TAKEAWAY: The seduction process to attract an audience to our stories usually begins with a visual.
I had a fantastic time Wednesday as I gave my first presentation for students at the Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
My lecture was the last of what the School calls Prep Day, an event to welcome students back for the Spring Semester. I discussed change, and how important it is to initiate it and to nurture it.
The students were warm, receptive, and full of good questions, during and after my presentation.
Many of the students were tweeting during the presentation, and I am fascinated—-but not surprised—-that one of the most tweeted statements from my lecture was when I told the students:
“You are in the business of seduction, whether you like it or not.”
I followed that statement with an explanation:
For the writers in the room (which may be a majority, as in any journalism school), beware that people look before they read a word. So, please engage with the designers, artists, illustrators and photo editors who will create the visuals for your stories. They, in part, will contribute to opening the door visually for your story.
They will seduce visually, so that people read your story.
The best writers and editors I have met in this business not only respected the visual storytellers in their midst, but they also became part of the team, offering ideas, relating all that they knew about the story, so that the visual would reflect the tone and point of view of the story.
I am delighted that the “seduction” bit played so well with the students. I hope that the message behind the word will also resonate with them.
TheMarioBlog post #1416
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