No, this isn’t a Christmas post, though Santa has long known the power of lists in keeping you focused on what’s important. As I’ve looked at hundreds of college presidents’ op-eds over the past year, I’ve noticed how some writers are making effective use of lists.
What makes lists work as communication devices?
- They cast a spotlight on your key points. Rather than having to mine paragraphs for those key points, the reader can zero in on what’s important.
- They force you to prioritize and organize. In some op-eds, I sense the writer wandering without clear direction, like a lost driver. Lists are a bit like GPS for your writing.
- They are scan-friendly: In today’s Twitter world, many readers don’t have the patience or time to absorb a lengthy narrative. Lists are the billboards for drive-by reading.
- News media love them. Anyone who’s been in public relations beyond PR101 knows that lists are like catnip to editors. Send a news release titled “The Top Ten (Whatever),” and you’ve immensely improved the chances for pickup. The same principle applies to op-eds.
- They’re concise. Microsoft’s much maligned (and misused) PowerPoint has one redeeming quality – it forces presenters toward brevity. In a way, lists are the parents of PPT.
Take a look at the op-eds by these presidents to see lists in action:
- Barry Glassner, Lewis & Clark College, and Morton Schapiro, Northwestern University
Leadership Tips for College Presidents and CEOs, Wall Street Journal, 4/28/14 - Joseph I. Castro, California State University, Fresno
Reflections of a University President, One Year into the Job, Huffington Post,9/29/14 - Bill Destler, Rochester Institute of Technology
What Is Not Broken in American Higher Education?, Huffington Post, 3/17/14 - Christopher B. Nelson, St. John’s College, Annapolis
Choosing a College: 5 Things to Consider, Huffington Post, 3/19/14 - Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Wheelock College
Effective Advocacy Leads to Action: Managing a Changing Landscape, Huffington Post, 1/23/14 - Bill R. Path, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
A Nontraditional Resolution, Huffington Post,1/16/14 - John F. Ebersole, Excelsior College
Top Issues Facing Higher Education In 2014, Forbes Magazine,1/13/14 - Karen Gross, Southern Vermont College
Ten ways to make college more friendly to veterans, Hechinger Report,3/31/14
Lists. They’re powerful. Maybe I’ll try using them in a blog post sometime.
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