8 ways reporters’ skills can defeat writer’s block—and help you find stories

Whether you’re stuck on a dull assignment from your execs or you can’t find a topic for that external blog, journalists’ techniques can dynamite the logjam.

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It happens to the best of us. You’re sitting at your computer, faced with writing a communiqué, press release or internal story on a dry topic.

The screen is blank, and you are mired in a tarpit of writer’s block.

Every writer faces difficult spells on a regular basis. Whether you’re suffering from writer’s block or a dearth of intranet article ideas, reporters’ story-hunting techniques can blast away the logjam and get the words flowing.

Many communication pros—whether internal, PR or executive—have had backgrounds as journalists, so it’s natural to reach back into our reporting experience for inspiration. For those who don’t have that experience, the techniques are easy to learn.

[RELATED: Make sure your team is up to date on the latest skills, strategies and practices. Learn more about Ragan Training.]

Here are a few ways to find stories or get the words flowing again:

1. Get internal clients to find story subjects for you.

If your story is hard to write, could it be because you’re writing about products or pushing messages rather than covering the people affected by them?

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