1. Using the news-item to tell your stories
Making Noise With News
Using the news-item to tell your stories

2. In today’s Webshot Tools for telling stories – Maurice Ryder
Storytelling and Writing for the Web Recap
News as blog content
News content types
The storytelling paradigm in action – Jane Haynes
Questions?

3. Do you remember the last time we talked stories?
If not, we’re gonna do a quick recap…

4. Tools for Telling Stories – Storytelling and Writing for the Web Recap
Ken Adam’s Stages of a Story
Once upon a time (a place in time)
…every day… (this is the way it was / this is the problem we were facing)
…and then one day… (the change happened / we discovered something)
…because of that… (this is the result)
…until finally… (this is the impact)
…and ever since…(this is how the world changed)
See Webshots 3 and 9

5. Tools for Telling Stories – Storytelling and Writing for the Web Recap
Writing for the Web Quick Tips
Write clear, simple and effective content. The content of your site should be easy to read for everyone, preferably in a conversational style. Remember your audience is varied, school leavers, mature students, international students and staff.
Front-load your text. Put the most important content on your page in the first paragraph. Readers will scan your pages you want them to see your main ideas or points of information.
Group your content. Cover only one topic per paragraph.
Be concise. Write short paragraphs and minimize unnecessary words.
Write in active voice instead of passive voice. (Ex: ‘Tim taught the class’, instead of ‘the class was taught by Tim’.)
Use lists. When possible use lists to make your content easier to scan.
See our Writing for the Web page

6. Tools for Telling Stories – Storytelling and Writing for the Web Recap
Writing for the Web Quick Tips
Who is the audience?
What do we need to get across?
Be concise
Be clear
Be scannable
Be consistent
Be findable
See our Writing for the Web page

7. Tools for Telling Stories – Storytelling and Writing for the Web Recap
UCC Language Style Guide
The purpose of this document is to help contributors to UCC's websites to be consistent in terms of writing style, use of capitalisation, date formats, titles, etc.
Helps you by removing ambiguity and providing clear guidance
Some examples:
Acronyms – spell it out on the first mention
Age – written without apostrophes (20s not 20’s)
Capital letters – these are used to start sentences, don’t use to emphasise words e.g. “The university” not “The University”
Dates – written as in 4 April 2019, without commas or superscript
Disability – we use “a person with a disability” not “a disabled person”
Titles – write them without a full stop e.g. Dr, Ms, Mrs, Mr, Sr, Fr, but always spell Professor in full
Punctuation – it’s important! The difference between helping your uncle, Jack, off his horse and...
See our Language Style Guide

8. Tools for Telling Stories – News as Blog Content
What is news?
Anything current
Of the now
Latest updates
In some ways, news and blogs can be the same thing – blogs are seen as a bit more informal
E.g. DEWG Latest Updates

9. Tools for Telling Stories – News as Blog Content
Advantages of adding regular content using the news-item content type:
Easy to add multiple pages
Frequent updates help Google to see that your site is being updated
Self-contained and very shareable
Can be grouped

10. Tools for Telling Stories – News Content Types
The “news-item” Content Type
Flexible content type that allows rich content
Image and image caption
Date, to give content relevance and context
Summary, to grab attention
Full story, to tell your whole story (including allowing you to embed video, audio and social content)
Summary (list) and Detail views of the content
Let’s take a look at this in the CMS…

11. Tools for Telling Stories – News Content Types
The “ News and Views” Content Type
Can be used on landing (but not inner pages yet)
Can display main UCC news (Use Branch News set to “No”)
Or it will find news content on your site (Use Branch News set to “Yes”)
Specify where you want the “Read more” to point
Let’s take a look at this in the CMS…

12. Tools for Telling Stories – News Content Types
The “News Block” Content Type
Can be used on landing and inner pages (but better on inner)
Displays news content on your site (make sure to use this on a section at a level above your news section)
Specify where you want the “Read more” to point
A carry over from pre 2017 redesign – should be phased out
Let’s take a look at this in the CMS…

13. Tools for Telling Stories – News Content Types
The “2017 – News Pagination Control” Content Type
Add it to the section that contains your news items
Will break your news into pages
Will add a pagination control onto the bottom of your news listing page
Let’s take a look at this in the CMS…

14. The Storytelling Paradigm in Action
with Jane Haynes, Office of Marketing and Communications 

15. Why Storytelling Matters
translates research into a language everyone can understand
unpacks complex concepts for universal understanding
spotlights tangible, relatable, important values/findings
captures interest
Endless possibilities!

