OFFICIAL LIVEBLOG - Leadership: Writing Your Op-Ed

Session Description: Katie Orenstein kindly excerpts the most actionable and practical segment of The Op-Ed Project with this session about quality opinion writing. Both the basics of crafting a high-quality, credible piece, and then the tactics to get that piece wider distribution. You’ll learn about the basic structure Op-Eds have, how you can play with that structure, what different kinds of evidence lends a piece credibility, what mainstream media editors are looking for, how you can become part of their pipeline and more practical, actionable information on getting your word out. Even if you have no other intent but to publish your opinion pieces on your blog, mainstream media be damned!, this session will improve your skills and persuasiveness.

The Op-Ed project was an organization founded on hapenstance. It evolved out of the issue that women don't submit op-eds as much as men. 90% submissions are men. 88% bylines are men.
What if we could bump up the numbers? What if we could switch the tipping point?

The Op-Ed pages – thought leadership. Feed media. They drive book contracts, feature stories, who goes on TV...
Op-Eds are evidence based short form pieces.

The Op-Ed pages are key opinion forums.

It might be hard to run for congress, but it's not hard to write an Op-Ed.

The Op-Ed Project works with professional women to teach them to write good Op-Eds.

And itn all boils down to answering 5 Questions:

1) What is credibility and how do you establish it?
2) What's an evidence based argument? How does it differ from rhetoric?
3) What's the difference between being right and being effective?
4) What's the bigger picture and how do you and your ideas fit into it?
5) Do you understand your knowledge and experience in terms of your value to other people?

An Op-Ed is a metaphor for thought leadership and a strategy. It's the gateway to public conversation. It is a mean of measuring results.

Building an evidence based argument

Is an Op-Ed just an opinion? No, it's an argument that brings someone to your opinion. Opinion doesn't have to build a case for something, an argument does.

An Op-Ed is: An argument by an “expert” backed up by evidence that's timely and of public value.

Elements of a persuasive argument

There's no right way to do it. Common sense trumps everything. If you have a better way, do it your way. Independent thinking-building a conversation is more important that abiding by a formula.

Most arguments begin with a LEDE. Something that grabs the reader's attention.
    Say something provocative
    Tell a story
    Ask a good question
    Metaphor
    Draw a colorful picture
    State a statistic – if it's shocking.
    
If we care about something the onus is on us to put it out there in a way that catches people's attention.
Nobody owes us their attention.

A lede is created around a Newshook. Timeliness is key. It could be something that is:

    In the news
    Not in the news, but should be.
    A seasonal event, a holiday.
    An anniversary – 1st, 5th, 10th, 20th, 50th.
    A trends – 3 independent instances of something.
    The release of new data. - the release is the newshook, not the data.
    A new book/movie/tv show.
    
A lede is based on a newshook, but its goal is to grab your attention.
If the story is more compelling than the newshook sometimes the hook appears at the end of the piece.

Why is this important? You can find newshooks everywhere around you.

Who decides what's important and timely? Humans do.
If your ideas are good they're probably timely lots of times. Understand your relevance in a more expansive way.

After lede, you need a statement of your thesis.
The thesis is the statement of the argument.
Might look like this:
    Point one – evidence, evidence, conclusion.
    Point two – evidence, evidence, conclusion    
    Point three – evidence, evidence, conclusion
    As many points as you need, but three is a magic number for humans.

Most important word – evidence.
What constitute evidence
    Stats/#s/Surveys/Trends
    Anecdotes/Examples
    Quotes by experts/witnesses
    Study/Research results
    Credible news/Events
    History
    Personal Experience
    Logic

When writing an Op-Ed it's not enough to restate an argument. What's your contribution?
What's your AHA! point of view?     

Eloquence alone is never enough of a contribution. You need an interesting angle.

After the argument you have a “to be sure” paragraph – a chance to address the counter argument.
Addressing the flaws in your argument and what the opposition says makes you look more fair, balanced, and credible. Anticipate and give answer to the counter argument. Frame the opposition in your own terms.
Dismiss or acknowledge the counter argument.
If you're going to counter, you need to trump the argument. Make an argument that is more persuasive than the counter. (It's always best not to actually use the phrase “To be sure.” It makes you look like an amateur.)

The “to be sure” concept is worth spending LOTS of time on. Can be a very strong tool in an Op-Ed.

Moral frame

If we have the same moral frame we tend to remember and listen more/better.

Stufy the metaphors you live by, it's a good way to know what moral frame you live by.

Use moral frame to show empathy and respect. –> both very effective to get people to LISTEN.

Once you offer the empathy and respect, it opens the door to say what you really want to say. Frees you.

You can start a conversation rather than ending one.

Conclusion
Be specific and make sure any solution you feel you HAVE to offer is doable.

The nature of the Op-Ed project is to increase the number of Op-Eds submitted by women. Might be a biology thing - men might just be better at it - but how will we know if we aren't submitting? Let's bump the numbers. Need to double the numbers of women submitting.

Write an OpEd! Submit it! Check the Op-Ed Project site for resources and advice.
Think of women you know who should get their voices out there and TELL THEM.

Need an example? Read these great Op-Eds.

MLK Letters from Birmingham Jail
Gloria Steinam If Men Could Menstruate.

Jessica Rosenberg (aka kikadesa, kikarose, and sometimes just plain Rose) is an aspiring novelist and freelance writer who blogs daily at It's My Life... and posts frequent reviews and giveaways at The Lemonade Stand