The Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) is conducting a two-day course on Writing Newsworthy Profiles from 4-5 September 2008 in Johannesburg.

To grab readers, a profile needs to show what makes the individual tick as well as the larger newsworthy issue in question. Yet most profiles read like resumes, a dull lead identifying the subject, after which quote after quote roles out devoid of relevance. Proposing techniques from creative non-fiction, this 2-day workshop will show you how to write a profile that comes alive. A good profile is like a personality portrait composed of carefully crafted evidence, so that at the end you know why this particular person ended up in this particular place, doing this particular thing.

Course outcomes:

• Interview in a way that encourages your subject to open up
• Use brainstorming and mind-mapping techniques to find your subject’s theme
• Separate the wheat from the chaff, selecting anecdotes to achieve focus
• Sift material to produce a personality portrait 
• Apply techniques of creative non-fiction to show rather than tell
• Choose quotes that are soundbites rather than talking heads 
• Alternate between showing and telling, narrative and dialogue to create a tapestry
• Show what makes your subject tick in tandem with the larger issue s/he represents 
• Edit and tighten so that your profile flows

Dates: 4-5 September 2008
Time: 8h30
Location: IAJ, 9 Jubilee Road, Parktown, Johannesburg
Contact Person: Gugu Ndaba / Tel: 011 4841765 / Email here 

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