Ann's Most Popular Training Modules

Boost your team's writing, editing and information-packaging skills with these training programs

• Writing that Sells
• Planning Powerful Publications
• Advanced PR Writing
• Reaching Readers Online

Writing that Sells

• Think Like a Reader. What's the secret to writing copy that gets read? Understanding how the reader decides what to read — and what to toss
• Go Beyond the Inverted Pyramid. The traditional story structure has taken a beating in recent readership studies. Have your writers mastered an effective alternative?
• Start Making Sense. How to get the gobbledygook, businessese, technobabble, jargon and other gibberish out of your copy
• Cut Through the Clutter. Master a seven-step system for making every piece you write easier to read and understand
• Master the Art of the Storyteller. Put the single most powerful form of human communication to work in your next piece
• Make Your Copy More Creative. Steal techniques from fiction writers to make your nonfiction writing more dramatic and compelling
• Play With Your Words. Spice up your headlines, leads and sound bites with wordplay
• Make It Meaningful with Metaphor. How to make new, difficult or complicated information easier to understand through analogy
• Take the 'Numb' Out of Numbers. How to make statistics more interesting and accessible
• Writing Workout. Exercise your writing skills in this hands-on practice session

Planning Powerful Publications

• Rev Up Readership. How to draw people into your copy, make your copy more accessible — even reach "readers" who won't read
• Rewrap the Banana. Get inspired! These fresh editorial formats will transform your publication from lackluster to electrifying
• Open the Creativity Toolbox. Break creative blocks, harness your muse and come up with out-of-the-box ideas

Advanced PR Writing

• Anatomy of a Press Release, Pitch and E-mailed Pitch. Are your press materials among the 3 percent to 45 percent that actually work?
• Think Like a Reporter. Make your copy more relevant to your reporters — and your reporters' readers

Reaching Readers Online

• Write for the Web. Six steps to creating copy that gets the word out on the Web
• Little Things Mean a Lot. How to write microcontent that gets the word out on the Web

Need to sell your training program to management? Check out our white paper, "Why Invest in Training?"

Think Like a Reader

What's the secret to writing copy that gets read? Understanding how the reader decides what to read — and what to toss

One to two modules

Each day, your readers are bombarded with more than 3,000 pieces of information. That's more than a million messages a year.

In this environment, avoiding information — throwing it away — is literally a survival strategy.

So how can you write copy that gets read instead of copy that winds up in the trash?

To reach your readers — to make sure your communication is among that tiny sliver of information your readers will actually read — you have to think like a reader.

The secret to thinking like a reader is a simple four-step process that makes your information more relevant, valuable and rewarding to your readers. In this session, you and your team will master that process. Specifically, you'll learn:

• The formula readers use to determine what to read — and what to throw away
• Two rewards of reading that you can tap to boost reader interest in your story
• The No. 1 question your readers want answered
• How to convince more people to read your copy with a two-minute perspective shift
• A simple translation process that pushes reader benefits to the top of your message
• A three-letter word that can focus your copy on the relevance to the reader

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Go Beyond the Inverted Pyramid

How to organize even the most complex material into a piece that’s easier to read — and write

One to two modules

Writers say, "We use the inverted pyramid because readers stop reading after the first paragraph."

Readers say, "We stop reading after the first paragraph because writers use the inverted pyramid."

Our old friend the inverted pyramid hasn't fared well in recent readability studies. Inverted-pyramid stories "do not work well with readers" and "do not justify their predominance in today's newspapers," according to new studies by The Readership Institute, the American Society of Newspaper Editors and The Poynter Institute.

Specifically, inverted-pyramid stories:

• Score low in readership and understanding
• Make a mediocre showing in "involvement," or whether the story made readers care about the news
• Are the least effective story structures at pulling readers across the jump
• "Get more boring as the reader reads down," according to the American Society of Newspaper Editors and The Poynter Institute

There are still times when the inverted pyramid is the best choice for a story. But writers must also master a structure that works when the inverted pyramid doesn't.

