Writing a Speech

Speeches provide excellent opportunities for positioning organizations or their representatives as industry leaders or pillars of a community. A speech can urge an audience to act, persuade them to adopt a particular point of view, provide valuable information and/or generate goodwill.

There is no set formula for writing speeches, but you should always bear in mind that you are writing for listeners, not readers. That means using features of conversational English such as colloquialisms. At the same time, avoid jargon and instead choose words and grammar that you’re sure the audience will understand.

A speech generally has three parts: an opening, body and conclusion. Here are a some tips for writing each part:

Opening
The speech’s opening can be a question, anecdote, an interesting quote, news headline, a startling statement or statistic. In the case of quotations, don’t try to force one into the speech unless it is actually relevant and will integrate well with your text and theme.

The Public Relations Writer’s Handbook warns against opening with a joke since “most public speakers do not have the timing and delivery of comedians.” It also cautions that speakers typically are also not natural storytellers, so any humor and anecdotes “should flow naturally out of the subject and be appropriate.”

Bear in mind that if you can’t find a startling declaration, interesting story or quote for your opening, you can simply start by greeting the audience and relevant dignitaries.

Body
When writing a speech, make sure that you keep the wording simple and clear. Watch out for homophones, i.e., words that sound similar but have different meanings, e.g., principle (rule, belief or attitude) and principal (main; chief; or the presiding officer, especially of a school).

While a speech should have only one theme, it will contain several points that support that theme, so you will have to ensure that you or the speaker is transitioning smoothly from one point to the next. Use transition words or phrases such as “also” “otherwise,” or “in addition” to help the audience follow you as you finish making one point and are beginning another. You can also use sequential words like “firstly,” secondly” as transitions. You can also create links (and make your message easier to remember) by repeating a phrase or sentence through part or all of your speech.

Conclusion
You are nearing the end of the speech, help listeners by summing up the points that you made. Also, use phrases, e.g., “in conclusion,” “finally,” etc. to let the audience know that the speech is winding up. The Mr. Media blog has a useful post on five powerful tactics for ending a speech.

Speech Writing Factors to Keep in Mind
When you’re writing a speech, you should consider several factors:

Speaker Style – A speech’s text should accommodate the speaker’s style whether that’s drawling, clipped, long-winded, forceful, calm, etc. So if you’re writing a speech for someone else, it’s a good idea to note the individual’s vocal rhythm and pace. Some people speak differently when giving speeches than they do in regular conversation, so if possible, obtain recordings of the speaker in both situations for future reference.

Speech Objective – Before you write, you need to determine what you want the speech to achieve. If you’re writing for someone else, you’ll need to get together to discuss possible topics.

Context – While you’re considering topics, you’ll need to bear in mind the context in which the speech will take place. The context includes the type of event at which the speech will delivered (e.g., workshop, conference, seated dinner, etc.) and the type of people who will be in the audience.

Time Limit – This depends on the speaker’s pace, that is, how many words will be spoken per minute. The average speaking rate is usually placed around 125 to 160 words per minute. So write the speech copy accordingly.

Readability – Always make the speech text readable by using double-spaced copy with wide margins and large fonts. Also, spell out large figures; “six million” is easier to read than “6,000,000.”

Editing/Rewriting – Whether you’re writing for yourself or someone else you should expect to rewrite and/or edit speech. As you edit your speech, your goal should be to sharpen its focus, make it easy to understand and enhance several other factors. In fact, you should be prepared to make several editing passes on the speech.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to preparing a successful and memorable speech.

Where Does the Comma Go?

Commas are one of the most commonly used forms of punctuation, and they are also one of the most likely to be misplaced. As a recent New York Times op-ed points out, a couple of centuries ago, people placed the comma wherever they felt like placing it. Nowadays, some have been returning to that “funky comma protocol” as the writer puts it (I love that phrase), but since we now have rules and guidelines about these things, you’re putting your credibility at risk.

Some comma placements are obvious, for example, using the comma to set off dialogue. Others, however, are up for debate or are easily overlooked.

