Cornerstones of Communication

Cornerstones of Communication

A former teaching colleague who previously worked as an editor for the Associated Press used to challenge students to name one job where being a better communicator wouldn't be a benefit.  He would let the room stew, throw out some examples (waste management, firefighter, pharmacist) and then let the room stew some more. The reality sunk in as the students thought about this. Communication is about interaction with other people.

If you want to get a job, keep a job, be promoted or even have personal and professional relationships, communication is foundational. It could take the form of networking, public speaking, writing, persuasion, graphic design, group facilitation – and the list goes on. For professional communicators creating strategic messages on behalf of a brand, writing well and maintaining consistency in terms of written and visual style are cornerstones.

We'll look at several ways to proactively strengthen these cornerstones:

• Write
• Read
• Be resourceful and curious
• Stick to a style (Associated Press style is the most widely used among public relations professionals)

Source: Mary Sterenberg, https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/writelikeapro/part/chapter-1-cornerstones-of-communication/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.

Good Writing

Many jobs and industries rely on good writing. Even within the public relations or communication industry, writing responsibilities can vary. You may be writing a news release, a newsletter article or a memo. Maybe you're scripting video shoots, writing speeches, drafting social or advertising content or writing scripts or instructions for the upcoming event you're planning. Strong writing for email also helps you show your professionalism, intelligence and attention to detail.

On the flip side, when you can't write clearly, concisely and quickly, it can cost you – money, time, clients, morale or even a lawsuit. Joseph Kimble, author of Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please, shares 25 case studies of organizations that saved time and money by improving the readability of their content. General Electric rewrote software manuals, and customer calls asking questions plummeted. The U.S. Navy made memos quicker and easier to read, saving officers' time to the tune of $27 to $37 million per year.  Bad writing costs American businesses about $400 billion a year, according to a survey conducted by Josh Bernoff and reported in Daily Beast.

Employers understand the cost of unclear, clunky or otherwise poor writing. And the need for clear writing threads throughout many jobs in communication, whether or not the primary job responsibility appears to be writing.

Heather Whaling is the founder and CEO of Geben Communication, which specializes in traditional and digital public relations. She says, "writing is still the most important skill" in today's digital world. Allie Lehman is the co-founder of The Wonder Jam, which has a strong focus on branding, graphics and photography. Lehman agrees: "it's really important for students to be comfortable with writing".

Employers across many industries value writing, with 54% of employers listing "ability to communicate through writing" as a "very important" skill for college graduates in a survey conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

As famous basketball coach John Wooden said: "When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur".

Writing improves with practice. The more you do something and work at it, the better you get. This is true whether you consider yourself a strong writer at the start, or someone who struggles with writing.

In her book Everybody Writes, Ann Handley makes the argument that "good writing can be learned - the way trigonometry or algebra or balancing a balance sheet is a skill most of us can master".

The boxes below highlight some of the most common writing errors and a few ways to intentionally improve your writing.

Writing Pet Peeves

• Spelling errors
• Supposibly (it's SUPPOSEDLY)
• Affect/effect confusion
• Random capitalization
• Starting sentences with numerals
• Poor sentence structure (run-ons, fragments)
• Incorrect comma use
• Semicolon ignorance

Quick Tips

• Use simple words, short sentences
• Keep it simple by adding visuals
• Challenge 'to be' verbs & use active voice
• Challenge prepositional phrases
• Avoid clichés, overused phrases & jargon
• Trim any other wordiness

Reading, Resourcefulness and Curiosity

I have a confession. I cannot diagram a sentence. If put on the spot and asked to define a dangling modifier, I don't think I could do it. I have two journalism degrees and many years of experience in writing, yet much of my ability to write well boils down to being a shamelessly obsessed reader from early childhood. When I see words on a page, I know when they're right and when they're wrong, even if I can't give a perfect grammatical explanation for why they're wrong.

Reading can teach grammar, but it also gives you insight on different types of writing, different voices and different styles. Read newspapers, blogs, books in many genres, websites, Twitter posts, magazines. Read some things you know you'll like and some things that will stretch you.

Be curious. If you see something new or unfamiliar or interesting, dig a little deeper. Years ago, I was first introduced to QR codes when I kept seeing references to QR Code on Twitter and finally looked up what they were and how they were being used. Now they're an affordable public relations and marketing tool that appears on restaurant table tents, college fliers and even resumes.

In addition to reading and exploring things that pique your curiosity, there are many resources to help novice writers grow and to help expert writers continue to advance. Take advantage of colleagues, mentors, bosses and educators who are willing to review your work and give constructive criticism.

I had the highest respect for a student who told me she pursued a writing-focused internship because she knew writing was a weakness for her and wanted to intentionally focus on improving. It's much easier to seek out positions where you feel like you will shine and make a good impression, but the margin of growth is so much smaller. That student forced herself to spend the summer writing and receiving critiques and edits, and she returned in the fall with drastically improved writing skills.

There are also amazing resources out there as references when you have questions, need edits or just want to explore ways to step up your writing game. They can help whether you're Pulitzer-worthy or not able to recognize a run-on. A few to check out include:

• Grammar Girl. Mignon Fogarty, also known as Grammar Girl, explores many common grammar questions with a fun, easy-to-understand style. Check out her website or social media platforms, or listen in on her podcasts.
• Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. Marketing veteran Ann Handley writes a great book that goes from writing basics to best practices.
• Apps, websites and browser plugins. Do a little digging to see what's out there. Things like Grammarly, which can help check your spelling and grammar, or Hemingway Editor, which focuses on making writing more concise and readable.