16. Making the Human Connection
The most compelling story is the human story

17. Making the Human Connection
A good story…
is relatable
appeals to our emotions (e.g. art)
appeals to our morality (e.g. sustainability)
appeals to our self-interest (e.g. health)
appeals to our natural sense of curiosity (e.g. history)

18. Focus on Research: The Science of Storytelling
Fairy tale
Research
Once upon a time…
Issue/question
Every day…
Previous research/current solutions
Then, one day…
Your hypothesis
Because of this…
Your research: case studies/data collection/interviews/sampling
Until finally…
Your conclusions
And since that day…
Impact of your research

19. Finding the Human Interest Angle
Bring it back to your basic storytelling structure
Ask key questions, like:
Why? Why is this research important?
          Why should people care about it?
How? How are you conducting your research?
          (key processes, people, events, etc.)
What? What is the impact of your research?

20. Finding the Human Interest Angle
Fairy tale
Research
Once upon a time…
Issue/question
Every day…
Previous research/current solutions
Why?
Then, one day…
Your hypothesis
Because of this…
Your research: case studies/data collection/interviews/sampling
How?
Until finally…
Your conclusions
And since that day…
Impact of your research
What?

21. Avoiding the Antibiotic Apocalypse

22. Avoiding the Antibiotic Apocalypse
Story
Research
Once upon a time…
Antibiotics were developed…
Every day…
They were prescribed to treat everyone, from babies to the elderly…
Then, one day…
Our bodies have evolved to become resistant to their effects…
Because of this…
Researchers have been investigating alternative treatments…
Until finally…
Phage was identified as having potential…
And since that day…
The APC has been investigating its uses, and researchers think it could be a viable option…
See our article online

23. Non-research stories: Charting the hero’s journey
Subject
Call to adventure
Point of interest/ reason for the story
Cross the threshold
How and why you get started
Tests, allies, enemies
Challenges, help, roadblocks
Ordeal
Ups and downs of the journey
Reward or revelation
The turning point/ ‘aha’ moment
The road back
What you’ve learned, how you’ve adapted
Returning with the elixir
Your win/success
Use for profiles, sporting victories, events, projects, etc

24. Spin-out Success
See our article online

25. Spin-out Success Hero Subject Call to adventure
Food companies coming to APC looking for a service outside of their remit
Cross the threshold
An APC group decided to set up a clinical trials company
Tests, allies, enemies
Challenges of starting a business
Collaboration with university bodies was key
Ordeal
Constant innovation their services, resources, workforce to perfect process
Reward or revelation
They grew, year upon year
The road back
They realised that this model works and has potential for expansion
Returning with the elixir
Now celebrating sustained success in Cork, and Stateside expansion

26. Pride of Cork
See our article online

27. Pride of Cork Hero Subject Call to adventure Childhood love of sport
Cross the threshold
Played, excelled at club and college levels
Tests, allies, enemies
Clubs, victories, titles, UCC, Great players
Ordeal
Calls to get rid of Sigerson football
Reward or revelation
Previous Sigerson cup success
How the competition serves as a breeding ground for county football
The road back
Competing
Returning with the elixir
Pre-competition: hope for success
Post-competition: winning the title

28. Sharing Your Story Key message = strongest human interest angle
Use simple language that everyone can understand
Keep your message basic – how would you explain it to your granny?
Beginning, middle, end = Why? How? What?

29. Editorial Avoid using jargon – e.g. pertaining/relating
Use only the most essential and compelling quotes
Introduce your human interest angle at the beginning
Choose a strong headline
Don’t compromise on images and media
Brief and bite-size, where possible

30. Audio and Video
Use audio and video where editorial doesn’t make the strongest case or needs a little something extra
Example: Mental Health in the Community
Powerful human interest story weaved into a package that everyone can understand/relate to

31. Questions?