Writing with Style and Substance

Writing with Style and Substance Sue Robinson & Marilyn J. Shaw Institute on PhilanthropyUniversity of Richmond June 2011

Purpose & Agenda • Your name, affiliation, type of writing you do and ONE key takeaway from the class? • About the class: Style and Substance • Our approach: Your real work, our feedback, collaborative learning. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Writing as a Process • For some, writing is a joy that’s work too. For some it’s more work, less joy. • Writing is about writing AND revising. • Know yourself: Strengths vary. • Writing as a 10-step process. • Brief video http://vimeo.com/11840931 (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

The 10 Steps 1. KNOWING YOUR MOTIVATION 2. COLLECTING IDEAS/IMPRESSIONS 3. ORGANIZING 4. DRAFTING 5. SELF EDITING These five stages generally occur and usually in this order. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

The 10 Steps 6. REVISING AND EDITING 7. CHECKING THE MECHANICS 8. SHARING FOR RESPONSE 9. PREPARING THE FINAL COPY 10. PRESENTING/PUBLISHING These steps may not always occur or occur in this order and some may be repeated. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Step 1: Motivation • Often called “pre-writing,” this is one of the most important steps. • Knowing your purpose and audience eases the way later. • Give yourself time to think. You’ll save time and energy in rewriting and false starts. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

What Motivates You to Write? Discussion: Think of the types of writing you, your colleagues and your organizations produce. • What are the purposes and audiences? • Do you write differently for different people? Different mediums? (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

MOTIVATION • Unless we’re poets or novelists, essayists or journal writers, we write for a reason that goes beyond art or self-expression or self-knowledge: To communicate with others. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Communicating Your Brand • A few thoughts on brand, messages and marketing. • “Marketing” not a term I particularly like. Selling higher education or social services or a good cause is not trivial like selling a new flavor of toothpaste. I actually prefer terms like “positioning,” or “image” or “reputation” management. But, whatever you call it, most of us who write for organizations do “marketing.” (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Positioning • Positioning is the act of placing your organization/cause/need in the mind of the prospective client/customer/supporter. • Competitive positioning is developing and communicating powerful and meaningful differences – or better still, focusing on your leadership role in the marketplace – between your offerings and those of the competition. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Keep Your Brand in Mind • “Brand” is “position” or “reputation.” It is the gut feeling people have about your organization. It is what people value about your organization. • EVERY piece of communication represents that brand. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Focus on What Matters • Differentiation is no longer enough. Old School “marketing” lingo tells us to position in a niche/difference of product, price, place or through promotion. It is a process. • Your brand strategy should establish market leadership. Tie it to mission. • Focus is critical. Pick your points. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Great Writing Cannot Do It All • No matter how thoughtful and clear you write, you cannot compensate for bad ideas or bad marketing. Marketing is the act of creating, communication and delivering value. Value CREATION always comes before communication. (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Targeting Your Audience (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Picture Your Audience Your target audience are the individuals, groups, communities and bodies of decision-makers who can influence your target. Your target is the individual or individuals who have direct decision-making power over the issue your organization is working to address. – The Spin Project (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Audience Examples — Internal & External (Define for your own org) • Alumni • Current/former parent • Grateful client/patient • Donor • Board member • Volunteer • Subscriber • Ticket buyer • Event participant • Requests for information • Colleagues • Potential employee • Other? (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Individual Exercise (10 min.) • What’s your motivation? What is the desired response? Are any of those responses measurable? • Who are your primary and secondary audiences? What do you know about them and how does that shape your approach? (c) Well Put LLC and Robinson & Assoc LLC

Writing with Style and Substance