Like many seasoned public relations professionals, my roots are in newspaper reporting and editing. My first job out of college was in a smoky newsroom full of swearing men who kept bottles of bourbon in their messy desk drawers. I wrote my first stories on an ancient typewriter and pasted paragraphs together on newsprint using smelly blobs of rubber cement.

When I entered the public relations field 10 years later, I brought along the lessons I learned in the newsroom, including interviewing skills, knowledge of Associated Press style and a careful eye for proofreading. It surprises me how few young PR pros possess, hone or treasure these skills.

You may argue that many of the tools of the PR trade have changed. Though still widely used, news releases are old-fashioned; research that required reporters to spend hours in the public library is ready today at the touch of a few keystrokes. Still, the backbone of good public relations remains even more critical today: Succinct, stimulating writing with careful attention to grammar and punctuation will never go out of style.

Writing, With Style
Journalists quickly learn to consult the AP Stylebook for answers to all kinds of style questions. They know to spell out numbers one through nine while using figures for higher numbers. They write out the full names of states, not the postal abbreviations.

Zachary Reed, writing on LinkedIn, adds that a major mistake that 99 percent of PR writers still make involves casual speaking habits that creep into professional writing. Did you know you cannot perform a given task “on” a day? No, Reed advises, you did not go to the store “on Saturday.” You went to the store Saturday.

Select the Right Words
Steve Pinker, a linguist and cognitive scientist at Harvard University, compiled a list of the 58 most commonly misused words. Here are just a few that I’ve seen even the best writers use incorrectly.

• Adverse: Unfavorable or harmful; commonly confused with “averse,” which means disinclined.
• Appraise: To evaluate the value of something; commonly confused with “apprise,” which means to inform.
• As far as: The same; commonly confused with the phrase “as for,” which means with regard to.
• Begs the question: Implies a conclusion that isn't supported by evidence; commonly confused with “raises the question.”
• Bemused: Bewildered; commonly confused with “amused,” which means entertained.
• Cliché: A noun; commonly misused as an adjective.
• Credible: Believable; commonly confused with “gullible.”
• Criteria: A plural word; commonly misused as a singular word. The singular is “criterion.”

Habits to Acquire, Others to Break
A recent PR Tactics article by Joseph Priest offers some additional pointers for PR writers.

• Don’t use an ampersand unless it’s part of an official name (e.g., Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble). Many PR pros use this symbol as a shortcut whenever “and” comes between two related terms (e.g., research & development, sales & marketing). Don’t do it.
• “Comprise” means “to contain or embrace,” so nothing is ever “comprised of” something. People usually mean to say “composed of.” The whole comprises the parts; the parts compose the whole; or the whole is composed of the parts (e. g., “The jury comprises 12 members. The zoo is composed of 42 animal exhibits.”) If “composed of” sounds stilted, then “consists of” and “made up of” are options.
• The corporate identifier “Inc.” is not separated by commas in a company name.
• Be careful to maintain parallel structure in bulleted lists. If the first item is a noun, then the following items should be too. If the first item starts with a verb, then the following items should as well. If the first item is a complete sentence, then the following items should be too.
• According to AP style, a title shouldn’t be capitalized unless it’s used directly before a name or, more important, when it’s a formal title. This is a title indicating a scope of authority or professional activity, such as president, queen, doctor, colonel, bishop or professor. It’s different from a job description, such as waiter, reporter or sales representative, which would not be capitalized, even directly before a name.

Get it Right in Writing
Everybody needs an editor. Yet sometimes you’re on deadline and don’t have anyone else to copy edit your work. Vicki Krueger of the Poynter Institute offers some tricks to help get it right.

• Sweat the small stuff. Articles are often misused or mis-typed when you’re writing quickly. And it’s easy to overlook “or” when you mean “of” or “it” when you mean “if” or “is.”
• Print out your story with different margins, fonts or colors to trick your brain into thinking it’s seeing something new. You may find mistakes you otherwise would have missed. Another trick: Read your text backwards.
• Know what you don’t know. Whether you have trouble with spelling, subject-verb agreement or tense shifts, know to always double-check yourself
  
  

Excellent writing skills will serve you well in whatever facet of public relations you choose to practice. In media relations especially, you will be respected for your keen adherence to newspaper style. In internal relations your prose will sing in the newsletters and features you produce.

You will be selected first by clients who want their messages to be expressed in accurate, well-written materials.  So, write on. And make sure it’s right.