In this session, we'll study a structure that, according to The Readership Institute, can increase reader satisfaction, boost the amount of time readers spend with a publication and help readers understand information more easily. You'll learn:

• A system for organizing copy so it grabs your readers' attention, keeps it for the long haul and leaves a lasting impression
• The CCP approach to writing a great lead
• Seven lead techniques that work
• Five lead devices to avoid that could convince your readers to skip your story
• How to avoid bewildering your readers by leaving out an essential paragraph. (Alas, many communicators forget it)
• Five ways to avoid the "muddle in the middle," where communicators often dump the material they don't use in the lead or ending
• A three-step test for ending with a bang
• How to move from simply delivering news to a structure that's designed to engage and persuade
• A special chart to help you format your copy in minutes
• Beyond beginning, middle and end: seven essential ingredients for good copy

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Start Making Sense

How to get the gobbledygook, businessese, technobabble, jargon and other gibberish out of your copy

One module

"Bad terminology is the enemy of good thinking."

 

— Warren Buffett,

CEO,

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Jargon. Buzzwords. Acronyms. They're things that make your reader go "huh?" And we need to get them out of our copy.

Jargon makes your copy longer, irritates your reader and demonstrates your lack of knowledge about the topic. It may even suggest that your company is in trouble. No wonder readers are staging a "buzzword backlash."

In this environment, the best communicators are translators. This program will help you translate the language of your organizations into the language of your readers. Specifically, you'll learn:

• How to determine when to use jargon to streamline communication — and when to avoid it at all costs
• How your 12-year-old can help make your copy more comprehensible
• A B2B test you can use to determine which terms to use when pitching to trade publications
• Three ways to define terms — and the one way to make unfamiliar language most accessible to your readers
• Techniques to steal from Warren Buffett to make complex financial information — as well as other technical terms — easier to understand
• Plus: more tips for translating jargon

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Cut Through the Clutter

How to make the very next piece you write easier to read and understand

One to three modules

Is your copy easy to read?

According to communication experts, that's one of the two key questions people ask to determine whether to read a piece — or whether to toss it.

Fortunately, academics have tested and quantified what makes copy easy to read. Unfortunately, that research virtually never makes it out of the ivory tower and into the hands of writers who could actually apply it. But you and your colleagues will leave this session with "the numbers" you need to test your own copy for ease of readership.

In this workshop, you'll learn to reduce the effort required to read your copy with a system for making your copy clearer and more concise. Specifically, you'll learn:

• How to edit by the numbers: How long should your paragraphs be? Your sentences? Your words?
• Three ways to shorten your copy — and which is the most effective way
• How to cut your copy before you’ve even written the first word
• A "funnel system" you can use to makes the editing process more efficient and effective
• How to avoid a reader backlash that could be causing people to toss your copy without reading it
• Techniques for solving the "visual duration-sensing apparatus" problem
• An easy approach for making your copy more conversational
• How to use the word-count function to make your copy easier to read
• A one-minute sentence sharpener: How to search and destroy noun phrases
• Mark Twain’s priceless advice for handling adjectives
• How to identify the passive voice — and how to eliminate those slow, bulky, bureaucratic sentences
• What you can learn from readership studies to help readers comprehend your copy

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Master the Art of the Storyteller

Put the most powerful form of human communication to work in your very next piece

One to four modules

Storytelling is "the most powerful form of human communication," according to Peg Neuhauser, author of Corporate Legends and Lore.

