We're all busy and juggle many responsibilities. However, that does not excuse poor communication.
When I was a junior in college, I took a class on interpersonal communication skills. Part of the Communication and Media Studies major was learning about all different avenues of communication. I took many classes in conflict resolution, public relations, marketing, persuasive communication, and mass media. However, one of the lessons that has always stayed with me is the 7 C's of Communication. In this blog, I want to break down all 7 and explain how they relate to the world of journalism.
1. Clear
Clear communication is a big key in a working relationship between editor and journalist. When I send my writing staff ideas that I'd like them to write about, I often describe the angle of the story that I am looking for. With some stories, we focus on the history of the program or business, but with others, there might be a specific thing about the source that the interviewer may not know. Make sure to guide your writers on what you are looking for in any story they take on. Writers are not mind readers.
2. Concise
I hate having to write long emails and hold my writers hands. If you are new to the field, I can help you, but I am not going to do the work for you. I will briefly explain the assignment to you and give you an idea of what I am looking for, but your job as the writer is to flush out the story. I should not have to have all the facts and do all the research. Always remember to be honest if you don't think you can handle the assignment, but offer a brief explanation of why you can't explain it. I need to make sure the story is done and accounted for and I don't have time for a 45 minute phone call about why you can't do it.
3. Concrete
This should go without saying, be specific in your articles. The more descriptive and visual you can be with an article, the better. When you write, you want to be able to put the reader in the story. They should be able to imagine what the scene looks like, smells like, what the food tastes like, what the subject is hearing and what they are touching or holding onto. Think of your favorite book. Why is it your favorite book? Most times, people love their favorite book because it transported them to the world where the book was taking place. If you as the reader can live it, the writer can write the article so that you can feel like you were right there as the event happened.
4. Correct
This is always a big one, at least from the editor perspective. I always appreciate my writers who hand in clean copy. As the writer, I depend on you to fact check your sources, know the difference between a reliable source and an unreliable source. Of course, no article is going to be perfect. Even as an editor, many of the things I write are not 100% clean and someone always catches a typo here or there. However, do your best to turn in the absolute cleanest copy that you can and I guarantee that you will have a happy editor.
5. Coherent
Flow of a story is so important to how the reader consumes what you've written. One of my favorite ways to describe this is the pyramid method. You'll always want to start out a story with the what, who, where, when, and why. You can always flush out all the other details in the article. The lede and headline are two of the most important things when it comes to writing. These are the hook of your article and if people aren't drawn to what you have to say in the first two sentences, you'll likely lose them and they won't read the remainder of your story.
6. Complete
One of the most frustrating things I've ever experienced as an editor is when stories are submitted half written. If you are writing something, please make sure that when you proofread your content that you have finalized everything. While I do understand that certain times, events that you can't predict and life happens, but do everything in your power to turn in a complete article. If you need help, ask!
7. Courteous
At the end of the day, help is always available. As an editor, I appreciate when people are honest if they feel like they are in over their head. We're all human and we all need help sometimes. It's perfectly okay to ask for it.
The biggest thing that I love to help people other understand is that communication is so important. Pay attention to what others are also not saying. Observe body language, check facial expressions, people give away a lot of information with what they are saying non-verbally. Overall, use your voice!
Signing off,
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