A brief exercise that's provided lots of insight into the elements that make a lede enticing, says Kate Parry of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. It's a good exercise for very quickly engaging a large group.
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Reacting to Ledes

Cut out all the ledes on page one on a given day (in our market I do the Pioneer Press and our competitor). Paste them up (no headlines or bylines) on a single sheet of paper. Label each lede with a letter to identify it as "A" or "B" and so on.

I hand out the sheets and ask everyone to take a few moments to review the ledes.
Then I explain that we're going to go around the group and each person should VERY BRIEFLY say which lead was most engaging and why. I tell them I want a gut reaction, not a long, involved explanation.

It's a very clarifying moment to focus intensely on those words that either grab our readers or don't.

As brief as this exercise is, it's provided lots of insight into the elements that make a lede enticing. Because no one talks for very long -- but everyone speaks briefly -- it's a good exercise for very quickly engaging a large group.(It's important to be ready to jump in and stop anyone who starts a long explanation. There are always a few who struggle with keeping their remarks to a brief, gut reaction.)

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