Our Approach
At Red Dog Writers Group, we use a simple model to analyze every act of communication we undertake on behalf of our clients. We look at five elements:
- the sender—the person or organization transmitting a message
- the message—what the sender wishes to communicate
- the receiver—the audience the sender wants to reach
- the channel—the means the sender uses to transmit the message
- noise—anything and everything that has the potential to interfere with the successful transmission of the message
Simple.
And complex. The first three elements are fairly straightforward. Who are you? What do you want to get across? Who are you trying to reach? It’s the client’s job (with the writer’s help) to articulate these three elements. It’s the writer’s job (with the client’s input) to identify the channel, craft the message, and eliminate potential sources of noise.
The beauty of this model is that it applies to both simple, straightforward assignments and complicated assignments. Whether the task is a direct mail brochure or an annual report or an op-ed piece or a website, this model helps the client and the writer work together to create a focused and effective act of communication.
A word about noise. Noise can be anything. If the goal of your brochure is to attract the general public to your art exhibition, an overly scholarly tone is noise. If the goal is to attract scholars to your symposium, an informal tone might be noise.
Our particular skill is in developing the channel--finding an imaginative and engaging way to communicate the message. Usually this involves writing a text of some kind, but sometimes it involves finding a different way to tell the story. Read on for a specific example…