The English language has so many rules about grammar, spelling and punctuation that it intimidates even native speakers. Difficulty with the basic rules of English is what prevents so many people from becoming good writers. Just when they learn one rule, up pops another. Thankfully these days we have people like Grammar Girl and websites like Grammarly that help us avoid mistakes like the top five described here.

1. Less than / fewer than.
Even newscasters and experienced public speakers misspeak when it comes to the proper way to convey the fact that there were not as many or there were not as many as.

The bottom line? Less is for things you do not count. Fewer is for things you count. Use less when you're referring to something that can't be counted or doesn't have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain).

So, according to the Oxford Dictionary, Fewer than 30 children each year develop the disease. And, It's a better job but they pay you less money.

2. Prior to vs. Before.
Both are grammatically correct, but Grammar Girl recommends that we use Before, which is nearly always the better choice. Keep it simple, she says.

Rather than Prior to becoming a clown, Bob was an accountant; write Before becoming an award-winning clown, Bob was an accountant.

3. i.e. vs. e.g.
Both abbreviations for Latin terms, i.e. stands for id est and means ‘that is.’ e.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means ‘for example.’ Mistaking or interchanging these two Latin abbreviations is very common. Don’t second-guess yourself, even if someone says you are wrong.

4. Capitalizing Job Titles.
Everyone wants to feel important. Some people equate their importance and the importance of their jobs, with capitalization – even when capitalizing their title would be incorrect. You must determine if the job title is part of an official title, or if it merely describes someone’s role.

In general, titles that come before names are capitalized and titles that come after names are lowercase. If the description is part of a person’s official title, it’s capitalized. But if the so-called title merely describes someone’s role, it’s lowercase. Most job descriptions – actor Dustin Hoffman, writer Cathi Douglas – are not considered titles and are not capitalized. Formal titles denote a scope of authority, professional rank or academic rank, such as professor, judge, mayor, doctor, king.

Never capitalize a title used alone, no matter how important it seems. The president signed the bill; the pope blessed the multitude.

5. Light, lit, lighted.
Why do we have two past-tense forms of the verb to light? Maybe you’ve even wondered which is correct, lit or lighted.

Lighted is a regular verb, because you make it past tense by adding ed to the end. Lit is an irregular verb because you change the spelling to make it past tense.

In the past, English had a lot more irregular verbs. Over time, many changed form and became regular, making English much simpler. For some reason, light took the opposite route. Long ago, people used the irregular verb, saying they lit candles. For a time, the verb moved toward becoming regular, with people saying they lighted candles. And then, inexplicably, people started using lit as past tense, and it is still the most common form used today.

Lit and lighted also can be used as adjectives, such as a lit hallway or lighted hallway. In American English, lit and lighted seem to be used about equally, while lit is more common as an adjective in British English.

For more grammar tips…
Grammar Girl - Grammar: Quick and Dirty Tips ™
www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar

Grammarly: Free Grammar Checker
https://www.grammarly.com/
Online proofreading tool that checks text for grammar, punctuation, and style, and features a contextual spelling checker and plagiarism detector.

Working in a busy newsroom requires reporters to develop the ability to concentrate deeply in the midst of chaos. Loud sportswriters wisecracking about the World Series? Police radio blaring about a hostage situation? No matter. One’s story must be compelling and succinct, submitted on time and without grammatical, spelling or factual errors. Readers (and editors) depend on it.

It may be my decade working in newsrooms that makes me immune to most distractions when I’m writing. Husband chatters. Phones ring. Computers flash. My full attention is on the story; it will be on time and under budget. It will sing.

Shiny Object Syndrome Explained
Still, there are some times when a shiny object captures my attention. Look! There’s a new app that will track my time better! Oh! Here’s a project management system that could be more economical! I must stop immediately to learn about these things!

I sometimes fall victim to Shiny Object Syndrome, or what some call Squirrel Syndrome. Distracted by Facebook posts, online shopping opportunities or email announcements, I lose valuable time chasing the Next Big Thing. Yet I am rarely thankful that I wasted valuable writing time – and even more rarely do I agree that the amazing new thing can actually change my life.

Summing up the syndrome is executive coach Heather Gray, recently writing in Entrepreneur: “Whatever you call it, the concept is familiar to entrepreneurs: products, ideas, services, and conversations that effectively replace our plans and focus with doubts and second-guessing. These are the things that make us pause and ask ourselves “Am I doing this right? Am I sure this is the best way?”

