SFU-021 - Module 6 (Soft skills)

Soft Skill: Writing

Introduction

As you embark on your journey through college and start contemplating your future career, it’s crucial to recognise the significance of soft skills. Among these, writing stands out as one of the most vital. Regardless of your chosen field, strong writing skills can significantly impact your career success and personal growth.

What is Writing?

Conclusion

Types of Writing

Why Writing is Crucial for Your Career

Developing Your Writing Skills

Learning Objectives

Using Bloom's Taxonomy, the learning objectives for this news broadcast writing activity, which reinforces communication skills in the context of broadcast journalism, can be categorised as follows:By following these learning objectives, you will enhance your understanding of broadcast news writing and develop skills essential for clear, concise, and engaging news presentation.

Creating

Evaluating

Understanding

Analysing

Applying

Remembering

Soft Skill: Activity

Preparation (5 minutes)

Research and Analysis Task (10 minutes)

Create Task (10 minutes)

Document and Present (2 minutes)

Reflection Task (3 minutes)

Developing News Broadcast Writing Skills

This activity will enhance skills in writing news for broadcast, primarily focusing on accuracy, objectivity, brevity, and clarity, which are essential for a broadcast journalist.

Expected Outcome (5 minutes)

Article 1: How Paris 2024 became the most memed Olympics ever

Paris 2024 might go down in history as the most memed sporting event ever. Traditionally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has focused on broadcast media such as free-to-air television as its primary medium, with rights holders paying big bucks.In Australia, Channel 9 reportedly paid $305 million to secure the rights to broadcast the next five games, through to Brisbane 2032.In previous games, the IOC has also taken a strict approach to sharing and resharing content across platforms. However, this is beginning to change, with the committee unveiling a new social media policy for athletes, coaches and other staff ahead of Paris 2024. Importantly, this new strategy allows athletes to post about their sponsors, which helps them build their brand and make money.All signs point to the IOC leaning into and encouraging viral social media moments – giving viewers a glimpse of the softer side of the Olympics, including behind the scenes action and athlete life.We first saw this shift in the Tokyo 2020 summer games (which took place in 2021), with athletes creating and sharing content for fans on social media. One such athlete was the popular TikToker Ilona Maher, a member of the US rugby sevens, who has amassed some 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 3.6 million on Instagram.In the right hands, social media has massive reach – even if you’re not a world-famous athlete like Simone Biles (12.5 million Instagram followers) or Usain Bolt (14.1 million followers on Instagram). Paris 2024 has proven this yet again.

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Article 2: The breakdancer and the muffin man

Perhaps you’ve heard about the muffin man? No, not that muffin man. I mean the Norwegian Olympic swimmer, Henrik Christiansen who went viral for his extensively documented obsession with the chocolate muffins served in the dining hall at the Olympic village.Other athletes have jumped in with their own variation on the muffin man meme, such as by filming themselves trying or sneaking off with the famous muffins.Viewers at home also got in on the action by creating and/or consuming their own muffins.The muffin man was quickly eclipsed by Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn (aka “Raygun”), whose performance produced what can only be described as a meme storm across social media. Raygun’s breaking performance quickly drew comparisons to scenes from The Simpsons and Kath and Kim.Raygun herself seems to be in on the joke, filming a video with The Inspired Unemployed to the tune of Snoop Dogg’s Drop It Like It’s Hot.

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Article 3: Memes matter

But why do memes matter for the Olympics?For starters, the Olympics and Paralympics have been suffering from a bit of an image problem. They are expensive, disruptive and cities are increasingly less likely to bid for them.The IOC’s strict rules around broadcasting rights also limit the reach of footage from the actual games, which risks disengaging young people – especially Gen Z – who don’t tune into traditional TV and consume much of their media through social media platforms.Social media allows the human side of the games to shine through and reminds viewers, as corny as it may seem, of the Olympic spirit and the collective joy we can experience through sport. Meme-making is also a creative and participatory process and engages people beyond a traditional audience model.Even though the IOC might not be directly producing some of these viral moments, they’re definitely creating the conditions for them to occur. And viewing figures from Paris 2024 suggest this strategy is working. The IOC’s primary commercial partner, NBC, recorded 34.6 million viewers across its digital streaming platforms and traditional broadcast – a figure that has eclipsed the Tokyo 2020 games.In the first week of the games alone, the official Olympic social media channels generated 8.5 billion engagements (that’s before we got to the memes).

