What is Great Writing?
One of the most perplexing aspects of public relations is attempting to define great writing. Every single job ad in the PR/communications world demands some form of “outstanding writing skills,” “superior writing and editing,” etc.
However, there is no universal way to know what these means. I’ve talked with hiring managers who want even seasoned professionals to take a writing test because clips are too polished and don’t give the person doing the hiring the kind of insight they need to know if the candidate can actually write. For a veteran, though, a writing test will probably be seen as demeaning.
My primary reason for teaching is to teach students how to write. I’m a strong proponent of the “whole student” mentality…teach them how to write well and they will be able to apply that skill to any particular type of business writing that they are asked to do. Some professors teach PR writing from a different perspective, going through the different types required so that the students have some experience with each, whether a release, feature story, speech, etc.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a forum for getting professionals involved in the process of teaching writing. It is the heart and soul of this profession, yet we as teachers can only go on what we know from our own experience or through research. Meanwhile, we are training students for the day they become professionals without a link to the professional world, unless it is through private networking, informal interviews, and other means we use to pry information from working practitioners.
If I had a repository of actual work done by professionals, I would be the happiest guy in the world (no comments, please, about what that says about my drab life).
Obviously, we can pull releases, annual reports, etc. from the Web, which is a wonderful way to get students thinking about what it means to be a professional writer. But, those finished pieces do not get at the process of how a document goes from draft to completed product. Understanding the process is a key aspect of learning the trade. Some students will get this in internships, but even then, some internships do not allow students to write releases (in some cases, for good reason).
I often hear professionals moan about bad writing from young staff members. And, practitioners thank me when they find out that I teach writing and say how desperately they need good writers. Where is the disconnect here? There is a kink in the pipeline between teaching and those in the practice. I would love to hear what you think. And, if you’re a student, I think both scholars and academics would enjoy hearing your thoughts about writing from the student perspective. Dive in!
September 14th, 2007 at 19:54
Bob, every year or so I ask my former students to send samples from their jobs and use that to create a reading packet that students in my writing class are required to buy from a local copy shop. If none of them send something I specifically need (say, an op-ed or a PSA script), I pull them from the Web. But using former students’ materials allows current students to see the kinds of work they might be doing and provides a pretty good variety of examples — the textbooks all seem to emphasize corporate PR. The trick is to keep in touch with a core of former students who are willing to help out.
September 27th, 2007 at 02:27
Red Pen, Track Changes and your First Job
Professor Batchelor,
I can relate to the disconnect found between PR writing classes and the actual experience of writing for clients. I had the pleasure of taking a Saturday morning PR writing class with Dr. honey Rand. This experience, although daunting, gave me a a glimpse into what the “real world” would expect from me. I passed the class with an A (I was one of three).
Oddly enough, I have now been working for Dr. Rand for over a year. Let me tell you…the first time I opened up a a document that had been reviewed and returned, I was baffled. It was a “Track Changes” massacre– I had no idea what had happened to the news release that I had spent an hour writing, it was mangled. I quickly learned that writing becomes an intricate blend of skill and knowledge of your client (or audience).
My first piece of advice is, do not take this personally. I did for a while, but now I understand. When writing for a client (or your boss) one has to realize that they already know what the final product should look, sound and feel.
I recently had a client who was put on Sharpie probation. He printed everything out and began “editing” in cryptic symbols and comments. Over time, I began recognizing a pattern in the way he preferred things to sound and his favorite formats.
Every writing assignment or adventure has a destination, however choose your path wisely. Corporate PR writing skills are valuable, yes…however so is my Encyclopedia Brittanica series that has been collecting dust for years. Solid writing principles will always be a cornerstone in the bridge connecting creativity and a purpose.
Professor Batchelor–I will never write something and not give it a title…a valuable lesson
Karen–I would be more than happy to donate some writing samples…
-M.C.