Examples are a powerful way to clarify what you are saying when writing any type of article, because human beings don’t think in words. They think in pictures. So making strong statements in your articles and then qualifying them with examples, will help to create a clearer picture in the minds of the target audience you are writing for.

Examples will also help to put your viewpoints, or those of a spokesperson, into context. For instance, when writing an article in which you are promoting a concept, idea, approach, methodology, product, or service, it is useful to include brief examples of how it has benefited those who are already using it or have applied it.

In another scenario, you might want to get the message across that your company operates across different sectors. In this case, you could use specific examples of how customers in three or four sectors have benefited from the solution you are promoting, in different ways.

If you don’t want to mention customer names, you can just say something like, “A customer of ours in the retail sector….etc.” The examples will still be useful to the reader, and will help to get your message across in the article you are writing.

Examples of how a product or service works, and how it can benefit the target audience will also help to create a clearer picture. Varied examples can also be useful. For instance, you might want to get across the message in your article that the product you are promoting can be used in different ways, in which case you can give examples that will illustrate this in words.

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Every article should have an objective behind it, it should focus on a clearly defined topic, and it should be written with a specific audience in mind. Without a clearly defined topic, you are likely to end up with too many ideas in your article, which will confuse your audience, and writing it will be a major challenge. Similar problems will arise if you don’t have a clear objective.

Once you have established these basics, put yourself in the audience’s shoes and think about what they would be interested in knowing about the topic, as opposed to just what you want to tell them.

It is worth remembering that your audience may be made up of people that have varying social and educational backgrounds, perceptions, cultures, and levels of understanding of the topic you are writing about. Some may also have a limited vocabulary and grasp of the English language.

This is particularly applicable with articles you are planning to publish on a website, because anyone could stumble across them while searching for information. It is therefore wise to write the article in plain English with the lowest possible common denominator of the audience in mind, and not use unexplained terminology or assume any prior knowledge of the topic.

Have a conversation with the reader, making sure you haven’t left any questions in their minds, because if you do this will frustrate them, and they will not enjoy your article. To test this out, once you have written your article, you can apply the So what? technique.

Read the article through and ask “So what?” after each sentence and make sure you have answered this question in the next sentence or two.

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One of the prerequisites of a good article writer is to have an enquiring mind and not take anything on face value. This is the only way article writers can develop a real understanding of the topics they are writing about, as opposed to just regurgitating information they have gathered.

Good writers probe deeper and deeper into their topic, asking questions like: Why did this happen? What were the influences behind this? Where, when and why did this all start? What are the origins of this trend? Who will be affected, and how will they be affected? Which of the various opinions about this is the most credible? Is the source of the information reliable and knowledgeable?

It is difficult for article writers to ask leading questions of the spokespeople they are interviewing that will provide rich content for their articles if they do not understand the topic. If article writers only have a superficial or fragmented understanding of the topics they are writing about, it will be reflected in the articles they are writing.

When this happens, it will confuse the reader, and leave a lot of unanswered questions in their minds. As a result they will stop reading it and go and look for another article that is more enlightening, and is obviously written by an article writer who knows what they are writing about.

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Media training helps spokespeople to interact with journalists and other media interviewers more effectively. However it is important to choose a media trainer who has in-depth experience in this field and has a journalistic background.

Only an experienced journalist will be able to give spokespeople insight into what the media look for in a good spokesperson, and provide them with the skills to become one.

The right form of media training will equip spokespeople with techniques that will help them anticipate any eventuality in any interview scenario, prepare accordingly, organise their thoughts, and share knowledge clearly and concisely in a two-way discussion with a media interviewer.

Anyone who interacts with the media or is planning to do so will benefit from media training. Natural spokespeople do exist, but they are few and far between. Interestingly, these spokespeople are usually the first to jump at the chance of honing their media interaction skills.

At the other end of the scale are those who spurn the suggestion of media training because they consider themselves to be great spokespeople already with no room for improvement.

Meanwhile they are often the worst spokespeople to interview, due to their inflated egos, arrogant, know-it-all attitude, superficial knowledge, and a tendency to speak at the journalist instead of engaging in a two-way conversation.

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