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Article 4: It’s the D-O-double-G!

This ratings gold has been further helped by NBC’s focus on celebrities and enlisting Snoop Dogg as Team USA’s unofficial mascot.Snoop appeared at various events, including the equestrian with Martha Stewart – where they both wore equestrian outfits to watch the dressage, fully reported on the official Olympics website. He also inspired many of the Paris 2024 memes – his big name, big personality and expressive face making him the ideal candidate for meme-making younger viewers.When celebrities such as actor Mariska Hargitay appeared as spectators, the cameras cut to them in the crowd and their interactions with athletes were documented for social media, drawing more eyes to the games.All these factors have contributed to the impression of a friendlier, more relaxed and engaging competition. It seems the IOC is more aware than ever that allowing people to meme and share footage from the Olympics is good for their broadcast partners and their bottom line.Athletes benefit, too. Since they aren’t paid for competing in the games, social media is one way athletes can sustain their careers in what is often a difficult funding environment. It offers a way for them to build their brand, gain partnerships and continue to do what they (and we) love – giving it their all on the world stage.

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Model answers

Now that you have had a go at answering using the notes provided, click next to see the model answers.

Model Answer

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Compelling Lead:The 2024 Paris Olympics are making headlines for more than just sports. This year's games are being called the most "memed" Olympics ever, as social media buzzes with viral moments, thanks to a new, more relaxed social media policy by the International Olympic Committee.Body of the Story:Traditionally, the Olympics have been all about television broadcasts, with networks like Australia's Channel 9 paying big bucks—over 300 million dollars—to secure the rights. But times are changing. The IOC has unveiled a new policy for Paris 2024, allowing athletes to share more behind-the-scenes content, including posts about their sponsors. This shift is giving us a closer look at the human side of the games, and it's driving a social media frenzy.It all started in Tokyo 2020, with athletes like TikToker Ilona Maher, a US rugby player, who took the internet by storm. Paris 2024 has upped the ante, and one of the biggest viral hits is Henrik Christiansen, the Norwegian swimmer obsessed with Olympic Village chocolate muffins. His "muffin man" antics have become a meme sensation, with athletes and fans joining in on the fun. (Continued...)

...And then there's Rachael Gunn, aka "Raygun," an Australian breakdancer whose performance sparked a social media storm, drawing comparisons to popular culture icons like The Simpsons. Her light-hearted response, dancing with The Inspired Unemployed to Snoop Dogg’s "Drop It Like It’s Hot," only fueled the meme frenzy.But why do memes matter? The Olympics are struggling with their image—cities are less eager to host, and traditional TV viewership is declining, especially among Gen Z. Memes and social media allow the Olympic spirit to shine, reminding us of the joy of sport. The new approach seems to be paying off, with NBC recording over 34 million viewers and the official Olympic channels generating a staggering 8.5 billion social media engagements.Concluding Statement:Paris 2024 shows that embracing social media and the meme culture might just be the key to keeping the Olympics relevant and engaging for future generations. And as athletes and fans share these moments, the Olympic Games are becoming more than just a competition—they’re becoming a global conversation.

Reflection on the Differences: Language and Sentence Structure: The broadcast version uses shorter, more direct sentences and a conversational tone to ensure clarity and engagement when read aloud. The original article is more detailed and formal, suitable for reading rather than listening. Brevity and Clarity: In the broadcast version, information is condensed to focus on key points, ensuring the message is clear and easy to follow in a short time frame. The original article contains more in-depth analysis and background, which is trimmed down for the broadcast. Challenges: Writing in a conversational tone while maintaining the accuracy and depth of information was challenging. It required simplifying complex ideas without losing the essence of the story, which is crucial for keeping the audience engaged and informed.

Well done!

You have completed this soft skills activity. We hope you have enjoyed the programe and picked up some new skills and information!

Reflection Task (3 minutes): Reflect on the differences between the original news article and your broadcast news story. Consider:

• The difference in language and sentence structure.
• How you've used brevity and clarity in your writing.
• Any challenges faced while writing in a conversational tone.