1. Between Independent Clauses
A clause consists of a subject and verb, which forms the basic structure of a sentence. If you have two clauses that work on their own (that is, they are independent), but you think they’d work even better if they were connected, place a comma and a coordinating conjunction with a comma placed in front of it.

You have a choice of six coordinating conjunctions:

• And
• But
• Or
• For
• Nor
• So
• Yet

Sentence Example:
“The region serves as a corridor for millions of migratory birds every season, and its variety of habitats host a wide range of hard-to-find local species.”

When the two independent clauses are very short, some grammarians say you can omit the conjunction and use only a comma. On the other hand, if the sentences are lengthier, you’ll be guilty of comma splicing (aka comma abuse) such as the example below:

The project is behind schedule, our communications team has to work late. (Bad grammar!)

2. In a Series
If you’re writing a series of three or more items, you have a choice of whether or not to put a comma before the conjunction connecting the final item.

The Associated Press Stylebook advocates omitting the comma in this instance.

Sentence Example:
“CIOs need to know what testing strategies, tools and techniques will help them reach their objectives.”

However, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends using it.

Sentence Example:
“CIOs need to know what testing strategies, tools, and techniques will help them reach their objectives.”

Note: if the items themselves have commas, you might want to use semicolons to separate them.

3. After Introductory Phrases and Words (starting the sentence)
These include the following:

a. Adverbial clauses (describing the action)
Sentence Example:
“While preparing the report, I made a discovery.”

b. Participial Phrases (begins with an “-ing” verb, “-ed” verb or equivalent for irregular verbs)
“Judging from the new evidence, we may have to make reparations.”

c. Transitional expressions (provides links with previous sentence)
“For example, the company sales have been up despite the economy.”

d. After Interjections, Yes and No
“Yes, we made the deadline” or “Oh, my goodness.”

4. Around Parenthetical or Nonrestrictive Elements
Phrases or clauses that can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence are set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.

Sentence Examples:
“Experienced speakers, generally speaking, can handle stage fright.”

“Our chairman, Dwight Holland, changed his mind about the budget.”

5. Between Coordinate Adjectives
How can you check if two or more adjectives describing the same noun are coordinate? Imagine placing “and” between them. If the meaning remains the same, they are coordinate and you can just use a comma to separate.

Sentence Example:
“It was a dank, gloomy night.”

6. Between Complementary or Contrasting Elements
When two or more of these elements refer to the same word, use a comma to separate them from each other and the rest of the sentence.

Sentence Examples:
The most intriguing, and doubtless most important, aspect of the plan was timing. (complementary)

Patience, not force, is the best tactic. (contrasting)

The more we investigated, the more suspicious we became.
(The two complementary phrases are the entire sentence and only need to be separated from each other.)

7. Between Repeated Words

Sentence Example:
We need courage, courage to move forward.

So that’s seven tips for the correct placement of commas for some of the trickier instances out there. If you are interested in learning more about comma use and abuse, check out this handy page at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Tips for Readability

Since many people will decide to read your text after a quick scan through or glancing at the text as a whole, you need to make your information inviting as possible.

Part of that effort involves increasing readability. Here are a few print and online techniques:

Use Descriptive Sub-Heads
Sub-headings help your audience to grasp your topic or message quickly. Also, readers can navigate more easily when you provide these “sign posts” in your copy.

Leave White Space
Thick blocks of text make the eye weary. Keep paragraphs short (no longer than seven lines for email) and leave spaces between them.

Avoid Jargon and Buzzwords
Corporate buzzwords, “tech-talk” and other forms of jargon weigh down the pace of your words and can frustrate readers who are not familiar with the topic area. Never use jargon unless you’re certain that at least 95 percent of your audience will understand.

Use Readable Type
Always use fonts that are easy to read. Courier and Times (and their variations) are two fonts traditionally used for easy reading. Many writers also employ Verdana for more effective online reading.

Don’t write entire sentences or paragraphs in all caps. Not only is it difficult to read, but it also gives the impression of shouting.

Font sizes of 10 or 12 points are usually the best choices. Bear in mind that since fonts themselves differ in size, for example 12-point Arial is much bigger than 12-point Times New Roman.

