Seven great ways to start an article

We’ve all been there. We need to write that important 500 word article before the end of the day. We have reams of notes, pages of technical info and stacks of truly amazing benefits. If only we could get the blasted thing started!

For most writers, getting beyond the blank screen (or constantly deleting the clichéd, boring or irrelevant openings) is the hardest part of writing an article. Once they’re up and running, all those product features, mind-blowing stats and glowing testimonials seem to just fall into place.

So here are seven ways to start an article. They give you a lead in, a hook, an idea that you can hang everything else from. Every opening won’t suit every subject, but there should be something here to inspire even the worst case of writer’s block.

Oh, and in case anyone is considering law suits, the following ‘facts’ are for illustrative purposes only.

Topical
In a week in which Luis Squarez has been fined £66,000 and banned from football-related activities for four months, a new government white paper looks at the correlation between punishment and behaviour.

Historical/anniversary
In 1954, BMW launched the ‘Dynamic’, its first electric car. Exactly 60 years later, the stunning new BMW i8 shows just how far electric engineering has come.

Anecdotal
Although I broke two ribs and busted my ankle, whenever I tell anyone I was thrown out of, and then run over by, a golf buggy, I am greeted with peals of laughter. Corporate hospitality events really shouldn’t be left up to amateurs.

Survey/statistics
Men are four times more likely to lie than women, and the average person tells at least three lies a day, according to research by Royal Holloway. Is this a worrying thought for those charged with recruiting new employees?

Unconventional/surprise
His CV is full of typos, he hasn’t held down a decent job in years and he refuses to start work before 10.00am. Meet the new chairman of XYZ plc.

Hypothetical
If you could run a fleet of trucks on used chip fat, an air conditioning system on recycled polystyrene cups and a pizza oven on old beer bottle tops, would you be prepared to hike your prices up by over 100% to meet the costs? While businesses talk of green energy, few companies are prepared to switch if it means losing sales. 

Shared problem
We’ve all been there. We need to write that important 500 word article before the end of the day. We have reams of notes, pages of technical info and stacks of truly amazing benefits. If only we could get the blasted thing started!

See what I did there?

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Why Cameron and Suarez need to learn to say “won’t” rather than “can’t”

In a week in which David Cameron has been rebuked by Mr Justice Saunders for talking about Andy Coulson before the trial had ended and Luis Suarez is condemned for allegedly biting Giorgio Chiellini, I’m reminded of the benefits of saying “won’t” rather than “can’t”.

Years ago, while studying communication skills, I learnt something that I’d always known but had never really considered. When we say we “can’t” do something we rarely mean that it’s physically impossible. We generally mean we could do it but we’d prefer not to.

Most of us, at one time or other, have said “I’m so sorry, I can’t come to your party/leaving do/meeting/etc” when what we actually mean is “I don’t want to come to your party/leaving do/meeting/etc”. “Can’t” is great get out. It implies that we want to do something but we are simply unable to. Few people question it and we generally get away without appearing rude or having to make an effort.

But what happens if someone does question it? What if the host says: “Oh dear, that’s a shame, why not?” We usually find ourselves making up excuses, or white lies as we like to call them. Fine if the person we are ‘white-lying’ to accepts our reasons, but woe betide the excuse-maker faced with the Jeremy Paxmans of this world.

Okay, so David Cameron wanted to calm a potential political storm and do that thing that everyone in power does – acknowledge responsibility without actually taking it. But he would have avoided the reprimand, and gained a modicum of respect, if after Andy Coulson was found guilty of conspiring to hack phones he had simply said: “I won’t be making any comments until the trial is over.”

Equally, Suarez would do well to stop hiding behind the “I can’t help it; it’s a bad habit” thing and adopt the “I won’t do it again” mantra.

By declaring “I won’t do something” means that you have made a commitment to change. It means that you’ll find the will to make it happen. “I can’t do something” means you’ve given up even trying.

In my time management and assertiveness workshops, I encourage participants to use “won’t” rather than “can’t” when they are negotiating. “I won’t do this task today; I will do it by the end of the week” is far more powerful than “I can’t do it today” and far more effective.

To find out how communication skills training can help you manage personal behaviour, please visit www.bigfishtraining.com.