Indeed, stories can help you:

• Get and keep reader attention
• Enhance credibility
• Improve readership
• Help people remember your message longer
• Communicate better
• Create a "buzz" for your message
• Bring your mission, vision and values to life
• Build and nurture a corporate culture
• Polish your leadership image
• Sell products, services and ideas

In this workshop, you and your colleagues can learn to put this power tool to work in your very next piece. You'll learn:

• How to get people to bring you their stories
• The best place to start an anecdote — and the worst place
• Five places to look for stories
• How to reframe the five journalistic W's — who, what, when, where, why and how — to tell a story instead of just cranking out another boring inverted pyramid structure
• A quick, easy-to-remember template for building an anecdote
• How to get the information you need to craft an attention-grabbing narrative
• The secret to organizing your material into a powerful story
• Five essential elements every narrative needs
• The key benefits of storytelling. (Use this list to sell your management on the importance of using anecdotes and narrative pieces)
• The key question to ask during an interview to elicit juicy anecdotes
• How "WBHA" can help you find anecdotes in the making
• Secrets of stand-up comedians that will help you craft a punch line that surprises and delights your readers

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Make Your Copy More Creative

Techniques to steal from fiction writers to make your nonfiction copy more dramatic and compelling

One to three modules

This ain't fluff. Creative material:

• Grabs reader attention, keeps it for the long haul and leaves a lasting impression
• Paints pictures in your readers' minds so they understand your story faster, enjoy it more and remember it longer
• Communicates more clearly, builds reader loyalty, creates a "buzz" for your topic — even enhances credibility

In this session, you’ll learn literary techniques that will make your nonfiction copy as creative and compelling as the latest Tom Clancy novel. Specifically, you’ll learn:

• Seven essential benefits of creative copy. (Use these to sell your story up the approval chain)
• A concrete-creative connection that will make even the most tired topic more colorful and compelling
• How to write like a roller coaster to increase meaning and interest
• A red pen-yellow highlighter test you can use to make sure your copy is rich with solid facts
• How to bring your story to life with the “who factor”
• How to avoid the talking-head syndrome: five techniques for using quotes to add color, change the pace and support your points
• The travel writer’s secret for improving your descriptive skills
• A simple technique to make brainstorming more effective
• How to communicate instead of decorate: a five-step strategy for writing description that enhances your message instead of burying it
• How to go beyond twist of phrase: expand your wordplay to surprise and delight your reader
• How to get a fresh spin on clichés
• A four-step process for coming up with a creative metaphor
• A fill-in-the-blanks template you can use to write your next metaphor
• How to make big numbers and complex ideas easier to understand with a special device. (And you thought it was just for poets!)
• How to give your copy color and interest through “WBHA”
• Three ways to find better anecdotes
• The question that will get your source to share a story
• Five elements you must include in your very next anecdote
• The stand-up comedians’ secrets to punching out your punch line
• A simple template for crafting an effective story

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Play With Your Words

Spice up your headlines, leads and sound bites with wordplay

"I once held the title of World’s Most Boring Headline Writer. I thought my standard headline writing solution – adding "ing" to verbs – was just fine, thank you. Then Ann gave me a process that greatly improved my approach to both attention-grabbing headlines and decks. My clients and I thank her for it!"

 

— Mary Ann Luther,

award-winning freelance writer

One module

Wordplay can help you captivate your readers, get the media to steal your sound bites and make your messages more eloquent and memorable.

Alas, most writers stick with just a handful of rhetorical tools. But the more rhetorical devices you master, the more sophisticated and satisfying your copy will be. In this session, you’ll learn how to spice up your headlines, leads and sound bites with unexpected forms of wordplay. Specifically, you'll learn how to:

• Make your copy more creative and engaging by diversifying your wordplay — from "anaphora" to "zeugma"
• Use a simple, five-step process for twisting a phrase
• Add layers of meaning to your subject through etymological research
• Write the best headline of your life by working your word tools. This process combines research and wordplay to easily develop surprising plays on words
• Change the pulse and beat of your piece with three techniques for creating rhythm in your copy
• Find phrases to twist
• Make your copy instantly eloquent through auditory devices
• Avoid groaners and come up with more sophisticated wordplay
• Plus: Get more than a dozen resources for playing with your words

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Make It Meaningful with Metaphor

How to make new, difficult or complicated information easier to understand through analogy

One module

How can writers make new, technical or complicated information easier to understand?