Watch Your Sentence Length
Sentences that stretch past 40 words often make readers backtrack or pause in order to recollect that was written before. Keep the majority of your sentences to about half that amount. Also, vary sentence lengths to keep the reading rhythm varied and interesting.

Use Colors Carefully
While adding font or background color can add spice to your text, be careful that you don’t sacrifice function in favor of style. Dark type on a light background works best. White type on black or dark backgrounds is striking but can exhaust the eyes if used extensively.

If your type will go over graphics or a patterned background, make sure the words don’t get lost in the visuals.

While you’re concentrating on these techniques, don’t forget the basics: good spelling and grammar. Make sure subjects and verbs agree, don’t leave your participles dangling, and watch out for wayward commas and modifiers.

Now, go write something cool.

Facts about Fact Sheets

Providing background information on an organization, issue, place, service or product can make the difference between journalists or stakeholders deciding to focus on your message or their turning their attention elsewhere.

When it comes to background document formats, communication professionals have a variety of options; it depends on what you think your readers will need. For example, while a backgrounder can tell your “back story” in a succinct manner, readers may need the information delivered in an even more concise format that allows them to quickly and easily scan the text and locate the specific facts they need. In such cases, opt for the fact sheet.

Main Elements
Headers that signify particular categories of information are one of the two main elements of the fact sheet. For example, a fact sheet for an organization may include some of the following headers:

• Company Name
• Date Founded
• Products/Services
• Mission
• Key Executives

A fact sheet for a country might include these headers, among others:

• Language
• Major Industries
• Demographics
• Climate
• Location
• Government
• Economy

The other main element is the information that relates to the header. That information can be a single word, a phrase or a brief paragraph (maybe two) that provides the relevant data. Just remember that the idea behind the fact sheet is to provide information to the readers in bite-sized chunks. If a paragraph begins to become lengthy, consider breaking the information into two or more categories, whether it’s truly essential for the document or whether it’s best to leave it as is.

Also, since the fact sheet is supposed to communicate the essential information about your organization, product, service, etc., remember to add your contact information, including social media information.

Formats
Fact sheets can be one or more pages (though I personally recommend trying to keep it to one page if at all possible). The traditional format involves a two-columned page with the headers in the first column and the corresponding information immediately adjacent in the second column . However I’ve been seeing more fact sheets, particularly online, that are a series of very brief paragraphs with sub-heads. In fact, the PRSA fact sheet is an example of this format.

When to Use
Many PR professionals send a fact sheet with their news release when they believe a journalist is going to need background information. Of course, in this digital age, you also have the option of providing a link to the fact sheet in your e-mail rather than sending a physical copy.

In other cases, the fact sheet is part of the materials in a press kit (which can also include a backgrounder). As mentioned earlier, whether you send a fact sheet with a release or opt for the whole kit-n’-caboodle depends on your message as well as what you think the journalist will need.

How to Spell Better: Three Principles

Being a good writer does not automatically make one a good speller. And since the English language includes exceptions and special cases for practically every spelling principle, you’ll very likely one day find yourself looking at a word that you’ve written thinking, “Is that right?”

Don’t resign yourself to simply being at the mercy of your spell checker. Instead, take this brief refresher on three basic spelling principles so you can better identify potential spelling problems while editing your work.

Principle One: ‘I” Before “E” Except After “C” (or When It Doesn’t Sound Like “Me”)

The first part of this rule is one of the best known English spelling principles and will help you spell words like “achieve,” “fiend” and “thief” as well as “receive” and “receipt.”

The second part applies to words that have the “i” and “e” placed together, but do not have the vowel sound that you hear in the word “me.”

In the absence of that sound, use the “ei” combination, in order to accurately spell words such as “neighbor,” “weigh,” “beige,” “height,” and “foreign.”

Exceptions: A few words don’t follow any part of this first rule. For example, “seize” and “sheik” have the same vowel sound as “me” but they still use an “ei” combination.

