WCC COMM 118

1. The Art of the Lead

2. The Lead Captures the
Essence of the Story
Doesn’t sound “written”, but
rather conversational
Narrative Storytelling Format-
you’re telling a story, not just
delivering “facts”

3. Relay Needed Information
to the Viewer/Listener
Making Yourself Clear ON
THE FIRST ATTEMPT - You
Only Get One Chance!

4. What is a Story “Lead”?
• The First Sentence
• Most Important Element
• Functions Much like a Headline Does for a
Newspaper
• “Point of Purchase” = will they “buy” it?
• A Main Difference between Print and Broadcast
Journalism in Regards to Leads?
 PRINT = Skip to the Next Story
 BROADCAST = Change the Channel/Station

5. “What’s In It For Me?” – When
Possible Address This for the
Viewer/Listener In Lead
• Will they get valuable info?
• Will they get an important question
answered?
• Will they get a nice surprise?
• Will they be shocked?

6. Lead = Sales Pitch
YOU MUST KNOW THE ESSENCE
OF THE STORY YOURSELF
Capture the Essence and Make A
Connection to the Viewer

7. Avoid Past Tense, but be Natural and
Smart About It – Don’t Just Change
“Was” to “Is” and “Got” to “Get”, for
example
Your lead must still sound natural
and not like “TV SPEAK”/forced
present tense

8. BOOK’S EXAMPLE: PAGE 37 – 39:
• Use Worksheet
• A TUCSON BANK WAS ROBBED THIS
MORNING…AND THE GUNMAN GOT
AWAY. (PAST)
• A TUCSON BANK IS ROBBED THIS
MORNING…AND THE GUNMAN GETS
AWAY (FORCED PRESENT TENSE/“TV
SPEAK”)

9. 3 QUESTIONS WILL HELP FIX
THIS:
• WHO are the participants in this story?
• WHAT ARE each of the participants doing
right now/at the time your story airs?
• WHAT WILL they be doing later tonight,
tomorrow, or next week?
These Answers Will Help You Rewrite the
Lead.

10. WHO are the participants in this story?
• Police
• Employees Checking the Surveillance
Tape
• Bank Teller Who Was Robbed
• Witnesses
• The Gunman
• Otis Armstrong, a passerby
• The Viewing/Listening Public

11. WHAT are each of the participants doing
right now/at the time your story airs?
• Police Are Looking for the Gunman
• The Gunman is Trying to Avoid Capture
• Bank Teller Who Was Robbed Is Telling
His Story and Glad to be Alive
• Passerby is Doing the Same
• Bank Is Checking Surveillance Tapes

12. WHAT will they be doing later?
• The Gunman Will or Won’t Be Caught
• The Bank Will Release the Surveillance
Tape
• The Bank Will Reopen Tomorrow With
Business As Usual
• A GOOD LEAD CAN BE FASHIONED OUT
OF ANY AND ALL OF THESE FACTS

13. In Class Exercise:
 USING YOUR WORKSHEET AND THE BOOK’S
EXAMPLE, WRITE YOUR OWN PRESENT AND
FUTURE TENSE LEADS TO SHARE WITH THE
CLASS –BE ORIGINAL AND DON’T COPY THE
BOOK’S SUGGESTIONS. THAT’S TWO LEADS
YOU NEED TO WRITE – PRESENT AND FUTURE –
FOCUSING ON A PARTICIPANT IN THE STORY.
YOU CAN USE THE SAME PARTICIPANT FOR
BOTH OR TWO DIFFERENT PARTICIPANTS.

14. What’s the Most Interesting Human
Element of this Story?
Who Has the Most Interesting and
Colorful Story to Tell?

15. PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES:
ONE TUCSON MAN IS
RECOVERING FROM A
FRIGHTFUL EXPERIENCE THIS
AFTERNOON.

16. PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES:
THIS HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A
DAY ONE TUCSON MAN WON’T
SOON FORGET

17. FUTURE TENSE EXAMPLES:
WHEN OTIS ARMSTRONG
RETURNS TO WORK
TOMORROW…HE’LL HAVE ONE
AMAZING STORY TO TELL HIS
FRIENDS.

18. FUTURE TENSE EXAMPLES:
POLICE HOPE EVIDENCE TO BE
RELEASED TOMORROW WILL
HELP THEM CATCH A CROOK.

19. FUTURE TENSE EXAMPLES:
OTIS ARMSTRONG’S FAMILY
AND FRIENDS WILL LIKELY BE
HEARING ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED TO HIM TODAY FOR
YEARS TO COME.

20. EVEN PAST TENSE CAN BE
USED IF DONE SMARTLY:
ONE SECOND OTIS ARMSTRONG
WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREET
WITHOUT A CARE IN THE
WORLD…THE NEXT…HE WAS
DIVING FOR COVER.

