I just wanted to drop a friendly
reminder to let you know the other item, the On
Top of the World of KFC eBay? Auction, ends on
December 15. Have you had a chance to look over
the details yet? Again, please feel free to
contact me with any questions. Best, Brandon
Smulyan for KFC 972.830.XXXX xxxx_at_webershandwick.c
om Brandon Smulyan for KFC then pastes below his
previous emails to us about KFC?s marketing
effort, as though he will somehow guilt us into
writing about his campaign, which we thought we
were being generous to not write about. Well,
congratulations, Brandon Smulyan for KFC. Were
writing about you now.Because youre our Moron
Publicist of the Month.
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Painful lesson for GCI Group
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and the result.
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Question

• How many of you have read a book in the past year
  that wasnt required reading?

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Summation

• Learn grammar and syntax
• Read good writers, daily newspapers and
  periodicals
• Dont be afraid to take a basic grammar course
  NOW.
• Use the AP Style Book and Strunks Element of
  Style

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My challenge to you

• Write a one-page press release introducing the
  paper clip. (Assume that it's never existed
  before and that you need to clearly and concisely
  communicate the who, what, when, where, why and
  how immediately to the reader.) Be as provocative
  and creative as possible.
• E-mail it to me at ( scody_at_peppercom.com ) and
  I'll respond with a grade and a critique.

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Test Your Writing Skills
GET IT RIGHT
PRSSA October 20, 2007