On the other hand, “friends” and “mischief” do not have the vowel sound, but use an “ie” combination as if they did.

Memorize these four words below as the “tricky ones.” Other than those four, the words you encounter adhere to the stated EI/IE principle.

Seize
Sheik
Friends
Mischief

Principle Two: Adding Suffixes to Words with a Silent Final “E”

An affix (one or more sounds or letters) that are attached the end of a word, base, or phrase. Examples include “-less,” “-ly” “-ment” and “-ing.”

If the suffix begins with a vowel, you should drop the final “-e” in a root word unless the result would lead to confusion.

For example, “age” becomes “aging” and “fame” becomes “famous.” However, “be” becomes “being” because deleting the final “e” in this case would result in “bing”.

If the suffix begins with a consonant, keep that final “e.”

Example: “manage” becomes “management.”

Exceptions: The following are examples of exceptions to this principle:
argue – argument
mile – mileage
nine – ninth
true – truly
whole – wholly

In addition, you have the option of keeping or deleting the “e” with the words “judgment/judgement” and “likeable/likable.” However, the AP stylebook states its preference is for “judgment” and “likable.” Check whether the publications that you target have a specific preference.

Principle Three: Doubling a Final Consonant Before a Suffix

This principle is applied when three circumstances are met:
1. The suffix begins with a vowel
2. The root word places emphasis on the last syllable or has only one syllable
3. The consonant is preceded by a single vowel

Examples: drag (one syllable) – dragging
begin (last syllable emphasized) – beginning

Spelling Beyond These Three Principles
If particular words consistently give you trouble, try creating a sheet of the words that you frequently misspell so that you can easily check for errors as you’re writing as well as review the entire list from time to time.

If you suspect that your spelling skills need a more general overhaul, use the spelling exercises at the Online Writing Lab (OWL)  in order to pinpoint areas of trouble.

Finally, when in doubt, check a dictionary, including online versions such as dictionary.com and merriam-webster.com. That’s the sign of a conscientious writer.

Five Building Blocks for the Backgrounder

As its name implies, a backgrounder is a document that provides the reader with background information on an organization, place, product or issue. You can use it in the following ways:

• An accompaniment to press releases or pitch letters
• A component of media kits and online press rooms
• A source of material for speeches, articles or other promotional materials

In short, with this document, communication professionals can keep their press releases and other materials short and focused instead of obscuring their message with “backstory.”

You can easily find more information about the backgrounder’s purpose and the general principles for its creation (e.g., accurate research), so we’ll examine the basic building blocks. The backgrounder consists of several elements, the first usually being a summary of the topic. The remaining components are arranged in the order that best suits the particular backgrounder. A paragraph may be devoted to one particular element or consist of a combination of multiple elements.

Let’s look at five basic elements:

1. First Paragraph/Summary
As mentioned, the backgrounder begins with an overview of the document’s subject. Example:

“XYZ Corporation, in Baltimore, MD, is one of the world’s largest widget makers, with sales in the past fiscal year exceeding $56 billion.”

2. Scope
If you’re writing about an issue or nonprofit, you’ll describe the geographical and/or demographic range of its impact.  Example:

“Wild birds may carry H5N1 from one area to another through the process of migration. However, the conditions in the production environment, on farms and in rice paddy fields play a major role in subsequent secondary spread of the disease, as do the carrying of poultry from one point to another and live bird markets.”
(Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Avian Flu backgrounder)

If you’re writing about a business, you’d describe its product line or services. Example:

“XYZ’s gaming widgets, smartphone doo-hickeys and audio-visual equipment are distributed worldwide. Its products are marketed under the brand names WidgetPro, Tele-Widgets and WidgetTech, respectively.

3. Mission/Philosophy/Organizational Process
Here, you’d include your organization’s objectives, areas of focus and possibly its overall way of operating. Example:

“Leading the widget market through innovation is XYZ’s founding principle, and the company devoted more than $3 million to research and development during the last fiscal year. The XYZ approach is to observe how people use its products in the ‘real world,’ collect direct feedback from users through focus groups and regional conferences, and use that knowledge as the basis for product improvement.”

