New Storytelling Techniques Are Your Friend

It amazes me still how media has changed over the course of my lifetime. It used to be where I saw a baseball game on television and thought how cool it was to just be able to view a sporting event. I used to fill out scorecards at home while watching, like I would at the game (I wasn't very popular...I was kind of a weird kid).

Now, in advance of a tournament, journalists or readers can get a preview of the course, tips on how to play it, and even what most tour players can do on the hole.

The Arizona Star evidenced this and used it to perfection in advance of the 2008 Accenture Match Play Championships. The map allows a reader to zoom in on any of the 18 holes, and then take an in-depth look at the hole.

On the right, a map of the hole is present with geographic notations and levels with it too. It gives the hole distance and the par score with it, as well as a video above for each hole that explains how a golfer would want to play it. For example, on the first hole from the tee, the golf pro suggests that players drive the ball to the left-center of the fairway, as the right side of the fairway drops down and a ball could wind up in the rough if it fell far enough.

With the availability of these features, when reporting on the event later, it will be easier for a viewer or reader to follow along with the words. It gives an image for a reader to see in their minds.

Visual aids, when done well, can make any piece of writing exponentially better. We can take note of this fact and try to make our visual companion pieces so that they can better pair and strengthen our print efforts.