5 Steps Out of Boring

What’s the worst that can be said about your latest story?

It’s boring.

What’s worse than that?

It was so boring I could barely stand writing it.

We’ve all been there. Too many stories — especially internal communications stories — start at boring, and communicators do little to rescue their readers from the misery that is sure to follow.

What’s worse, these stories come up every year, throughout the year. Groundbreakings, new hires,  strategic plans, major initiatives and mindless press releases. Snooze. Coma. The list is long.

In our workshops, we like to say that the communicator’s job is to make sure that what’s important is interesting. With some stories, that can be quite the challenge. But what the hell? You’re up to the task.

A few weeks ago, my friend Brian Malone of The EventNexus asked me to speak on this topic at one of his conferences. “Jim, you’ve got 30 minutes, and leave time for questions,” he told me.

With that kind of deadline, I presented these five steps to help turn boring assignments into stellar stories.

Step 1: Imagine a better story. Let’s start with the assignment. This is your first barrier. The assignments are wrong or at least misguided! The bosses want you to cover the groundbreaking and yes, they want that photo of middle-aged executives awkwardly holding shovels.

Every story should be about one thing, so your job is to imagine what that one thing is that merits attention.

We wouldn’t be having a groundbreaking unless something was changing. A new office. A new manufacturing facility. Economic development for the town. You can even make better bathrooms and parking interesting. Whatever it is, imagine a story that people might want to read.

What about that new strategic plan? That has boring written all over it, unless you imagine it a different way.

Try this: A strategic plan is an expression of an organization’s priorities, what it cares about most and thinks will be best for the health of the company. Who made those choices and what is the “why” that explains them? How will it be funded? Go behind the strategic plan and you’ve got yourself a good story.

Step 2: Be a better reporter. Once you imagine a better story, you’ve got to go get it. And once again, this isn’t always easy. Here’s what you need:

● Facts. What are the details you need to explain this story? Major initiatives are typically packed with words, but you have to sort through them to find what matters. Start with the tried-and-true: who, what, when, where, why and how. 

● Background. To write clearly about an initiative, you need to know how we got here. Having a good grasp of the background will give you a better sense of what you need to put in your story to help readers understand and what you can leave out. 

● Emotion. Why should people care about this story? Look for the tension — what people are trying to do and what stands in their way. That’s where your story lives.

● Color. A little description goes a long way. What does the story look like? Better yet, what does it feel like? Readers can be drawn into a story by seeing the people affected or learning how something works. 

● Humans. People want to read about people. Who are the main characters in your story? How are they overcoming barriers and solving problems?

Step 3: Make them say something important. Speaking of humans, your story will be better when you talk to them, not by email or text but in person or on a video call.

Good quotes add spice to your storytelling. And to get good quotes, you need good sources — experts you can rely on to explain complicated issues and leaders who can give you the big picture. Quote feelings, not facts. Your sources will tell you why that new IT implementation everyone’s grumbling about will improve the way we work.

You may have to push for a good quote. If it comes out stiff and corporate the first time, ask again. Then ask what people should know about this story but probably don’t. Tap into your experts’ passion for the subject and you’ll get something back worth writing down.

Step 4: Package it. You’ve gathered some facts. You have a few humans and maybe even an anecdote or two. Now let’s put these things together.

The reason for being such a good reporter is not so you can unload your notebook onto the page and call it a day. It’s about giving you choices. Start with the three elements that will give your story a fighting chance:

● A compelling image: Boring stories don’t always lend themselves to great photos, so get creative. Are your execs game? Turn the shovels cliché on its head and have some fun with it. Your image should make me pause long enough to consider reading.

● An inviting headline. Give me the breaking news or tease me into a good feature. Either way, your headline should make me want to open it to find out more.

● Your lede. Give readers a running start. Remember all those W’s and H? Pick the ones that matter most and leave the rest for later. Or give us a good anecdote to set the scene and pull us in. Write a good first sentence that makes me want to move on to the next one.

Step 5: Test. Have you told a good story?  You need to test for boring by asking yourself these questions:

● Would you read your own story? If the answer is no, why not? Try again.

● Does your story move, or does it bog down in the middle? Does it raise questions that you don’t answer? You can fix both of those problems.

● Finally, read your story out loud. I know, it’s the granddaddy of writing tips. That’s because it works. Your ear is a good editor, and you can hear where the story gets stuck. Keep this in mind: If you read your own work out loud and stumble, you’ve got more work to do.

Jim Ylisela, a co-founder and senior partner with Ragan Consulting Group, loves reading stories out loud. At least until his wife tells him he’s disturbing the cat. Jim and consultant Tom Corfman would love to read your stories as part of our Build Better Writers program. Email Tom to set up a free call with him.

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