writing across communication: an introduction to writing

An Introduction To Writing

Writing Across Communication Richard Becker, Copywrite, Ink. at

the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

What is writing?



It depends on who you ask.



Walter Lippmann It’s an opportunity “to tell the truth and shame the devil.”



Edward Bernays It’s “the intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses.”



Stuart Ewen It’s “a battle for what is reality and how people see and understand reality.”



Scott Cutlipp It’s a tool for “mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics.”



Shirley Polykoff It’s a “direct conversation with the consumer.”



Stephen King It’s “the truth inside the lie.”



Jon Buscall It’s “a commitment, not a campaign.”



Writing is all these things.



It is the process by which we translate our desired perception of objective and conceptual realities into

a form that others may see, adopt, and act upon.



And that is very, very important.



We are the only creatures on the planet that can form flexible and scalable cooperatives based upon

abstract concepts and public opinions — our desired perception of objective and conceptual realities.



Cooperative Capacity.Scalable.

Flexible.



Desired Perception.Objective.

Conceptual.



It has always been this way.



It will always be this way.



The only change that has ever taken place in historyis the speed in which we deliver it, the number of people we may reach, and the method they prefer to receive it.





This class.This class is designed to provide students with an understanding of how writing can be applied across communication — disciplines such as journalism, public relations, content marketing, advertising, and multimodal interaction — with an expressed intent to translate defined objective and conceptual realities to select recipients so they may see, understand, discuss, adopt, and take action; and the ethical implications of this skill.



• The impact and cost of careless errors.• The misconception of spell check.• Editing techniques and proofing marks.• The most common errors made daily.• Striving for clarity for your readership.• Writing with style and universal ideas.• Organizational elements and structure.

Writing & Editing.2



Journalism.3 • Defining news as an objective journalist.

• Interviewing, research, and story development.• Writing news stories, columns, and features.• Investigative reporting and real time coverage.• Migrating from print to multimedia formats.• Understanding the role and responsibility.• Recognizing the current crisis in journalism.



Public Relations.4 • Defining news within an organization.

• Understanding news release purpose.• The traditional news release format.• The evolution of the news release.• Alerts, statements, and distribution.• Measuring the effectiveness of a release.• Planning for long-term media relations.



Crisis Communication.5 • Communication during a crisis.

• Simplifying the communication process.• Conducting a situational analysis.• Managing and minimizing bad news.• Identifying and responding to questions.• Collecting feedback and contingency plans.• Preparing or appearing as a spokesperson.



• Strategic planning and customer research.• Nurturing specialized skills and abilities.• Developing content that really matters.• Keeping pace with new technologies.• Applying creative writing and design.• Managing distribution and promotion.• Tracking realistic objectives and trends.

Content Marketing.6



Advertising.7 • Advertising and integrated marketing.

• Nine rules for effective advertising.• Speaking to the person across the table.• Finding inspiration and creative ideas.• Writing for print, radio and television.• Looking for product points and contrasts.• Determining the intent of advertising.



Immersion.8

• Understanding multimodal interaction.• Adopting future technology and trends.• Aligning multiple customer touch points.• Reinforcing reputation and brand value.• Remaining confident without control.• Becoming an integral part of the product.• Recognizing the real ethical implications.

Additional Resources.

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Richard R. Becker, ABCRichard Becker (Rich) is an American writer, educator, and creative strategist. He holds several executive and board positions, and is best known for his position as president of Copywrite, Ink., a strategic communication firm with experience on more than 1,000 accounts. He has taught writing, marketing, public relations, and communication classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for almost two decades. He occasionally accepts invitations to appear as a guest speaker and private educator.

richardrbecker.com



http://www.richardrbecker.com