4. History
This component describes the subject’s origins and/or major milestones. It’s typically written in one paragraph, but the avian flu backgrounder I cited earlier provides the disease’s history over approximately three paragraphs (you can do that with a Web page). However, it can be condensed for our purposes:

“…in the last 10 years there has been a progressive increase in the number of outbreaks of avian flu in poultry compared with the previous 40 years… The human health implications of avian flu were revealed in 1997 during outbreaks in Hong Kong. …Since then, there have been other episodes with human deaths – in Hong Kong and in the Netherlands in 2003, and the current series of outbreaks in Asia …”

For an organization, you might use something like this:

“Founded in 1945 by John Doe under the name ZYX Co., the company received its first patent for widget design in 1947. The organization’s name was changed to XYZ Corp in 1980 and it now has nearly 12,000 employees and 60 manufacturing plants around the world.”

5. Conclusion
The final paragraph usually provides information such as the geographic location of offices and factories.

You can add any other information you consider relevant to your backgrounder. However, remember that if printed, the document should be only one page, so it’s best to include (and condense) only the most important information. For your easy reference, I found an interesting example of a backgrounder on Scribd and another (lengthy) Web page example from the National Sleep Foundation.

Eight Tips for Tip Sheets

Tip sheets are quick and easy publicity tools that many PR practitioners (myself included) neglect. Just to clarify, since I’ve seen media advisories called tip sheets, I’m talking about fact sheets: short pieces, usually in the form of lists, providing how-to information or key points about an issue/ situation.

Here are some quick tips for tip sheets:

1. Create an attention-grabbing headline. I visited the news wires and found some examples:

Easy ways to Score Big at Your Next Tailgating Party
– Lifetime Products ( via PR Newswire)

How to Keep Your Puppy Safe During The Holidays
- Purebred Breeders (via Business Wire)

5 Signs That Fraud is Hurting Your Sales
– Cybersource Corporation (via PR Newswire)

These headlines all speak to readers’ self-interest and address them directly with an offer of information.

2. Decide whether you need an introduction. Some experts advise plunging straight into the tips, but you may need to provide context e.g., attribute the tips to a report/book or elaborate on particular facts.

3. Send tip sheets to media outlets in press release format. Editors love these ready-made articles and fillers. You can also use this tactic with video news releases (or VRNs) for television.

4. Offer tip sheets directly to your target market. In this case, you’ll send out a press release announcing the tip sheet and/or post appropriate messages on various online lists or forums.

5. Write five or more points/list items, so the tip sheet feels substantial. I’ve seen a tip sheet with 37 listed points, but I wouldn’t recommend you send something that extensive to media outlets. Larger tip sheets are better suited for direct distribution to your prospects and clients.

For media outlets, I think even 15 points can be overwhelming, so aim for a lower number.

6. Promote books, reports, etc. by including excerpts or summarized points in a tip sheet-style release.

7. Use tip sheets as tie-ins to national holidays, special events, etc.

8. If you haven’t identified yourself in an introduction, do so in a final paragraph, which should also contain contact information.

Now start looking for those tip sheet opportunities.

Appropriate Abbreviations: Snipping Words According to Guidelines

The handling of abbreviations can be tricky, especially if you have to use different style guides for different types of writing. Some guidelines only permit abbreviations in tables or reference sections. Other guidelines are more lenient but their requirements can still differ in significant ways. Here are pointers about a few of those differences. I’ll use three stylebooks for examples.

Abbreviations for Professional Titles
Stylebooks often disagree on when to abbreviate certain professional or political titles. For example, the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) states that certain titles such as “Senator” should be spelled out when only the surname will be used but abbreviated before the full name, for example:

Sen. Benjamin Cardin
Senator Cardin

The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook approves using the abbreviated version of “Senator” before one or more names in regular text, but requires that the title be spelled out in a direct quotation:

Sen. John Doe addressed his colleagues.
“Senator John Doe should run for a second term,” stated the analyst.

Yet another stylebook, Words into Type, declares that the title should never be abbreviated except when used in a table.

