writing with impact-March2015Use good written style 4.Write copy that resonates with your reader +...
Transcript of writing with impact-March2015Use good written style 4.Write copy that resonates with your reader +...
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Eleanor Stanley, writer and editor
Writing with impact
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Introduction
+ Learning outcomes
During this course, you will learn 4 tips:
1.Before you start writing, ask the right questions
2.Plan your copy with a clear structure
3.Use good written style
4.Write copy that resonates with your reader
+Timetable for the day
10.00–11.30 Introduction and Tip 1: the brief
11.30–11.45 Break
11.45–1.00 Tip 2: the structure
1.00–1.45 Lunch
1.45–3.00 Tip 3: written style
3.00–3.15 Break
3.15–4.30 Tip 4: engaging with the reader
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In pairs, discuss what kinds of writing your role entails and your chosen writing project, then feed back to the group
Icebreaker
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What is good writing?
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Good writing enables us to convey our message clearly and effectively for our audience, meeting expected standards.
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What is impactful writing?
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Impactful writing is writing that produces the desired impacts or outcomes.
It does this by engaging and motivating the readers.
+How can writing have more impact?
content – fresh, relevant, focused
structure – positioning key messages, using design features
quality of writing – active, positive and clear
tone, voice and human interest –pitched at the right level for the reader
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Why is this so important for you?
+Because what you do matters!
If your writing does not have impact, it can affect your organisation’s:
power to influence
access to funding
reputation
provision to service users, supporters and the public.
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Tip 1: Before you start writing, ask the right questions
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Follow the instructions in the email to write a draft
Activity 1:Facing a blank page
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Amend or rewrite the draft, following further guidance
Activity 2: Facing a blank page – take 2
+Analysis: questions to ask
Why are we writing this?
What, where, how, when?
‘So what?’ and what’s the angle?
Who’s it for? What are their needs, challenges, reservations, prior knowledge, location, age?
What should they do as a result of reading it?
Format, length, internal politics
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Using Checklist 1, develop a full brief for your personal project
Activity 3: Preparing your personal project
+Summing up
Why do we need a brief?
What are the key elements?
Next up: Structuring your copy effectively
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Tip 2: Structure your copy effectively
+How people read
Leaflets
Novels versus handbooks
Websites
Publications and reports
Letters
+Structuring different formats
Traditional (pyramid)
News (inverted pyramid)
Features
Chapters or sections
Reports, handbooks or technical books*
+Using structure to tackle a block
1. Find out word count.
2. Allocate words needed for introduction, conclusion.
3. Divide remaining word count into paragraphs, usually 100–150 words.
4. Divide your key message into one point per paragraph.
5. If necessary, divide each paragraph into one point per sentence.
+ [picture slide here showing headings etc]
+Key structural elements for impact
Headings
Standfirsts*
Introductions
Conclusions and recommendations
Boxes, pullouts and captions
Summary material
+Standfirst
+Mapping out your words: benefits
Get an overview of content
Pinpoint research needed; avoid over-researching
Ensure balance between different elements
Ensure logical flow
Speed up writing process
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Map out your earlier piece as an email newsletter article of about 600 words, using Checklist 2
Activity 4: Mapping out your draft
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Using Checklist 2, map out your personal project
Activity 5: Mapping out your draft
+Mapping with design in mind
Why focus on design up front?
Tailoring your copy to the format
Bullets
Boxed out information
Graphics and photos
Topping and tailing, summary boxes
Human interest: pull quotes and case studies
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+ [picture slide here showing headings etc]
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Return to your map and consider whether to replace copy with design features
Activity 6: Mapping with design in mind
+A strong introduction: hooking them in
The ‘So what?’ question
The angle
Turning points
Human interest, statistics, surprise, intrigue
Defining the issue and the context
+Sample introduction 1: feature article
Croydon is known for many things, but spiritual enlightenment is not one of them. With its concrete 60s shopping centre and high-tech blocks, this satellite town is a major commercial axis. For many people who live and work here, the closest they’ll get to meditation is drinking a Sea Breeze at the Buddha lounge bar. But that’s precisely why the Croydon Buddhist Centre plays such a vital role in the community.
+Sample introduction 2: handbook
Healthcare staff are often highly motivated – but highly pressured. The demands of the work itself leave little time to consider the impact of that work or to acknowledge the day-to-day achievement of providing compassionate care.
Schwartz Center Rounds® are meetings that enable healthcare professionals to share their experience of caring for patients in order to acknowledge and explore the pressures they face, to help them carry out their role more effectively.