21. Video/Audio Offers the
Opportunity to Make a Direct
Connection with Audience
Ask a Question: HOW MUCH
TIME DID YOU SPEND IN
TRAFFIC THIS MORNING?
Using “YOU” Directly Addresses
Audience and Engages Them

22. Challenge Their Expectations
YOU MIGHT THINK IT’S NOT
EASY TO GET AWAY WITH
MURDER…BUT THAT’S NOT
THE CASE IN BLAMVILLE.
DETECTIVES THERE HAVE
SOLVED FEWER THAN HALF
OF LAST YEAR’S KILLINGS.

23. Relate to their Experiences*
IF YOU’VE EVER DRIVEN ON
THE INTERSTATE AND FOUND
YOURSELF SANDWICHED
BETWEEN TWO SEMIS…YOU
KNOW HOW FRIGHTENING BIG
RIGS CAN BE.
*Be sure it’s a common experience, though

24. How Many Facts Should Your
Lead Contain?
Maybe no specific facts at all
BOOK EXAMPLE: PAGE 37-38

25. SAMPLE LEAD:
A TRANSPUDDLE AIRLINES
SEVEN-THIRTY-SEVEN WITH FIFTY-
SEVEN PASSENGERS ON BOARD
DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM
BUENOS AIRES THIS
MORNING…SPARKING A MAJOR
SEARCH BY THE ARGENTINE AIR
FORCE.

26. SAMPLE LEAD:
 WAY TOO MANY FACTS
 WE DON’T NEED TO KNOW
EVERYTHING IN THE FIRST
BREATH/SENTENCE
 KEEP IT SIMPLE!

27. SAMPLE LEAD:
 WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS
OUT OF ARGENTINA THIS
AFTERNOON…A MASSIVE
SEARCH IS UNDERWAY
FOR A MISSING JETLINER

28.  A STORY ROADMAP HAS THREE
MAIN ELEMENTS:
 PREVIEW (BEGINNING)
 VIEW (MIDDLE)
 REVIEW (END)

29.  PREVIEW (BEGINNING)
 YOUR LEAD SIGNALS THE
TYPE OF STORY
 VIEW (MIDDLE)
 THE PERTINENT FACTS
 REVIEW (END)
 SUMMARIZES CURRENT
STATUS AND/OR LOOKS
AHEAD

30.  PREVIEW/BEGINNING:
 WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS OUT OF ARGENTINA
THIS AFTERNOON…A MASSIVE SEARCH IS
UNDERWAY FOR A MISSING JETLINER.
 VIEW/MIDDLE:
 PERTINENT FACTS
 REVIEW/END:
 AUTHORITIES SAY THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING
PLANE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT.
 IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER ANY OF THE MISSING
PASSENGERS IS AMERICAN.
 THE AIRLINE IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF
CONTACTING RELATIVES OF MISSING PASSENGERS.

31.  PREVIEW (BEGINNING)
 YOUR LEAD SIGNALS THE
TYPE OF STORY
 VIEW (MIDDLE)
 THE PERTINENT FACTS
 REVIEW (END)
 SUMMARIZES CURRENT
STATUS AND/OR LOOKS
AHEAD

32. To know how to tell a story, you
must first know what the story is!
Always ask yourself, “What is this
story about?”
If you can’t answer that in one
short declarative sentence you
need to stop and narrow your
focus

33. For your own purposes and
before you even start writing…
DEFINE THE “SOMETHING”
What happened?
DEFINE THE “SOMEONE”
Who did it happen to?

34. If you know the story you’re
telling, you’ll be much more
likely to tell it to your audience
in an engaging and effective
narrative way that helps them
feel they’ve lived it
themselves…

35. Always write in an ACTIVE
VOICE
SUBJECT then VERB then
OBJECT
ACT = Actor + Commission +
Target

36. KEEP IT SIMPLE – DON’T
OVERLOAD THE LEAD
SAVE THE DETAILS FOR THE
BODY OF THE STORY
REMEMBER: A LEAD IS A
HEADLINE!
PREVIEW THE STORY – DON’T
SUMMARIZE IT

37. Write How People Listen, NOT How
They Read
Using the “Mom Rule”, Visualize Sitting
Down with the Viewer/Listener and
Telling Them the Story
Keep Your Sentences Short
Be Friendly and Informal
Applies to Both your Leads and Copy

38. LEAD=FIRST SENTENCE
A CONVERSATIONAL HEADLINE
DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LONG OR
FULL OF FACTS
HIGHLIGHT HUMAN ELEMENTS
TO DRAW IN VIEWER/LISTENER
IDENTIFY STORY’S
PARTICIPANTS & ESSENCE
FOCUS ON PRESENT/FUTURE

39. Writing Leads Quiz
Chapters 7, 8, & 9
Basic TV News Forms

40. Individual Reviews of Writing
Exercise #2