Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations

✍ Scribed by John Foster

• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 193
• Edition: 2nd
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Style is a crucial ingredient to everything we say and do; in writing, it is the way sentences are structured, the choice of words and the way they are used. If the style is outmoded, the reader will soon lose interest and might not even get beyond the first few lines. This fully updated second edition of "Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations" is a hands-on, practical guide to writing style for students and others entering the PR industry. It is also a valuable guide to style for those already employed in the public relations profession and those who have to earn their living using their writing skills. As well as advice on the basic principles of grammar and information on the essential editing skills such as when to use capitals, how to deal with figures and abbreviations, hyphenation, punctuation and paragraphing, this book includes guidance on: * developing and policing a house style; * avoiding clichis and jargon; * handling headlines and captions; * ensuring readability; * writing press releases; * public speaking and speech writing; * the language of information technology (IT). "Effective Writing Skills" also features the standard marks for proof correction and a glossary of printing and IT terms. The author draws on the authority of established style guides and on a lifetime of personal experience as a writer and communicator.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 6
About the author......Page 10
Foreword......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
1 The importance of style: an overview......Page 16
Appreciating style......Page 17
Your organization’s style......Page 18
Keep it consistent......Page 19
Points to watch......Page 20
Good style is good manners......Page 21
Plural matters......Page 22
Apostrophe problems......Page 25
Basic punctuation......Page 29
When you are quoting…......Page 34
Consistency is the essence......Page 36
Why lower case, upper case?......Page 37
Where difficulties occur......Page 38
The trend is to knock it down......Page 41
5 Clichés, jargon and other worn words......Page 42
Recognizing clichés......Page 43
Jargon: help or hindrance?......Page 44
Catchphrases quickly become stale…......Page 46
Make room for the idiom......Page 47
Beware of slang......Page 48
6 Is it easy to read?......Page 49
Aim for short sentences......Page 50
Guidelines on paragraphing......Page 51
Line width and type size......Page 52
Line and letter spacing......Page 57
Where to break......Page 58
Choice of typeface......Page 59
Justified or ragged right?......Page 60
Putting on the stress......Page 62
Using the designer to the best advantage......Page 63
Now it’s proof marking time…......Page 64
7 Headlines: making them work......Page 70
Present tense preferred......Page 72
Questions and humour......Page 74
Headings in sales leaflets and brochures......Page 75
Style and presentation......Page 76
Subheadings......Page 77
Slogans for brand recall......Page 78
Elements of corporate identity......Page 81
Figuring out the numbers......Page 82
Abbreviations: the long and the short of it......Page 84
9 Keep it short, simple – and plain......Page 88
Plain words......Page 89
Look for active verbs; avoid contractions......Page 91
Loan words needing care......Page 92
Beware ‘myths’......Page 93
Tips for writing tight......Page 94
There is still much to do…......Page 95
News releases: basic requirements......Page 97
Commissioned articles......Page 113
Photo captions with releases......Page 114
Captions in publications......Page 116
Suggested style for correspondence......Page 118
Have clear, clean layout......Page 121
Writing reports and minutes......Page 122
Forms of address......Page 124
Invitations to functions......Page 126
Setting out documents......Page 127
Writing a CV......Page 128
Spelling points......Page 129
Be careful with foreign words......Page 131
-ise or -ize verb endings......Page 132
Puzzles and posers......Page 133
Vogue words and phrases......Page 135
Getting in the mood......Page 136
Keep clear of slang......Page 137
Don’t forget the imprint......Page 138
14 The spoken word: pronunciation matters......Page 140
Received Pronunciation......Page 141
Get the words right too......Page 142
15 Principles of presentation......Page 145
First steps for speakers......Page 146
Getting ready for the speech......Page 149
When you’re on stage......Page 152
Points for organizers......Page 154
16 The words for IT......Page 157
Style matters......Page 158
Getting the most out of e-mails......Page 159
Writing and designing Web sites......Page 160
Language for the telephone......Page 167
Now talk to your computer......Page 168
Appendix 1: English grammar – some definitions......Page 170
Appendix 2: Confusing pairs of words......Page 177
Appendix 3: Glossary and jargon buster......Page 181
Further reading......Page 186
Index......Page 189