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David Ogilvy was thinking about the advertising business when he wrote this, but many local government communications officers will recognise the sentiments. They fight constantly and sometimes heroically to keep jargon out of their council publications.
Taking out the jargon helps, but it is not enough to make a story readable. We are often asking readers to swallow unappetising lumps of information – and if we are to have any hope of genuinely communicating we have to work hard on the writing.
Many editors seem to struggle with writing style. Their stories are informative, sometimes in exhaustive detail, but they make little attempt to sugar the pill. I found a council magazine story that began: “It should go without saying that the services we provide correspond to those issues, problems and aspirations to life in our borough”. I cannot imagine anyone reading beyond this opening. This kind of writing turns off almost everyone, and three groups in particular: - The less well educated
- Under-35s
- Those of all ages and reading levels who are “too busy to read anything heavy”
These groups generally demand a popular, simplified style of writing, short articles and material that is obviously useful to them. In my view, council newspapers and magazines should adopt the style of a consumer magazine. As a template, Which? is unbeatable. A popular approach to research and writing can be summed up in these five tips: - Keep it short – 200 words maximum for the lead story, fewer for the others
- If you must have a long article break it up into separate elements, each with a catchy headline and intro
- Look at it from the reader’s point of view – and start with the angle most likely to be relevant
- Try not to mention the council in the intro; it’s a turn-off
- Do your best to find a human interest line – eg what this issue means to a typical family. People centred stories, supported by pictures, help make the issue relevant
Of course design is important. The pages have to look like a real newspaper or magazine, not like a brochure. But while good design with attractive pictures can lead your horse to water only good writing will induce it to drink. *Gareth Weekes, a former weekly and daily newspaper editor, now runs Deep South Media, Local Council Media’s editorial and design partner.
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