One thing that strikes you when you start teaching the skills you use as a practitioner is that you have to learn yourself how to articulate the assignment.
As writers in the fields, often you learn by doing and receiving feedback and fixing up, and then after a few times you have a feel for it. But teaching means you now have to put that process into words. How?
Sample skill: identifying facts
Take the humble Fact Sheet, part of the package of a media kit. An important assignment for many beginning writers as it tends to be useful across communications workplaces. At minimum students need to learn the news release format, but the Backgrounder and Fact Sheet are important as well.
But how do you describe a good fact?
In my assignment, I ask students for 6 to 8 facts that help provide interesting information as a complement to the organization and news release.
But what kind of facts? Without further instruction, often I get the date the organization was started, or bits of the news release in fact form. Good, but not that fun.
Facts can be fun
Then I introduce the idea of “fun” facts – something that would complete the question “did you know that…” Or something a journalist could use to punch up their article or add detail. Like the number of books circulated by a library in a year. Or the biggest donation a non-profit ever got.
For me, coming to these descriptions meant slowing my own thinking to identify for myself what ranks as a good fact. And collecting examples to help students learn to spot them on their own.
Soon enough, they’ll know a fun fact when they see it.
Any favourite fun facts out there? Or favourite ways to describe a fun fact?
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