Be like a fly on the wall

Jennifer Reingold

Jennifer Reingold, senior writer for Fortune magazine, follows the connections between Procter & Gamble’s A.G. Lafley and Bob McDonald as the former hands the reins to the latter.

Jennifer’s story offers great detail as she outlines the company’s succession planning, noting the “Talent Portfolio” – a “blue binder that would probably be worth millions on the open market.” Like a fly on the wall, she shows the two men’s friendship, saying they “finish each other’s sentences, rip each other about the military, and say things like, ‘Remember that time we were together in the Egyptian delta?’”

Today’s Tip: Details don’t have to be forced or fluffy. Correctly used, they can turn what could be a bland story into movie scenes.

From the beginning of the story, Jennifer uses anecdotes to illustrate the transition: Lafley’s new, lower-floor office; his less prominent seat in the leadership meeting.

Gathering details such as these requires reporting with your senses and looking up from your notebook. (For tips on how to do that well, please see this previous post.)

However, adding details effectively to your stories takes practice. Jennifer uses much of her scene detail as transitional information. She also adds tidbits throughout the story so that their introduction doesn’t seem forced.