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.

Preaching to the Choir

You may not know this, but I’m a PK. Born and Raised. I've been a "Preacher’s Kid" all my life. My father is a United Methodist minister in Tampa, FL. He knows his stuff, and is a fantastic teacher. That’s why he’s leading the Institute of Preaching through Duke University. The Institute of Preaching is a program designed to help clergy improve their preaching. The most recent session was held in Orlando, and my father asked me to be on a panel about story telling.

I was joined by Darren Richards (former WSTP-TV News Director and current VP at Tucker Hall in Tampa) and Pete Ferrara (Former VP with Clear Channel). Both are experts in their fields, and all-around great people.

Because of our years in the communication industry, my father asked the three of us to talk to preachers attending the institute about story telling. Imagine the pressure! It's hard to tell preachers how THEY should be delivering their message. Darren brought video samples, which were perfect, and I quoted lessons I’ve learned at The Poynter Institute. But after a few minutes, I realized… we’re all story-tellers. Whether you’re a preacher, a public speaker, a videographer… we all tell stories about our lives and our careers.

To communicate with your customers and co-workers, to teach your children how to behave, to tell jokes to your friends… it’s all about story telling. That’s why I’ve decided to write about good story telling during my upcoming blogs. Before I offer my thoughts, I’d love to hear from you: What do you think makes a great story???

Leave a comment, or send me an email: cferenac@conventionnewstv.com
Thanks, and here’s to great stories!

The time has come...

It should be easy for me to start a blog. I'm a writer for God's sake. But instead, it's something I've been putting off. Will I say the right thing? Will anyone want to listen? It's finally time. I just decided today is the day.

After twelve years as a television news producer, I now have my own company. I teamed up with two great guys to create Convention News Television. We put our news experience to work at conventions and tradeshows. Writing is a passion of mine, so this should all come very easily, but even for the most seasoned writers, blogs can be intimidating.

I'm planning to write about writing. Does that make any sense at all? There are simple things writers can do to tell a good story. Hopefully I can relay what I've learned in an interesting way. I'm also planning to write about video production, and how to tell great stories using moving pictures. Believe it, it takes a lot more than hitting the record button. My partners will help by adding their two cents on lighting, framing, etc, but our company is all about content, so our blog will be too.

I'll be watching for interesting blogs to follow in the meetings industry, so if you know of any... pass them on! It's nice to finally be in the blogging world.