Through metaphor.

Metaphors are workhorses of communication. That's because human beings have always learned metaphorically. People add to their knowledge by comparing new concepts to something they already know. Communicators can help their audiences understand new information by using the same device.

In this workshop, you and your colleagues will learn to make your material more meaningful through metaphor. Specifically, you'll learn how to:

• Take the “numb” out of numbers: Develop analogies that help your readers understand your statistics
• Cut the clichés out of your copy with a creative substitute
• Make your points more creatively
• Make complex concepts easier to comprehend
• Get an analogy during an interview with one simple question
• Use a four-step process for developing a creative metaphor
• Write a fascinating metaphor easily with a simple fill-in-the-blanks formula
• Find the raw data you need to make numerical comparisons
• Avoid metaphor don'ts

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Take the 'Numb' Out of Numbers

How to make statistics more interesting and accessible

One module

“Numbers without context, especially large ones with many zeros trailing behind, are about as intelligible as vowels without consonants.”

 

— Daniel Okrent,
The New York Times ombudsman

Numbers can numb your audience members. Instead of making their eyes glaze over, find out how to make numbers compelling and understandable.

You’ll learn:

• Links to Websites that do the math for you. Never have to calculate percentage change again!
• How to make numbers emotional
• A technique to use to help readers understand, say, what $1.25 billion is like
• How to avoid a data dump
• How to choose between bar, line or pie charts
• Tricks for making charts easier to understand
• How to help readers “see” big numbers

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Writing Workout

Exercise your writing skills in this hands-on practice session

One to four modules

This workshop gives your participants a chance to practice the skills they've learned in intense drills and in-depth exercises.

The contents of the Writing Workout can vary based on your training objectives, but your team members might:

• Test and edit their copy to measurably improve readability
• Create metaphors to make technical topics easier to understand
• Reposition their articles in their readers' best interest
• Write headlines, decks, subheads and other display copy to get the word out to flippers and skimmers

Depending on class size, Ann can look over participants' shoulders to answer questions, offer suggestions and provide quick coaching when someone needs help.

The Writing Workout requires previous attendance in Ann's programs. But if your group needs a "warm up" before getting to the exercises, we can handle that by building some extra time into the program.

Note: Some exercises require access to laptops and to the Internet.

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Rev Up Readership

How to draw people into your copy, make your copy more accessible to your audience — even reach "readers" who won't read

One module

Americans are bombarded with 3,000 messages a day — more than a million messages a year. For writers, editors and other communicators, the challenge is overcoming that information overload to reach your readers.

In this program, you and your colleagues will learn how to use your presentation copy — headlines, decks, subheads, captions and callouts — to pull readers into your copy, make your piece more inviting and communicate to flippers and skimmers. Specifically, you'll learn:

• A three-step system for communicating to the segment of your "readers" who spend only 30 seconds to three minutes with your piece
• How to create a headline package that captures your readers' attention and sells them on the story
• An emerging technique for creative headlines. (Jump on it now while it's still fresh!)
• How to apply the formula your readers use to determine whether to read something — or toss it in the trash
• How to determine when your headline is too long
• The presentation element that many communicators drop — and why to make sure you include it in every piece
• Three types of headline packages — and how to choose the right one for your story
• How to use a dollar bill to make your copy more reader friendly
• Headline foibles to avoid
• How to use layers of information to get the word out to nonreaders

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Rewrap the Banana

Get inspired! These fresh editorial formats will transform your publication from lackluster to electrifying

One module

Blah, blah, blah. Is your magazine, newsletter or brochure more likely to bore your readers than to engage them? Entertain readers as you inform them with these fresh editorial formats. You'll learn how to:

