Amelia Cook Fontella University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

 15 years professional writing experience  Writing instructor for over 7 years  More than 7 years of experience in college recruitment adult and traditional, public and private  More than 7 years of experience in higher education copywriting focus on student/faculty profiles  MFA – Creative Writing  Generally fun gal !

 identify students with high-quality stories  gather stories from adult students  include key components in an impactful profile  overcome challenges along the way  maximize the use of the student story Let’s talk about how to...

First, a story by Ernest Hemingway. For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Who knew a good story could be so short?

 Tell a story in just 6 words.  Stuck? Think of kids stories, jokes, one-liners. Stories can be true or made-up. Try your own life story! Copy Hemingway: “For sale: ___ ___, ___ ___.

Why did we do that? HOW did that go?

 Student story = your story  Endorsements/believability  Value to the student (connection)  Value to internal staff (confidence)

 Cuts through the clutter  Connect with the human experience  No conclusive ending  Show, don’t tell

Now what? How do we start? Cool. Stories matter.

Find a student ! But where ?

 Ask around  Ask everyone!  All call  Who are your superstars ?

 Who should reach out initially?  Make your project clear to student/alum  Make it FUN  Make it convenient  Be grateful

 Find the best way to communicate  Know what you want  Ask the right questions  Ask more questions  Give room  Anything else?

Three Words That...  Describe how you’re feeling right now  Come to mind thinking about childhood  Make you think of spring

 You write the profile  Most time consuming part (that’s okay)  Specificity/uniqueness  Concrete moments/images  Emotion  Keep it short  Edit! Pick and choose

Two Profiles  Read/skim the two profiles  Differences?  The good, the bad, the ugly...

Start with a story  Think of someone you know well (a student/person you admire.)  Write down a moment in his/her life that “says something.” Be as specific as possible. Now, you try.

 Hard to connect with a student  Interview seems boring  Not enough material

 Division/department website, college website, social media, industry specific publications, employer newsletters, departmental newsletters, print publications, marketing materials, alumni magazine, etc.  Don’t forget to share them with Internal people Students (especially the student featured) Your boss

Questions? Other tips to share?