Abbreviations for Names of Months
With AP style, you only use abbreviated month names when they are being used along with a specific date. Plus, only certain months can be abbreviated: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.

The CMS and Words into Type dictate that month names should always be spelled out in text.

All three stylebooks approve of abbreviating the month names in tabular formats. In such a case, the AP stylebook recommends abbreviations consisting of the first three letters of each month. The CMS and Words into Type follow that same format except for May, June and July, which remain unabbreviated. If space limitations require that even those months be shortened, both stylebooks offer this abbreviating option:

January = Ja
February = F
March = Mr
April = Ap
May = My
June = Je
July = Jl
August = Ag
September = S
October = O
November = N
December = D

Time of Day
AP requires that the common abbreviations for morning and afternoon to be lowercased with periods: a.m. and p.m. The CMS prefers that you use small capitals and the periods are optional. Words into Type prefers small caps with periods and no spaces, but allows for either lowercase or full case (both with periods).

These are just a few of the differences you can encounter when writing abbreviations, so it is always a good idea to check the relevant stylebook for proper usage guidelines. Remember that abbreviations are generally never used in very formal writing, and even when you’re writing in a format that allows you to snip words, avoid letting your copy look like alphabet soup.

Four Principles for Hooking Your Readers

What do articles, query letters, pitch letters, press releases, brochures and basically every form of communication all have in common? They all have to “hook” an audience’s attention before they can impart their message.

I’ve put together four principles along with lists of accompanying tactics that you can use to grab the attention of editors, reporters, prospects, clients or associates.

General Principle #1: The Most Important Information Goes First

1. State any relevant new and noteworthy developments or accomplishments.
2. Begin with interesting facts and figures. Employ specific figures to build credibility.
3. Present an attractive offer such as photo, video or audio opportunities.
4. Relate a brief but relevant anecdote, preferably in about one to two short paragraphs.

General Principle #2: Start Communicating in Your Headlines and Subject Lines

(Note: Many of the tactics below can also be used as leads in pitch letters, releases, promotional materials etc.)

1. Announce news. This is the simplest, most straightforward method.
2. State the greatest benefit of your product/service or promise to solve a problem.
3. Announce a free gift, sale, special event, anniversary, etc. This can work for media outlets as long as you include a newsworthy aspect, e.g., a bakery creating a 120-foot jelly roll for Customer Appreciation Day.
4. Ask a question. It can be provocative, point out a need or simply elicit a response that helps you segue into your message.
5. Command action. You don’t always have to wait until the close to tell people what to do, especially if you know they have an investment in your topic. Commanding headlines and sub-heads have impact and drama. And it’s amazing how many people do as they’re told.
6. Announce a list of benefits. Audiences are used to seeing or hearing “Seven reasons…,” or “Three Easy Ways…,” and these formats are still very popular.
7. Use a teaser. You hear these every day on TV or radio, e.g. “City schools are raising test scores. We’ll tell you how.” These are great for pitch letters, direct response formats, or as a delayed lead in releases.
8. Quote a testimonial or a startling statement. If a recognized source validates you or confirms the issue you’re addressing, you are less like to be dismissed.

General Principle #3: Be Unique

1. State your unique selling proposition (USP). If what you’re offering is truly one-of-a-kind, then you’ve got it made. Otherwise, you’ll have to create a difference in your product or service (for example, superior customer service, a great guarantee, or the adoption of a cause).
2. Use controversy. In his book, Power Public Relations, PR practitioner Leonard Saffir says controversy can be used by practitioners to generate publicity and awareness. I should point out that this tactic has to be really, really well thought out to be effective.
3. Tie products/services into current events. A sub and pizza shop in my neck of the woods used to promote itself with sandwiches named for current (or recent) U.S. presidents. Who is going to forget an invitation to try the “Big Bubba” or “the Big Dubyah”?
4. Do something no one else has done. Remember when a Ford ad took over Yahoo’s front page in May? And how about BMW using their own car chase films to promote their cars?

