Month: October 2012

Two Tips From Long Time Reporter For The Capitol Times

Garth Beyer

I am extremely grateful for the connections I’ve made. They got me to have a great phone conversation with long time political reporter for Madison’s Capitol Times, David Callender.

While I was interviewing him about someone else who I’m writing a profile article on (will present it soon), I happened to get a couple of tips on journalism from him. In fact, he said these were the two most important lessons to know, understand, and carry out in our journalistic lifestyles.

1. There are no dumb questions.

2. Double check your stuff.

They sort of go together. Basically he is asserting that you ask any question, as many times, and in as many ways as possible to make sure you have all the facts.

You don’t have to take my word for it. He’s the one that has 30+ years in journalism.

Getting The Quote

Garth Beyer

A lot of journalists will say that nothing feels better than getting the quote you need within the first few sentences of talking to someone.

You can tell if they are a professional journalist if they continue to say that despite having a quote within the first two minutes, that they continued to talk with their interviewee.

I say that nothing feels better than getting seven exemplary quotes you don’t know what to do with and a handful of tips on life than stopping when you get your quote.

Journalism isn’t only about words on paper, it’s about the connections and relationships you have to people. It’s about growing as a person and making your career and life a learning experience.

Final Words From A PR Veteran

Garth Beyer

This is my final tribute to John Mose. There were two lines that hit home for me and I hope they will for you, regardless of your possible lack of empirical context.

The question many PR Professionals ask themselves is whether it is better to be a wizard on one specific beat, or talented on all areas. It’s the question between generalization and specialization.

“It’s good to be a generalist. Clients change all the time.”

Of course, he does mean that you need to be a specialist generalist. Yes, PR is tricky like that. Get used to it.

His last tip is a motto I’m not entirely sure of. Recently I’ve felt that I don’t write to explain, I write to explore. It’s this exploration, this story, that sells. I suppose it’s similar to John’s last word.

“You don’t want to explain it, you want to sell it.”

PR Specialists Three Choices For Writing

Garth Beyer

1. Persuade: Getting them to side with your idea.

2. Entertain: Taking a fun idea and making them part of it.

3. Be clever: Blowing their minds with genius.

You can bet which one earns you the most recognition and is my personal favorite.

Why We Read: A Pyramid of Life (Information)

Garth Beyer

One reads to argue; grammatically, mechanically, ideologically. If we can’t argue in one or more of these ways, we pick one piece of a whole that we deem incomplete.

The description and detail does not fulfill our expectations. Not that we had them to begin with, but since we can’t argue one of the three ways posed above, we must find some flaw. Thus, we raise our expectations for information until we can deliver that flaw ourselves.

In other words, in order to argue one thing, we must collect one or more others writings that connect with our own thoughts of why the original piece of work is inadequate.

Simplified: We dig in our minds, as well as research, until we can one-up the concept we are arguing.

I read an article on Brain Pickings today that shared parts of Vannevar Bush’s essay’s. Maria Popova, whom I adore but must argue with, stated the following in response to one of the essay’s excerpts. In addition, she had provided this visual.

“To that end, I often think about the architecture of knowledge as a pyramid of sorts — at the base of it, there is all the information available to us; from it, we can generate some form of insight, which we then consolidate into knowledge; at our most optimal, at the top of the pyramid, we’re then able to glean from that knowledge some sort of wisdom about the world, and our place in it, and what matters in it and why.”

I love pyramids, more specifically though, I love BIG pyramids. Pyramids that contain everything available, everything manageable, everything attainable to make it as large and strong as Goliath. Of course, without the idea that a small pebble or a tap of the foot on it would knock it down.

If you haven’t gathered what I’m pointing out here, it is that this pyramid is incomplete. It’s missing a vital piece of human development and understanding. It’s missing, action. See for yourself.

By action, I clearly mean experience.  You can gather all the information possible, develop as much insight as you can, acquire any related knowledge on that subject from others, but you still won’t have wisdom. Simply because wisdom can only be shared through remarkable stories, and remarkable stories only come from experience.

I have added to this pyramid, I have argued against Bush and Popova, and I have strengthened an understanding of such a broad concept. Why we read, then, comes down to the need for progression, the creation of informational dynamics, and the simple fact that there is always room for improvement.

 

Stay Positive & What Do You Have Too Add

Garth E. Beyer

10 Lessons About PR You Won’t Learn In School

Garth Beyer

Last night I was honored to listen to John Mose, Senior Vice-President of Public Relations at Cramer-Krasselt in Milwaukee, give a presentation to PRSSA Madison Chapter. The next few posts will be highlights of the presentation with my own commentary for an added texture.

1. Writing is important. Really.

You can land a position by presenting writing examples. You can get promoted by writing up proposals. You can get honored by writing the best press releases. You can be respected for writing media pitches. You can have the advantage of knowing what writers want to write about by being one yourself. Writing is everything.

2. Clients care about details.

You can skip the details when you are writing a plan out because you know them. You can skip the details when you pitch to your boss because your boss knows that you know them. You can’t skip the details when you pitch to your client because regardless of any title or background you have, your client won’t care. They want the details.

3. Understand and consume media. Read!

If you’re like me, reading all the articles in a newspaper is hard. The idea of opening a magazine to have my eyes blasted with absurd and uninformative ads repulses me. One word: literature. Other than that, I love reading articles online, but my eyes can only stand looking at the screen for so long. I’ve written about adaptation and this is when you have to get used to consuming all that you can. I’m making progress, you can too/need to.

4. At an agency, you are the product on shelf.

“Companies don’t cut the product that makes money.” – John Mose

5. PR can’t solve everything.

I’m leaving this up for debate. I have yet to meet a PR Professional other than John to say this. PR Specialists – being one myself – live by the adage If there is a will, there is a way.

6. Better to be fast than perfect.

My spin off of this that I have tweeted a few times, and rarely do I ever tweet something twice, is Be first, but be right first.

7. Be ready to sell some aluminum siding.

Similar to the next lesson; you never know what you may have to sell.

8. Know difference between a good-looking horse trough and an ugly one. You have to go out and be, do, or buy some crazy things.

You never know what you may have to do.

9. It’s okay to have non-traditional experience if you can make it interesting.

Took a year off? No problem, make the reason why fascinate me. Spent that last six years working a job that has no respective value? No problem, find and share what value it did hold. Every topic that you believe will work against you on your pursuit of becoming a PR Specialist, find how to make it interesting.

10. Study something else.

It’s time to confess something to you.

Everything you have read so far on this blog has come from experience, self-learning, or books and classes that are not directed at PR. I have to say that any and all future posts will be of the same context.

John advocates that you study something else, something you are passionate about, because the real world is the education center for PR. I couldn’t agree more.

(HT to John Mose)