Associated Press Style

The majority of journalists and public relations practitioners use AP Style, based on the Associated Press Stylebook. As the foundation for journalistic writing, this style focuses on achieving the best possible accuracy and consistency to make content easily read and understood by readers. This translates to the public relations arena because:

• Adhering to a consistent style improves readability and brand recognition.
• Using AP style gives you a common language with journalists, who often become the mouthpiece for your messages.

Many public relations agencies and corporations interviewing potential employees will require an AP style writing or copyediting test to ensure new hires come in able to write in this style from day one.

Know the Basics

It's worth your time to learn the basics of AP style that will surface again and again in your writing.

• Dates
• Numerals
• Dollars & percents
• Times
• Addresses
• Titles
• Names
• Composition titles
• Abbreviations
• Social media use

There are a few guiding AP style rules to memorize, but keep a hard copy or online version of the book handy for reference when other questions emerge. Like the English language, there are exceptions to many of the rules, but a few of the often-used AP style standards include:

Every word has one and only one spelling.

• Check the stylebook first – then a dictionary. AP style occasionally has "preferred" spellings. (e.g., adviser rather than advisor)

Avoid unnecessary capitalization.

• Far fewer words should be capitalized than you think.
• Always look it up before you capitalize anything other than proper names.

Avoid excessive abbreviation.

• Including an abbreviation in parentheses immediately after a name usually is not necessary.
• In most cases, capitals and periods are not necessary for an abbreviation.
• Some abbreviations are appropriate on all references: FBI for Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Punctuate according to generally accepted rules.

• Major exception: Items in a series. AP style says not to use the
  "Oxford comma" (e.g., The flag is red, white and blue).
• The book is a great reference tool. When in doubt, LOOK IT UP.

In general, spell out zero through nine.

• Many exceptions and contingencies to this rule.
• Look up "numerals" entry in the stylebook.
• Pay attention and memorize.

An updated version of the stylebook is published annually. Some years, the changes are minimal and other years they are more significant. Many times organizations will use AP style as their overarching style but customize specifics such as how to abbreviate the organization's name or whether to capitalize the names of its boards or committees.

Inclusive Storytelling

The 2022-24 edition of the AP Stylebook added a new chapter on "inclusive storytelling". This chapter offer guidance on ensuring accuracy and fairness by:

• giving voice and visibility to those who have been missing/misrepresented
• showing sensitivity about certain words/phrases
• expanding beyond usual sources and story ideas
• including necessary context and background
• striving to recognize and overcome unconscious biases
• using thoughtful and precise language

The chapter expands pronoun guidance (i.e., use of they/them/their) and includes 35 new or revised disabilities-related entries.

Strong writers make accuracy a top priority. Accuracy goes beyond writing in a way that is grammatically correct. It also means choosing words and putting them together in a way that tells the most accurate version of a story.

The Writing Process

The writing process needs to include three steps:

• Plan
• Write
• Edit

The amount of time you spend in each step and how you go about each can vary. Some people like to spend a lot of time planning and save themselves time in the editing process. Others like to brain dump quickly and spend more time revising and reworking. Either can work, but walking through the writing process and hitting every step makes the final writing stronger.

Plan

It can be easy to shortchange this step and jump right into writing, but time spent on strong planning and solid research saves time overall. It makes writing faster and reduces time spent revising.

During the planning process, make sure you're clear why you're writing and what the goal is. Know what you're asking of your reader. Maybe it's just for their attention or maybe it's some type of action, but know what you want from the reader. And be clear how that aligns with larger marketing or business objectives.

This is also the time to make sure you understand your reader. It's important to think about the reader's relationship to your organization and their likely attitude about or potential objections to your message.

Finally, this is when to gather information for what you're writing and get organized. Gather more information than you think you need. Think about quotes, anecdotes, statistics and images. Consider who you can or should ask for information. Check credibility of sources. Test things out and observe.

Write

This book walks you through much of the writing you would do in a professional public relations or communication role. The style of writing varies for each, but the writing should still be sandwiched between time spent planning and then editing.

Edit

Make editing a formal step in your writing process to force yourself to analyze your own writing. Allow time for re-reading and corrections even when you're on a tight timeline. Before you send even a brief email to a colleague, pause and read through it one final time to correct minor spelling or punctuation errors.

I'm not sure I'll ever fully recover from the realization that I (as a writing instructor at the collegiate level) sent a flier home to the families of 600 elementary students inviting them to "Gator Name Night" instead of "Gator Game Night" because I printed before proofreading. When my kindergarten-age son pulled it out of his backpack and pointed out my error, I tried to swallow my horrified shriek to praise his excellent reading skills.

This step in the process is also your opportunity to delete extra content or identify missing content. To double check facts, grammar, Associated Press Style, word choice and tone.

PR Pro Advice

There is no more important skill for candidates at our firm than the ability to write well. Well means succinctly, clearly and correctly, and that is a talent we expect all candidates, regardless of experience, to bring to our team. Every potential Inspire associate takes a five-part writing test that evaluates writing, spelling, editing, strategic thinking and content development. That is our objective measure of every applicant’s ability to succeed in our organization.