General Principle #4: Get Personal with your Audience

1. If you’ve had dealings with the audience/recipient before, remind them. If they invested time and interest in you once, they’ll be more likely to do it again.
2. Make people feel as if you know them. If you have the psychographic or demographic characteristics of your targeted groups, tailor your material so it appeals to each specific group.

All told,  that’s four principles and a grand total of 18 attention-grabbing techniques. Use them well.

Writing and Using Biographies

Of course, I’m not referring to a book-length biography (aka bio). This is the type that you place in media kits, post on organization websites, etc.

Why go to the trouble of creating a bio? Well, journalists, bloggers and the general public will want to know about the key people in an organization, and a bio is the most efficient way of delivering that information online and in print.

There aren’t very many hard and fast rules for writing the bio. However, there are two main forms, which have been dubbed by the authors of The Public Relations Writer’s Handbook as newspaper style and feature biographies.

Newspaper Style Bios
The newspaper style adheres to a chronological format. You start with an individual’s current position and then move through their relevant past positions in order. This format is not set in stone, but if you happen to have to write a press release about the promotion of the subject of one of your bios then, as the handbook’s authors state, you’ll be able to drop most of the newspaper-style bio into the release verbatim.

In addition to the subjects’ names and current job titles, you’d also place information about the person’s duties and responsibilities and to whom they report in the lead or second paragraph. Here’s a pared-down example:

John Smith became director of client services at XYZ Inc in 1999. He is responsible for overseeing the installation of XYZ’s products and client training.

Smith had been executive sales representative for XYZ since August 1996 and joined the company in June 1989 as a sales representative in March 1989. Before that, he served as a speaker at UVW, where he conducted more than 100 conference presentations, workshops and product demonstrations at state, national and international events.

As you can see from this example, you usually present the individual’s professional history by starting with the position held immediately before the current one and then working backward through time. However, you can also jump to the person’s most interesting position before the current one or educational history, whatever makes the most impact.

Briefly mention or just outright omit positions that are irrelevant to the subject’s current experience or the area of expertise that you are emphasizing.

Also, if you are going to make a claim such as the following, “Under her leadership, ABC Corp. became the third largest company in the industry,” present evidence to that effect. For example, cite a credible third party such as an industry publication or association’s research or state revenue and/or sales figures in a way that confirms your statement.

Information on educational history and awards is included toward the end of the bio. Personal information such as subjects’ age, marital status, area of residence, etc. are optional, but some feel that such details “humanize” subjects.

By the way, one of my favorite PR gurus, Joan Stewart the Publicity Hound, states that many bios are boring because  lists of degrees, honors and positions are just copied from subjects’ resumes. One of her recommendations for creating  bios is making online bios more succinct and appealing but including a link to an actual resume in order to accommodate anyone who wants more details about the subject’s job history.

Feature Style Bios
Feature style bios are written as if they are magazine articles and so include more personal details as well as quotes from the subjects in order to include human interest angles.

The lead paragraph of the feature-style bio should grab attention. Two effective tactics for this is to start with a quote from the subject or use an “it all started when…” angle. Stewart’s own bio actually uses the latter tactic (and is quite entertaining).

While PR and communications professionals are often required to create subjects’ quotes, I recommend insisting on an interview when writing a feature-style bio. Subjects’ comments tend to be better than anything that you could devise, particularly because subjects may have an intriguing perspective on their achievements and general past.

Using Bios
In addition to putting bios in media kits, online media rooms, etc., PR gurus also suggest publishing online biographies that contain keywords that search engines will pick up on, allowing reporters to find your experts on their own.

Because of the different ways in which you can use a bio, you will likely have to reduce or expand any bio you create in order to have it fit a particular communication vehicle. In those cases, always keep in mind what aspects of the subject would most interest particular audiences and edit/expand the material accordingly. Brand-Yourself.com has some very interesting articles on breaking down the elements of a bio  and writing bios for social networking sites, etc .

Finally, you should remember to review and update bios as needed. Your executives and key staffers will not only change positions, but they also may earn awards or have other accomplishments that would be suitable for the bio. It can be easy to forget this routine task, so set a regular time to attend to it, so your information is always current.