• Use the "menu" approach to create a satisfying issue flow. (Find out whether you're serving your readers a doggie bag for dessert)
• End with a bang instead of a whimper: Use the 80/20 formula for analyzing your back page
• Gain interest and credibility by using the "Peer Principle of Persuasion" in your next publication
• Model the masters: Get inspiration from Men's Health, The Mayo Clinic and other world-class communications
• Go beyond paragraphs to communicate to "readers" who don't want to read
• Use soap operas, makeovers and game shows in your publication to hook readers who are tired of the same old "10 tips" format
• Make complex information more easily understandable with conversation trees, anatomies and step-by-step graphics

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Open the Creativity Toolbox

Modify, minimize, reverse, rearrange and otherwise play with information to find a creative twist for the same old story

Two modules

Ever feel as if you're covering the same old subjects over and over again? No matter how talented and hardworking you are, you have to ask,"If I'm getting bored, could my audience be, too?"

In this session, you'll learn how to break creative blocks, harness your muse and come up with out-of-the-box approaches for the same old story. Specifically, you'll learn how to:

• Avoid writer's block, procrastination and editorial ruts by mastering a five-step creative process
• Use the Creativity Matrix to reverse, transpose and otherwise play with information to generate new ideas
• Rethink the who, what, when, where and why to totally transform your copy
• Find a trendy take on a tedious topic
• Use graphic novels, visual comparisons and other techniques to grab the attention of "readers" who don't want to read
• Develop fresh approaches for opinion pieces
• Get the right people in your brainstorming meetings to generate out-of-the-box ideas
• Decide what time of day is most productive for focusing on creative pursuits

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Anatomy of a Press Release, Pitch and E-mailed Pitch

Are your press materials among the 3 percent to 45 percent that actually work?

One to three modules

"One tip I learned from Ann has enhanced the interest of the media at least threefold."

 

— Carl Walton,

U.S. Postal Service

Depending on which study you look at, only 3 percent to 45 percent of all news releases sent to media outlets are ever used, according to Dennis L. Wilcox and Lawrence W. Nolte's Public Relations Writing & Media Techniques.

No wonder!

Most press releases written today are old-fashioned, formulaic and dull.

So how can you create press releases and other media materials that are among the 3 percent to 45 percent that actually get the word out?

In this program, you and your colleagues will learn how to put together winning media materials. You'll walk away with checklists you can use to make sure your pitches and releases include everything they need to include — in the right order, using the most effective approach — without including too much. And you'll leave with formats, do's and don'ts and rules of thumb for effective PR writing based on the latest research. They didn't teach you this in PR 101!

Specifically, you'll learn:

• Three types of headline approaches to choose from — including two that may surprise you
• Why the traditional news release lead might hurt your chances of getting good coverage
• The secret to getting your story into Forbes
• How to write the ultimate evergreen release that has an almost limitless shelf life
• What kind of stories more than half of business-to-business editors are looking for. (This probably isn't what you're sending them!)
• Six tips for writing a better headline
• The most important word in your headline and how to make sure you're not burying it
• How long your headline should be to communicate your point at a glance
• Six tips for writing a better deck
• Two old-fashioned, unsophisticated, formulaic lead approaches to avoid. (Chances are, you've used one of them this week)
• The two W's every reporter wants to know — and how to put them where they'll do the most good in a news lead
• A simple sentence to add to your lead that will demonstrate the value of your information to the reporter's readers
• The magic number: How long should your lead be to entice an overloaded editor?
• A quick test to run on your release to make your information more credible and interesting
• Five tips for writing better quotes
• Techniques for writing engaging sound bites to make the reporter want to call the subject matter expert for an interview
• Ten tips for making your e-mailed releases more effective
• How to write a subject line that gets your e-mailed release opened
• A tool for staying out of the media outlet's spam filter. (Your release can't get the word out if it can't make it into your media contact's in-box!)
• How to put your pitch among the 41 percent of pitches that are considered good by news professionals
• A quick test to run on your pitch to make sure it's not so long that it will make the reporter's eyes glaze over
• How to pitch to a BlackBerry

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Think Like a Reporter

Make your copy more relevant to your reporters — and to your reporters' readers

One to two modules

Two-thirds of editors surveyed by Thomas Rankin Associates said that fewer than half the releases they receive are relevant to their publication. No wonder most news releases wind up in the trash!