Create Task (10 minutes): Now, rewrite the news story as if it's for a news broadcast. Keep in mind that broadcast news writing is conversational. The sentences should be short and in an active voice, and the language should be simple and clear.

• Start your story with a compelling lead, write the body including all the essential facts, and end with a strong concluding statement. Remember to follow the broadcast news writing style that is direct, simple and concise.

To develop your writing skills, focus on building strong grammar, vocabulary, and structuring abilities. Practise writing regularly to improve your proficiency and confidence. Enhance your grammar skills by studying grammar rules, taking writing courses, and using tools like grammar checkers. Expand your vocabulary by reading widely, learning new words, and incorporating them into your writing. Develop your structuring abilities by organising your ideas logically, using clear headings and subheadings, and creating coherent paragraphs. Seek feedback from peers, mentors, and writing professionals to refine your writing style and address areas for improvement. Additionally, read extensively in various genres to understand different writing styles and techniques.

Identify key elements of broadcast news writing style, including the structure of headlines, leads, body content, and conclusions.Recall the fundamental principles of writing for broadcast, such as conversational tone and simplicity.

By the end of the activity, you will have a better understanding of broadcast news writing style. You will have a news piece written in broadcast style, which you could include in your portfolio. The activity provides a swift but effective practice of writing as a key soft skill for an aspiring broadcast news journalist.

• Differentiate between the original news article and the broadcast news rewrite in terms of language, structure, and tone.
• Analyse the effectiveness of the broadcast news story in terms of maintaining clarity, brevity, and engagement.

• Create a broadcast-style news story from a written article, ensuring it is compelling, clear, and suitable for a broadcast audience.
• Develop a reflection on the process of adapting written content for broadcast, including insights gained and areas for future improvement.

There are various forms of writing, each playing a crucial role in different contexts. Academic writing involves producing essays, research papers, and reports that adhere to scholarly standards and formats, essential in educational and research settings. Professional writing includes crafting business emails, proposals, reports, and other documents that require a formal tone and clear communication, crucial in corporate environments. Creative writing involves composing novels, short stories, poems, and scripts, allowing for artistic expression and storytelling. Technical writing includes creating manuals, guides, and instructional materials that explain complex information in an accessible way, important in fields like engineering, IT, and science. Content writing involves producing articles, blog posts, social media content, and marketing materials that engage and inform a target audience, essential in media and marketing industries.

Document and Present (2 minutes):Save the document with an appropriate title and consider how you would read this news out loud.

Preparation Task (5 minutes): Read the articles provided in the next following sections. There are four articles.

• Explain the importance of clarity, brevity, and objectivity in broadcast news writing.
• Summarise the differences between news article writing and broadcast news writing styles.

Writing is a foundational soft skill that underpins your ability to succeed in any career. By developing your grammar, vocabulary, and structuring skills, you will be better equipped to build relationships, advance in your career, enhance productivity, and establish your personal brand. Start honing your writing skills now, and you’ll set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling professional journey.

• Rewrite a written news article in a broadcast news style, incorporating conversational language, short sentences, and active voice.
• Demonstrate the ability to structure and present news content in a clear, engaging, and concise manner suitable for broadcast.

Study the structure and style of the news article. Pay specific attention to:

• How the headline and lead are written.
• Use of language, sentence structures and grammar.
• How the facts are presented objectively.
• How the story maintains its brevity and clarity throughout.

• Assess the quality of the broadcast news story based on how well it adheres to broadcast writing principles such as simplicity and directness.
• Critique the rewritten news story to identify areas for improvement in terms of readability and effectiveness in a broadcast context.

Writing plays a fundamental role in building relationships, career advancement, performance, productivity, and personal branding. It helps build trust and rapport with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders by demonstrating your ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Strong writing skills enhance career advancement opportunities, as employers value individuals who can articulate ideas and information precisely and persuasively. Writing boosts performance and productivity by enabling you to document processes, create clear instructions, and convey information efficiently. Additionally, effective writing supports personal branding by allowing you to share your expertise, opinions, and achievements through various platforms, establishing your professional presence.

Writing is the ability to communicate ideas, information, and emotions effectively through the written word. It involves crafting clear, concise, and compelling messages tailored to the audience and purpose. Writing requires a combination of creativity, critical thinking, and technical proficiency, allowing you to convey complex concepts in an understandable and engaging manner.