I Live for Soundbites

Stylebook Steve strikes again and again

Think you've got style?

Guess again!

As the broadcast girl of the ASU Reynolds' 2013 group, let's just say today was speedtastic.  Is that a word?  I don't think so.  However, as a broadcaster, time means everything.

Steve Elliott killed it when it came to soundbites today.  That's the term for the TV version of quotes for all you print people.  Before class started, he informed me to buckle up for the ride.

I'm always looking for that short, snappy thing that a person says to hook people in.  In addition, I'm playing images in my head of what captures it visually.  Steve gave me an opportunity today to practice something I'd never done...live tweeting an entire session (Yes, I asked for permission).

Typing feverishly and keeping each message to the 140 character limit was challenging, but so much fun.  I tried my best to keep up with the many memorable things he had to say, including photos with some, while trying to remain focused on the lesson being taught.  It also required being creative with characters "2 fit it all n".  I'll be sure to take this back to my newsroom as an activity I'll be incorporating throughout the year.

Steve also chronicled my efforts in his Storify:
http://storify.com/irewrite/reynolds-institute-ap-style-and-grammar

I'm all over this thing!  You can follow me on Twitter @evadcoleman

It would have been so much easier had I been rolling with my video camera!  That simply requires editing and keeping what's needed, throwing out the rest and playing back.  Easy for me to say, huh, print journalists?

Eva D. Coleman
Frisco ISD Career and Technical Education Center
Frisco, Texas