Finding Your Voice

By Marcia Simon, APR

Receiving the 2014 Owen J. McNamara Excellence in Writing Award this May at the NESHCo annual conference was an honor, and honestly - a surprise.

We all take things for granted. Maybe we underestimate our skills, especially those of us considered "seasoned professionals." Writers help people relate to the world around them. For example, doctors explain things clinically, assuming we know what they're talking about. Techies get pumped up about specs. And don't get me going on enthusiastic math teachers. LOL. A good writer helps strengthen the connection to a desired audience.

I do know about using words - Keep them active. Keep sentences short. Stick with your voice.

Before I began a career in public relations I worked in radio. Young and green, my program director, the highly acclaimed George Taylor Morris, coached me out of radio reading and into story telling.

"Read this announcement," he said. I did.

"Now read it out loud and really focus on the message." I did.

Then he took the paper from my hand and instructed, "Now tell me what it said." THAT, he explained, is your voice.

Talk to people in words they use. Hear the inflections and the pace.

Years later when editing a transcript from an interview with a physician, I stared at the words on the paper over and over, stuck for a way to make it interesting. Then I put the transcript aside, thought about the point of the story and told the doctor's tale, using the transcript as reference to pull out the pertinent details. It was great.

Tips for sharable writing

1. Today's online communication (aka social media) makes stories easy to share. Whether writing for your client or yourself, use these tips:
2. Do your research before you write. Make sure you understand the topic.
3. Use subheads (People read headlines more often than bodies.)
4. Give people what they want - not just what you want them to have.
5. "Make it easily tweetable in case a journalist wants to cut and paste." short and strong)
6. Keep it simple. As Albert Einstein reportedly said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. 

Marcia Simon, APR is a NESHCo board member and public relations independent practitioner. Visit Marcia's website or follow her blog Reality Check..

10 Tips for Writing a Better Press Release 

by Susan McDonald

1. Start off bold. Write a concise and clear headline in boldface to attract the eye of the journalist getting your release.    
2. Think like a reporter. Your first paragraph should answer the "who," "what," "where," "when," and "why" of your news. Avoid bogging the first graph down with titles, academic appointments, and other details you can include further down in the release.  
3. Write tight. Keep your sentences concise and paragraphs at two to four sentences apiece. The overall release should be as short as possible. If you're using subheads, it's probably too long.  
4. Be understandable. It takes work sometimes but you need to have your experts bring it down a few notches for general consumption and avoid medical jargon and acronyms. The average media consumer reads on a sixth grade level.  
5. Be newsworthy. Lots of paper crosses a reporter's desk. Make sure yours has news value and isn't pacifying someone who wants some coverage. Always have a hook. Keep in mind that most reporters will also want the human angle so line up a patient who could be interviewed.  
6. Include quotes from your experts. The media cares less about what the hospital or system leadership says on most topics, and more about your medical experts. Those are the quotes that will get used.  
7. Tone it down. Going full-on marketing pitch is likely to get your release ignored. Stick to the facts and do not over-hype or overuse adjectives. Failing to do this might get this and future releases ignored.  
8. Use links for additional information. Link to bios on your experts, service lines that support the release, etc., so the reporter can find more easily find information to flesh out the release.  
9. Include boilerplate and contact info. Always include a contact name, telephone number (or numbers if you will share your cell number) and email address for reporters to follow up. Boilerplate should be simple and straight-forward.  
10. Check your grammar. Poor grammar makes you look unprofessional. Journalists use the AP Stylebook and you should too.

Spaulding Rehab: The Center of Recovery for Boston Marathon Bombing Victims 

Thursday, July 31

9-10 am

Presented by Timothy Sullivan, The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network & Partners Continuing Care

The twin blasts that occurred at the Boston Marathon in 2013 shook a city and region to its core. The response from all corners to provide support was immediate and immense. The region's medical centers shined as never before. In the weeks that followed and as the next phase of recovery began, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital found itself at the center of the response and media spotlight. Over the months that followed, Spaulding treated 32 survivors, many for limb loss and facilitated hundreds of media opportunities, all of this done while transitioning the entire hospital operations to the first new hospital in Boston a mere 12 days after the marathon. Learn how core communication principles, incident command structures and a lot of teamwork and long nights helped the Spaulding Communications team navigate an unprecedented situation to ensure the best outcomes for their patients and the hospital.

About the Presenter
Tim Sullivan serves as the Director of Communications for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, overseeing communications and media relations for 4 inpatients hospitals, 2 skilled nursing facilities, and 23 outpatient centers. He also serves as adjunct faculty at Boston University in the Online Graduate Health Communications Program.