Why We Suffer from the Syndrome
“We fear that we don’t know all the things,” Gray writes. “We worry that there is a better, more efficient way. We question whether or not we have really thought of everything. Let’s call this by its less sexy name: Anxiety.” As Gray notes, we’re insecure. “A shiny new thing captures our attention, distracts us from our intent and enables that doubt and worry to root and take hold.”

As if we don’t have enough on our plates already, the Shiny Objects threaten us on every level. Overburdened with trying to keep up with too much information, in the midst of our most concentrated tasks we fall prey to interruptions that underscore our deepest insecurities. We worry that we are ‘not  enough’– we aren’t doing enough, working hard enough, being a good-enough partner, friend, parent or offspring. These Change-My-Life interruptions feed into our anxiety.

The Costs of Chasing Squirrels
Interruptions cause us to lose focus and cost us time, money and momentum. That is bad business. But making things worse is that we have entered what many people are calling the “attention economy,” says mindfulness expert Rasmus Hougaard, writing in the Harvard Business Review. In the attention economy, Hougaard explains, the ability to maintain focus and concentration is every bit as important as technical or management skills. “And because leaders need to absorb and synthesize a growing flood of information in order to make good decisions, they’re hit particularly hard by this emerging trend.”

How We Beat the Squirrels and Ignore the Shiny Objects
When things distract us, we must have the internal fortitude to refuse to pay attention. Belief in ourselves means developing the self-confidence necessary to focus unwaveringly on the task at hand. “Every time we let a shiny object distract us from our plans for today and from what we are capable of achieving, fear wins and entrepreneurship loses,” says Gray.

Still, snapping back to our work is challenging. Productivity experts recommend turning off the phone, ignoring emails, resisting the urge to hop onto social media – but that’s not always possible. Yet there is a particularly useful activity that boosts your resistance to distractions and bolsters your self-confidence: Practice mindfulness.

Being mindful means having keen focus and awareness; the ability to concentrate on what you’re doing to the exclusion of everything else; and the power to recognize and release unnecessary distractions.

“Understand that mindfulness is not just a sedentary practice; mindfulness is about developing a sharp, clear mind,” writes Hougaard. “Mindfulness in action is a great alternative to the illusory practice of multitasking.”

Testament from the Trenches
Mindful working means that as soon as I sit down to write I am focused and aware of everything I’m doing. Focusing on my assignment, I recognize and release internal and external distractions as they arise. In this way, mindfulness helps increase my effectiveness, decreases potential mistakes and enhances my creativity.

If something pops into my head that I need to do, I make note of it so I can deal with it later and get back to the task at hand.

I pause to take breaks every hour to cease activity and do a minute of deep, mindful breathing, as Hougaard recommends. This helps me resist fatigue, stay sharp and avoid poor decisions, especially in mid- to late-afternoon when I begin to fade.

There are many useful apps dedicated to the practice of mindful meditation, and some of them are free. Spotify and other music apps offer meditation selections. Books and articles online discuss the practice. While I don’t incorporate mindfulness successfully in everything I do, I’m working on it.

The practice of taking three deep, calming breaths, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing has made me much calmer, more confident and centered. I’m aware of my surroundings, my breath, my health – and I’m able to meet demanding deadlines without distraction Best of all, I give each moment the attention it deserves and as a result live and enjoy each one.

Information of all kinds is accessible at the touch of a key. But writers looking to craft memorable stories that resonate with readers must go beyond the basics to present facts in context and from differing perspectives. 

That means going to great lengths to interview people who have expertise and passion for the subject you’re writing about. In journalism school, aspiring reporters are taught to use the interview to expand upon the basic “who, what, where, how, when and why” of newsgathering. 

Only the best journalists will venture beyond the 5 Ws and the H and take the time to listen effectively and probe beyond the obvious. Readers are drawn to stories that pack a punch created by thoughtful writers who look for the context, impact and emotion to make their words come alive.

In this tutorial, I’ll provide a list of ways to conduct effective interviews based on my experience writing stories for dozens of publications. We will cover the best ways I’ve found to prepare for, conduct and follow through with interviews of all kinds.

Tools of the Trade
Let’s begin by looking at the different tools to use for recording the information as you receive it. 