In this session, you'll learn how to make your pitch or release more relevant to your media contacts — and to your media contact's audience members. You'll learn how to:

• Use a four-step process to make your story idea more important, valuable and rewarding to the media's audiences
• Make a two-minute perspective shift that will increase the chance that the editor will run your story
• Go beyond "new and improved": Find out what editors are really looking for in your release
• Demonstrate reader benefits in your material by making your copy F-A-B
• Nudge your material closer to the media's interest by answering the audience's question: "WIITM?"
• The formula your media contact's audience uses to determine what to read — and what to throw away
• Two rewards of reading you can tap to boost interest in your story
• The No. 1 question the reporter wants answered
• A three-letter word that can focus your copy on the relevance to the reporter's reader

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Write for the Web

Six steps to creating copy that clicks

Two modules

"A great course for virtually every level of Web writer from beginner to expert."

 

— Jill Stueck,

corporate affairs director,

AT&T

When reading on the screen, your audience members suffer physical ailments ranging from double vision to nausea to difficulty thinking. No wonder people avoid reading online!

If you want to write Web copy that overcomes the obstacles of online reading and really gets the word out on the Web, this workshop is for you. You'll learn a six-step process for making copy more readable and engaging on the Web. Specifically, you'll learn how to:

• Increase the usability of your copy by 124 percent with three simple steps
• Overcome the obstacles of reading on the screen
• Create Web copy that works with, not against, readers' natural online reading habits
• Use the One-Beat Test to make sure your copy gets to the point fast enough
• Put the "hot stuff" where it will do the most good. (Note: Even the experts often get this wrong)
• Go beyond WWWWWH to include the two elements that really need to go into an online lead
• Use a quick test to avoid slowing down the lead paragraph
• Determine how long your Web page should be. (Beware: Many page-length recommendations are based on outdated research)
• Apply the 30-3-30-3 rule to give online readers what they're looking for
• Chunk your copy instead of chopping it — and irritating the reader
• How to get your point across — even to people who will not read your text
• Run a skim test to make sure your online copy is scannable enough
• Use a test to ensure that you're not irritating your readers with too much fluff
• Apply a quick check to make sure your copy is conversational enough
• Develop a voice for your online communications. (Hint: It should "sound" different from your print materials)

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Little Things Mean a Lot

How to write microcontent that gets the word out on the Web

One module

"For a company with 10,000 employees, the cost of a poorly written headline on an intranet home page is almost $5,000."

 

— Jakob Nielsen,

Nielsen Norman Group

Have you ever received a search result that read as gobbledygook? Do you have any bookmarks that read "Untitled Page"? Have you ever tried to figure out which link to click in an index listing "Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3"?

If so, you've been a victim of poorly written microcontent — or the headlines, decks, subheads and other "small" pieces of Web copy that actually do most of the communicating online. In this module, you'll learn how to write microcontent to communicate to — instead of discombobulate — your readers. Specifically, you'll learn how to:

• Make sure your Web visitors get the gist of the story, even if they don't read the text
• Edit by the numbers. How long should your headlines be? Your page titles? Your decks?
• Pass a 30-second test to ensure that your copy is broken into readable chunks
• Write microcontent that's easy to understand no matter where it shows up. (After all, if they can't figure out what it means, chances are, they won't click)
• Apply six elements of good microcontent
• Take advantage of the key element on your page that 95 percent of visitors read. (Hint: You may now be leaving it off your Web page altogether)
• Write links and buttons that get clicked
• Apply four steps to formatting indexes for readability
• Use five tips for writing a more effective subject line for your e-mailed communications

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Want to help your team members polish their skills? Bring a Wylie Communications Inc. writing workshop to your workplace or conference. Contact Ann Wylie for details.