Becoming a Public Relations Writer: Strategic Writing for Emerging and Established Media by Smith Ronald D

Author:Smith, Ronald D. [Smith, Ronald D.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781317302971
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2016-08-04T16:00:00+00:00

Personal Profile

A personal profile goes beyond the biographical narrative and provides more insight and, well, more personal information about an individual, often someone who is an established figure such as a celebrity or an organizational executive. For such people, interest may lie more in the personality than in particular accomplishments.

Whereas biographical narratives often are based on information provided by the person you are writing about, profiles are more likely to focus on what other people say about the subject and on what you observe from your own interviews. Half a dozen personal reminiscences might lay the foundation for a profile.

During the research stage of writing, the writer identifies likely information sources and develops probing questions to ask about the person being profiled. For example, suppose you were assigned to develop a personal profile about a professor at your college or university. Let’s call him Gregor Aleksandr, a Russian-language professor who is receiving a President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. This could be a preliminary research program for your profile:

First, you could interview some of his students: What is Dr. Aleksandr like in the classroom? What can you tell me about how he relates to students? How has he helped you? What do you hear other students saying about Dr. Aleksandr?

Next, you might interview some of the professor’s colleagues: What is it like to teach in the same department as Dr. Aleksandr? What do you recall about the first time you met him? In what way is he the model of an effective professor? What do you hear your students say about Dr. Aleksandr?

Finally, you might try to interview some of Dr. Aleksandr’s former students and members of organizations in which he is active, such as the Council for International Visitors and the Association of Slavic Languages.

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