1. I’ve found I conduct my most successful interviews in a quiet environment where I can concentrate on my subject without distraction.
2. Rather than wasting time transcribing, my primary recording method is to type notes on my iPad or laptop. 
   -   I have a small digital recorder that I use as a backup.
   ​-   When I get back to my office, I email my notes to the PC and clean them up before beginning to write my story.
3. For in-person interviews, bring extra business cards in case your interview subject introduces you around.
4. If distance or schedule doesn’t allow for face-to-face interviews, I conduct them over the phone using a wireless headset and type their responses into my computer.
   

What Questions Work Well in an Interview?  
My own curiosity guides the questions I prepare.  Also, if I’ve been assigned the interview, I ask the questions that help enhance and direct my content in order to satisfy the client.

1. Ask yourself: What do I want to get out of this interview? 
2. Think about the 5 Ws and the H, and craft your questions to cover all of those angles 
3. Be prepared to ask follow-up questions to illuminate interesting points 
4. Put your questions in some kind of order, from the most general ones to those that get into more detail or complexity.
   -   Always be ready to divert from the order or content based on the answers.

The Importance of Listening Well  
Ernest Hemingway noted that “most people never listen.” Not surprisingly, the best interviewers are wonderful listeners. 

1. It’s important to hear not only the content you’re listening for, but the tone of voice and attitude behind the words. That information will help you phrase your questions to obtain additional detail.
2. Be patient, polite and respectful – even if the subject is difficult to deal with or reluctant to offer insights.
3. Ask for referrals to other sources. 
4. Don’t be shy about asking your subject for extra time as you write their comments down, or request that they repeat an important point.
5. Write down more than what you hear in an interview – note what you see.
6. Some of my best quotes come after I assume the interview is over, so after the interview is over, I always ask if there is something he/she would care to add.
7. Let your source know that you may call back to gather additional information or check facts.

Interview Best Practices  
Here are some quick notes on interviewing from the Poynter Institute, the world’s leading instructor, innovator, convener and resource for journalists.

1. Ask the person for his/her name and position up front.
2. Ask open-ended questions that will elicit more than “yes” or “no” answers.
3. Keep your questions neutral in tone.
4. Ask for definitions, examples, anecdotes.
5. Ask questions your audience/readers want to know the answers to.
6. Keep your questions short and to the point.
7. Ask one question at a time (do not double-up on questions).
8. Be prepared to ask follow-up questions—and be sure to be listening for questions that require a follow-up.
9. Do not make assumptions.
10. Make sure you are asking a question, rather than making a commentary.
11. Do not argue with the person you are interviewing.
12. Do not try to cover too much territory during the interview. Remember your focus.
13. Be polite, but persistent. Keep asking until you get a response to your question.
14. Prepare a closing question.

Putting it All Together

1. Review your notes as soon as possible after the interview, while everything is fresh in your mind and annotate the most important points.
2. Consider outlining your story immediately based on your interview, or even sitting down to write the story.
3. Finally, follow the general rules of storytelling outlined in my previous blog, Simple Steps to Better Storytelling.
   

Careful preparation helps interviewers overcome self-consciousness and shyness. But only successful repetition of the interviewing process will make you comfortable. 
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Rather than avoiding interviews, I now look forward to them. I enjoy meeting new people and learning new things, and interviewing is second-nature to me. Other than the creative process of writing stories, it’s one of my favorite parts of my communications work.

Ever wonder how effective leaders rise above day-to-day challenges to lead with inspiration?

Volumes of self-help books offer advice about the strategic skills good leaders must develop. But what makes a visionary leader, the person everyone willingly follows? Isn’t it an intangible ‘something’ they exude more than the average individual?

Perhaps; yet the best and worst bosses are memorable for the same reason: They communicate priorities, set a professional tone, and respect and encourage everyone in the workplace.

I can’t count the supervisors I’ve had in my many years in journalism, public relations and higher education. My best bosses mentored, challenged and praised me when I succeeded; they advised me on ways to overcome my weaknesses and encouraged my professional development. They involved me in decision-making, asked for my advice and opinions, and valued team members’ individual talents.

The worst bosses were poor leaders, plagued by indecision, pride, insecurity, anger issues and poor communications skills. They were closed-mouthed about their plans, averse to confrontation, and more concerned about their own success than the success of the institution or even their own team.

Teri Carstensen, president of bank solutions for Fiserv, embodies the best qualities of a boss; that may be because she rose from bank teller to CEO by developing ingenious business solutions that have benefited her and the company.

Leadership “is one of my favorite topics,” Carstensen said in a September SmartBrief leadership newsletter article by James DaSilva. She loves engaging with younger people early in their careers, especially enjoying “the mentoring and coaching aspect of what I do.”

