As an “insider” in an organization, you will know some things that simply should not be told to people outside the organization.

Think about your family. There are certain things that family members know that most people outside a family would not know. For example, this information might be medical or financial. The information is not necessarily immoral, illegal or unethical. These things are just not what you would want others to know about your family, and the information may not even be of interest to those outside the family.

It's the same way with organizations. To give out certain information or to talk about certain things about the company is simply not appropriate.

As someone whose job it is to disseminate information, you should be especially aware and sensitive to information that is not appropriate for outsiders to know or information that might be embarrassing or put the organization in a bad light.

The reason I am bringing this up now is that for the writing part of your final exam, you will be asked to write a news release as a public relations person for an organization. The information sheet that you receive for this assignment may contain the kind of insider information that we have just discussed. It will be your job to make sure this information is NOT included in your press release.

Speeches and statements

If you are a PR person in an organization, chances are you are going to have to write a speech or statement for an executive or even for yourself. In doing so you should remember some of the general principles that we learned in writing for broadcast. First, remember that you are writing some that will be read aloud by someone and will be listened to by an audience. What you write should be easy to say and easy to hear.

Remember to avoid silibants and alliteration if they make speaking the words difficult.

Remember, too, the following principles:

• use short, simple sentences; simple language, easily heard and understood;

• use stories and anecdotes; these devices enliven a speech and give listeners a way of visualizing and remembering the main points that you are making;

• use visual or descriptive language

• tip the listener off to what will be said -- this device is especially effective in getting people to listen to you. Saying things like “We’ll talk about that in a minute,” or “There are three important things to remember” gives the audience something to anticipate.

Writing letters

People don’t often associate letter writing with writing for the mass media, but letter writing is very much a function of good public relations. And many letters are sent to more than on recipient. It is often the assignment of the public relations practitioner to draft letters for an executive’s signature.

A well-crafted letter can make a huge difference in a recipient’s life. Not only do letters bring us news -- a scholarship award, acceptance into a program, approval of a credit card, etc. -- but the words and tone of the letter can dictate how we feel about the information, the letter writer and the organization that person represents.

FIRST RULE: Letters, of course, should be technically perfect. No spelling or grammatical errors should survive careful and scrupulous editing. A mistake of this nature is a direct, negative reflection on the person who signs the letter.

When writing a letter, you should carefully consider the following things:

• the purpose of the letter -- why is this letter being written? what INFORMATION do I want to convey? what do I (or the person who is signing the letter) have in mind?

• the recipient -- what the relationship of the person writing the letter and the recipient? how do I want the recipient to feel about the information in the letter?

• position and attitude of the writer and the organization he or she represents.

Tone is very important -- as important as the information in the letter. Any indications of superiority or condescension on the part of the writer will be readily noticed -- and not appreciated -- by the recipient.

Here are some additional writing tips:

• A letter should be a model of good writing -- accurate, complete, efficient and precise.

• It should be friendly yet professional.

• The language should be clear and concrete.

• The letter should use a consistent style (AP style).

• The letter should establish a relationship, some common ground, with the recipient. For instance:

Thank you for your recent letter concerning . . .
I appreciated your recent phone call about . . .
I am happy to know of your interest in . . .
I am sending the material that you requested concerning . . .

• Avoid stiff, tired constructions, such as:

Enclosed herein please find . . .
Pursuant to your letter of 21 May . . .
Concerning our recent phone conversation . . .
As per your request . . .

• Use active rather than passive constructions.

Wrong: It has been decided to award the scholarship . . .
Right: The committee will award the scholarship . . .

• Write in specific, concrete terms; avoid the abstract.

Wrong: Personnel actions for excessive tardiness include
dismissal.
Right: An employee may be fired for being consistently late.

• Give specific information the reader will need.

• Explain the “why” and “how” of something in terms the reader will understand.

• Don’t refer to the internal workings of your organization that the reader may not be familiar with or that may embarrass the organization (see our discussion of appropriateness above).

• If you want the reader to do something, tell him or her specifically what that is, how to do it, and when it should be done

• Use clear language and a logical construction.

• Above all, put yourself in the place of the reader. What does the reader want or need to know?

Memos

Memoranda are an important means of internal communication within an organization -- and that can be vital for the health of the company. Most of us rarely think about how important information is. And yet, companies that do that keep their members properly information can be inefficient and even destructive to their own purposes.

So, writing clear, efficient and informative memos can be a vital function of a public relations practitioner (or any member of the organization). As a PR specialist you may be asked to draft a memo for an organization executive; or you may have your own memos to draft.

In doing so, remember the following:

• Memos can be somewhat more informal than letters because you are likely to know personally the people to whom you are writing.

• Consequently, the common ground that you might need to establish is usually already known. You can get down to the business of conveying information more quickly.

• Memos, like letters, should be written for a specific purpose -- to inform, propose, persuade, or whatever. The writer should have that purpose clearly in mind during the entire time the memo is written.

• Memos should exhibit clarity of thought and logic. After all, these are your colleagues. How do you want them to think about your after they have read your memo?

• The rules of good writing apply -- straightforward language, concrete terms, simple construction, consistent style. You’ve heard all of these things before.

E-mail

One of the newest forms of communication, both within and outside an organization, is e-mail. People like to use e-mail because it is efficient and inexpensive. E-mail is taking the place of messages on a telephone answering machine because of its convenience.

Although thought to be more casual, e-mail in a business setting demands that writers apply certain rules of good communication. Here are some of them:

• Don't assume that the recipient knows what you are talking about. Explain yourself fully but efficiently. More information is better than less.

• Introduce yourself if necessary -- e-mails don't have stationery so it is sometimes difficult to tell where they are coming from. Put yourself in the place of your recipient. Don’t you want to know who is getting in touch with you?

• Use proper, appropriate English. Some people have decided that capitalization, punctuation and grammar rules can be suspended for e-mail. As someone who has pride in every word you write, you should have a different attitude.

• Don’t be too cute with text symbols. The :-) to indicate humor or light-heartedness is widely used, but be careful. Don't insert it inappropriately.

• Sign your name. Make sure it is a full name, not just your e-mail address.

• Make sure your return e-mail address is visible and workable; give other ways to get in touch with you.

News quiz questions

Many of the answers to many of the news quiz questions for lecture on Monday, ----, can be found at Dateline Alabama, the news site of the College of Communication and Information Sciences.