Part Three
IN the past two columns, we highlighted the importance of writing in PR today, citing a PR News survey indicating that 80 percent of senior-level communicators at agencies, corporations and no-profits identified writing as the top skill their team needs to improve on. In short, writing is the biggest weakness in communications.
We were given tips by Glenn Leibowitz who, in an article for Inc-Asean.com, suggested that one needs to ask eight simple questions throughout the process of writing and editing.
The second column tackled what we should avoid to make our writing more professional, taking a cue from Steve Goldstein who shared with us a list of “7 Business Writing Sins PR Pros Commit Regularly” in PR News.
We conclude this series of columns on the importance of PR and writing, beginning with the premise that writing isn’t easy. It is, in fact, “hard work,” said William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction.
“A CLEAR sentence is no accident,” Zinsser said. “Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time…if you find that writing is hard, it’s because it’s hard.”
In an article on Inc.com, Allison Davis shares with us with some tips on how to “Improve Your Writing in 9 Simple Steps.”
“Just because writing is well hard, that doesn’t mean you can’t use techniques to make writing a little easier,” she said.
And for inspiration, she turned to her colleague Jane Shannon, who is “one of those people who make writing look easy because her work is so relaxed and conversational. Here is Shannon’s advice on how to improve your writing in nine simple steps.”
1. Read The Elements of Style
by William Strunk Jr. and EB White
In the book, coauthor William Strunk Jr. wrote: “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
The Elements of Style was written some time ago, and the book is a classic. But its tips on writing are still very relevant, and it still offers valuable advice.
2. Use the word “you” a lot
“Using the word you immediately allows you to focus on your audience,” Shannon said, and with that, it is easier to connect. “By identifying the benefit you’re offering to the reader and then working it into a sentence that begins with the word you, you’ll be amazed how much stronger that makes your writing.”
3. Create more powerful headlines.
Too many headlines are labels: Introduction, Your Benefits, Departments, etc. Shannon’s advice? “Instead of using labels, write a headline that highlights the most important concept you want the reader to know. That way, if the reader skims [as we all do], they will still have the information that matters.”
4. Make it easy for readers to learn what you want them to learn.
“Don’t force readers to slog through stuff they don’t need to know to get to the stuff they’re really interested in,” Shannon said. This is especially important in this fast-paced world when attention spans are getting shorter.
5. Spell out acronyms and initialisms.
Each profession has its own shorthand way of speaking and writing. But using too many acronyms can get your piece lost in translation. That is why “it is the job of the writer to make sure everyone understands,” Shannon said.
So “whether it’s an acronym like SMART [specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely], as in SMART goals, or an initialism [which doesn’t create an actual word] like SPP for stock purchase plan, spell out what every term stands for in the first reference, then use the abbreviated form from that point on.”
6. Eliminate use of the passive voice.
Shannon gave us a cautionary tale on how the use of the passive voice can affect our readers. “Too much writing in organizations is so passive it would give a visitor from another planet the impression that a) there are no people at the company or b) if people are present, they don’t engage in activities requiring verbs,” she wrote. “Verbs are your friend!”
When you articulate in an active way, it’s definitely more compelling than if you write in the passive voice.
7. Use contractions
“Contractions make your writing more conversational,” Shannon said. “The voice you hear when you read sounds like a human being when you say, ‘I can’t live without Fridays,’ instead of a poorly recorded elevator voice: ‘I cannot imagine a life that does not include the fifth day of the week.’”
8. Create a table of contents that serves as a summary.
When working on longer pieces—a handbook, manual or reference piece—it may be a good idea to “build a table of contents to summarize what’s inside. That way, people can see at a glance where to find what they need.”
9. Seek constructive feedback.
“One of the hardest hurdles a writer must conquer in order to grow is getting—and gracefully accepting—feedback,” Shannon wrote. “But when you listen to feedback from a talented writer or editor, your work will improve.”
With that, “it may be a good idea to ask someone you respect to review your work. Describe your concerns. Is the writing brief enough? Clear enough? Then listen to what the reviewer has to say—and take the advice.”
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
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