I daresay she employs the principles of values-based leadership espoused by management professor and best-selling author Harry Kraemer: To put yourself in position to be a successful leader, you must first put yourself in the right mindset. In fact, leadership doesn't depend on your job title or where you fall in your company's organization chart; it relies on your ability to influence and engage other people, noted author Jacob Morgan in a recent Inc. story.

To learn to be a values-based leader, Kraemer suggests four principles:

• Self-reflection. Know your values, what you stand for, your purpose, and your vision for the leader you want to be. Daily self-reflection can help you improve.
• Balance. Good leaders don't try to be right; they try to do the right thing. Don't be afraid to get opinions from other people and to ask for help and guidance when necessary.
• Self-confidence. True self-confidence is accepting you who are and owning your skills and your flaws. Leaders who are truly self-confident know where they stand and work to improve themselves every day.
• Humility. This goes hand in hand with self-confidence. Even if you have reached a great milestone in your career, don't forget where you came from and everyone who helped you reach your goals. Creating connections with people who are on the way up the ladder can be hugely beneficial in becoming a successful leader.

Mastering these will make you a memorable, fair and conscientious leader – but you can’t stop there. You must constantly evaluate your progress to ensure you stay on the humble, balanced path to be a leader that’s remembered for not just what you do, but who you are.

A huge pet peeve of professional writers is the rampant and flagrant misuse of the apostrophe. It wounds us when we spot an expensive neon sign that inserts an apostrophe where it needn’t be, and riles us needlessly when another sign leaves one out where it has a rightful place.

A recent PR Daily post noted that to the strictest grammarians, the fact that Starbucks Coffee has no apostrophe is a travesty, since it is an obvious mistake. Sure, the company has the right to spell it however they please. Either they determined that it looked better without the apostrophe or believed that it was best to go without because people might not find the company website. Still, some of us would sleep much better if the so-called God’s comma were part of the official logo.

In PR Daily, writer Mark Nichol outlined several common apostrophe mistakes and ways to avoid them. Some of these rules may surprise you.

1. Plurals. Mistakenly writing taxi’s as the plural form for multiple taxis is known as a greengrocer’s apostrophe because of its ubiquitous use in handwritten signs.

2. Pronouns. Possessive pronouns such as theirs and yours never include an apostrophe. The possessive pronoun its doesn’t take one either – the contraction it’s (meaning it is) does.

3. Separate / shared possession. When two or more people separately own something, each name should be in possessive form, e.g. Jim’s and Sue’s houses are on the same street.”

4. Possessive form of a surname. My shingle on the porch should not read “The Douglas’s house” unless my legal name is The Douglas. A sign identifying my house should instead read “The Douglases' house.” Note: Spell Check is wrong on this one.

5. Plural form of an abbreviation. No apostrophe is required with plurals of abbreviations, such as “They disarmed several IEDs,” not IED’s.

6. Plural form of a numeral. In indicating more than one numeral, do not use an apostrophe: “Write four 9s on a piece of paper,” not 9’s.

7. Span of years. Despite what you may read in some publications, an apostrophe isn’t necessary. Write “The Beatles, arguably rock’s best band, came to fame in the 60s,” not “60’s.” In general, an apostrophe should follow a number only if it is possessive, e.g. “It was 1985’s longest-reigning Top 40 hit.” An exception is use of a number to stand in for a person, such as “It was No. 13’s lucky day on the gridiron.”

8. Plural form of a word used as a word. Don’t apostrophize the conjunctions in “There are no ifs, ands or buts about it,” or “A helpful life of dos and don’ts follows.” (Except for the necessary apostrophe in the short form of do nots).

9. Plural form of a letter. To avoid appearing awkward, use apostrophes in the case of an expression like “Mind your p’s and q’s,” or “She received only A’s on her report card.”

Now that clears up apostrophes. Here’s a bonus hint, courtesy of Grammar Girl, regarding the often-puzzling choice between who and whom. Here’s what GG, also known by her real name, Mignon Fogarty, says: Like whom, the pronoun him ends with the letter M. When you’re trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask yourself if the hypothetic answer to the question would contain he or him. If it’s him, you use whom, and they both end with M.

Rather than keeping my strong grammatical opinions to myself, I will occasionally spew forth on this blog, alongside with helpful hints on other areas of PR, writing and editing. Stay tuned.