This handbook explains how to set up Schwartz Rounds within your organisation and how to manage the process from start to finish.
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Using Checklist 3, write an introductory paragraph to your personal project
Activity 7: Writing a strong intro
+Summing up
Write according to how people read
Understand what structure you are aiming for and use it to your advantage
When writing for impact, focus on the key elements
Hook them in with a strong intro
Write with design in mind
Next up: Using good written style
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Tip 3: Use good written style
+Common style problems
Inappropriate/dated terminology
Level of formality (academic?)
Clarity, flow
Negativity
The key questions
House style, consistency, spelling and grammar
Plain English*
+Plain English
Dumbing down?
Short words, sentences, paragraphs
Jargon and acronyms
Minimal punctuation
Active voice*
+Passive versus active
The centre will be maintained…
The project was set up in 2014…
Pros and cons: ‘It’s been decided that there will be redundancies’ vs ‘I have decided …’
Try to make between 80 and 90 per cent of your verbs active (Plain English Campaign)
+Common errors
Apostrophe’s
Hyphens (-) and enrules (–)
Excessive Capitalisation
Spaces around words ( and punctuation)
Bullet points
+Spelling
Add common mistakes to your spell checker
Make sure your computer is set to UK English
Don’t rely on the spell checker!
Refer to style guide every time
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Spot one error in each sentence
Activity 8:Spot the errors
+When to break the rules
All you need to give is £3.50 a week. About the price of a pint of beer.
+Hints for checking your writing
Take a break before revising
‘Read’, then proof, using Checklist 4
Focus on introduction and headings
Read backwards; captions, headings
Seek colleague/stakeholder feedback
+Working with feedback
What level of feedback, from whom?
Appoint an adjudicator
Multiple feedback
Emotional responses
Allow plenty of time
Seek involvement at development stage
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Review your partner’s work and practice giving and receiving constructive feedback
Activity 9:Feedback practical
+Summing up
Check your writing against the checklist
Familiarise yourself with your house style
Carry out peer review with colleagues
Use techniques to read your own workwith more awareness
Next up: Writing copy that resonates with your reader
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Tip 4: Write copy that resonates with your reader
+Revisiting ‘engaging’ writing
Writing that engages the reader produces an emotional responsethat motivates them to take action.
+Aristotle’s modes of persuasion
Logos (logical) – make your point by reasoning, evidence
Ethos (credibility) – make your voice likeable and worthy of respect
Pathos (emotional) – appeal to the emotions of the reader
Rhetoric, treatise from 4th century BC
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To do this, we need to useempathy.
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Discuss writing that appeals to you and compare it with what appeals to your reader
Activity 10: What writing appeals to you – and to others?
+How can we reach our readers?
Content
Context
Tone of voice
Empathy (including the ‘So what?’)
Relevance
Authenticity
Storytelling
+Tailoring copy to the reader
1. Local programmes and the regional team in carried out light-touch scoping studies on in preparation for the strategic review.
2. We trained people in local communities to undertake routine maintenance of facilities themselves while also training construction workers to repair unsafe buildings.
3. Let’s face it, in our country every household takes safe water and sanitation as a human right. We could barely imagine life without them.
+Tone of voice
Choice of words
We/you
Level of formality
Grammatical style
Person-centred focus
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Adapt the factsheet to make it appropriate for a worried parent
Activity 11: Tone of voice
What key phrases would you change?
What would you cut?
What would you add?
How would you structure it?
+Human interest: case studies and quotes
A scenario or story to demonstrate rather than describe a message
Individuals, groups
Human interest or real-life context – bypassing the intellect to create emotional responses
Moves from problem to solution, sharing learning
Using people’s voices increases authenticity
Charity case studies vs journalism
+ 5 things you should know about dementia, Alzheimer’s Society
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Having a PrematureBaby, Tommy’s
‘Stepping out’, Arthritis News
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Using Checklist 5, analyse the readers for your personal project and how your writing will meet their needs
Activity 12:Thinking about your reader
+Multiple groups of readers
Go through the above analysis for each group.
Which is the primary group?
Add supplementary information.
Provide alternative versions where necessary.
+Summing up
Engaging writing creates an emotional response that provokes a reaction
Content, tone of voice, empathy, relevance, authenticity
Human interest: using case studies and quotes
+Our four tips
1. Before you start writing, ask the right questions
2. Plan your copy with a clear structure
3. Use good written style
4. Write copy that resonates with your reader
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Eleanor Stanleywww.eleanorstanley.co.uk