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Profiles are analytical, informative, and thought-provoking portraits of a person or place, or of an activity that brings people together. They may be cultural ethnographies, ranging from a day-in-the-life to extended immersion studies of communities or people at work and at play. They are intensively researched, centering on the field research techniques of colorful observations and edifying interviews. As a result, profiles are always entertaining to read, sometimes amusing, and often compelling. Whether written in a college course, for the broader community, or about the workplace, at their best profiles bring their subjects to life, taking us behind the scenes.

IN COLLEGE COURSES

A college student who plans to become a teacher visits a middle school class to study how a group of sixth graders collaborate on a project. During multiple visits, she makes notes of her observations and her interviews with the students and their teacher. To keep the focus on the children’s activities, she reports as a spectator, weaving her insights about their collaborative process into a detailed narrative of a typical half-hour session. As she writes, the central idea emerges that the success of their collaboration depends on the children’s frequent talk—both planning what to do next and reflecting on what they have already accomplished. After completing her ethnographic profile, she posts it on the class bulletin board for her classmates and others interested in collaborative learning.

IN THE COMMUNITY

A newspaper reporter is assigned to write a profile of a mural project recently commissioned by the city of Los Angeles, so he visits the studio of the local artist in charge of the project. They discuss the specifics of the mural project and the artist’s views of other civic art projects, and the artist invites the reporter to spend the following day at the site. The next day, the artist puts the reporter to work alongside two volunteers. The reporter intends to use his firsthand experience, interviews with volunteers, and photos of the project to describe the painting from a participant-observer’s point of view. Later, writing copy for the Sunday paper, the reporter organizes the profile around the artist’s goals for the project, the experience of volunteers, and the mural’s importance as civic art.

IN THE WORKPLACE

For a company newsletter, a public-relations officer profiles the corporation’s new chief executive officer (CEO). He follows the CEO from meeting to meeting, taking photographs and observing her interactions with colleagues. Between meetings, he interviews her about her management philosophy and her five-year plan for the corporation. Immediately after the interviews, he makes notes and writes down questions to ask as follow-up. A day later, the CEO invites the writer to visit her at home. He watches her help her daughter with homework, chats with her husband, and takes more photographs. The writer decides to illustrate the profile with images of the CEO at her desk working and with her daughter. As he reports on some of the challenges she anticipates for the corporation, he tries to convey the confidence she shows both at work and at home.

In this chapter, we ask you to write a profile. Whether you choose something you know well or something you want to learn about, focus on it as if for the first time, and choose details that will not only make it come alive for your readers but also show them why your subject is intriguing and important. As you write your profile, consider how you can most effectively convey your insights to your readers. Consider, too, whether using visuals or multimedia would help your readers more fully grasp your subject.