One of the dirty secrets of the PR and communications business is that many people who work in it can’t really write. PowerPoint and “talking points” are no substitute for crafting paragraphs.
One of the best ways to get better at writing is to read, and read widely — from all kinds news to literature. It was frustrating to see the lunch table at a corporate communications department where I worked littered with puffy photo magazines like US Weekly and People — and no sign of a New Yorker, Economist … or even a Vanity Fair.
This has been on my mind recently while taking a short story reading class at Seattle’s Richard Hugo House. Instead of focusing on high school English topics like symbolism, the idea is to focus on how a writer assembles a story, their word choice and approach to dialog. We’ve read great writers from the U.S., Germany, Argentina and elsewhere. (I was on the board of Hugo House for seven years.)
Anyone who cares about writing needs to be reading and pushing their personal boundaries.
We started with one of the best: “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver’s story of a man being forced to challenge his own assumptions. The story shows the connection between people and how imagination leads to empathy between the characters. The protagonist ends up envisioning something totally new and appreciating what he can’t actually touch. The story pulls the reader from the mundane and suggests we should all be looking for opportunities in our lives to be stretched.
I discovered Carver in summer 1988 in the backroom of the B. Dalton bookstore at the corner of 1st and Marion in downtown Seattle while unpacking a box of remainders during my part-time job. I read one of his collections from cover to cover, over and over, and only later realized that Carver died the very week I first encountered his work.
Later, when I was a student in Kyoto I gave weekly English lessons to a 50-year-old Japanese accountant by reading “Cathedral” together. The language is clear, direct, and exactly how regular people talk. My student had never visited the U.S. and reading literature in a second language requires imagination. Yet Carver’s story pulled this foreign-language reader along and he enjoyed the challenge, week after week. I saw its power for an audience Carver could never have intended.
Communications is not just about facts; it requires empathy, understanding of different worldviews and new ways at looking at issues. Reading forces you to think — if you can apply an analogy from Hamlet in an appropriate business context, all the better. In my reading class some of the material has been a tough slog, which makes it more satisfying.
Professionals need to read. When I hire, I look for interesting thinkers who show curiosity and a commitment to growing. Next time you’re looking for communications help, look for ideas and be sure to ask what your would-be consultant is reading.