Great Stories Have Focus

When I worked in the newsroom, the reporters couldn’t leave the building until they told the news director their story in three words. It’s actually more difficult than it sounds, but the exercise gave the story a specific focus. The three words gave the reporter and videographer direction, and often determined who they would interview. It's another trick we learned from The Poynter Institute and the same exercise can help all of us focus when we write blogs, articles, and speeches.

Want to give it a try? Let’s use Tiger Woods as an example. The three words could be: Golfer Cheats on Wife (Ok, that’s four words, but the little ones don’t count) Isn’t the story REALLY something more like: Tiger Shocks Fans? The story is interesting because it’s about Tiger, and how completely surprising the revelations were.

Here’s another one. Imagine the story of a house fire. The three words could be: House Burns Down. But the story is more powerful if the story is focused like this: Family Left Homeless. Suddenly, the story is about people who lost everything, not just the flames that consumed the home.

The focus may determine who you interview. If the three words are House Burns Down, the writer may need to talk to firefighters about the cause of the fire, and extent of the damage. But if the focus is Family Left Homeless, they will no doubt seek out the family and interview them about their devastating loss, and how people can help. See the difference?

You can do the same with speeches or presentations. Try to describe the story in three words before you begin, and refer back to them to make sure you’re staying focused. It’s better for your audience to walk away with one solid point, than to walk away wonder what the point really was.

Three words help us focus. They determine who the story is really about, and why we care.

So… until next time: Focus Your Stories.