Do you remember that D+ report in high school?
The one with sentence fragments and wrong words in place of the right ones?
Yeah.
That report.
Mom wasn’t happy.
Let me help you avoid this problem and save money on proofing your company documentation.
’Cause in the real world, critics can be worse than your mom … or Mr. Eley in your sophomore English class.
And each error can hurt your professional reputation.
1st: Know it’s important
Maybe you still have trouble with accuracy and clarity in documents.
I often hear:
“You know, Kathie, no one really cares if my work isn’t perfect.
They probably won’t even notice.”
Gulp.
I always tell them the same thing:
“The people you want to do business with … will care.”
2nd: Helping your editor + proofer = saving $$
“Save money!”
When I edit or proof for you – tech or text – it’s my job to make your project better.
If I find too many problems with your work, I give you a choice:
“Do you want me to fix these for you? Or do you want to try again?”
The more you improve items before they reach me, the more $$ you’ll save.
“HELLO-O-O, Kathie.
Remember?
D+ report.
How am I gonna fix this?!”
You may not.
But you are surrounded by a gold mine of free help.
3rd: “… a little help from your friends.”
Having other people lend their ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to your work is an invaluable asset in quality.
Friends will usually help at no cost to you.
( Look for the infographic of this process at the end of this post. )
- Send your work to someone who even complains about the text on billboards! (Make sure they haven’t seen your project.)
- Have them suggest – or perform – edits.
- Incorporate changes as necessary.
- Repeat these tasks with a second person (using the updated file).
When you follow these steps:
• Confusing text may disappear from your work.
• Money may stay in your pocket.
• You’ll probably learn things you can apply later.
• Your editor or proofer usually finishes more quickly (fewer $$ charged).
• Everything can go more smoothly in the future.
What’s not to like?!
Your Takeaway: The way we represent ourselves with our words is important. People notice … especially when it all goes horribly wrong!
Here is the infographic I mentioned earlier.
Download it as a quick 4-Steps reference.
Enjoy!
Join the Conversation:
Chime in by answering one of these questions or bringing your own:
- Will you share a quick story about a bbaadd file you gave a boss? (Yikes!)
- How did you fix a problem with a ‘hopeless’ efile?
- If you’re an instructor or supervisor, what do you look for when critiquing students’ or employees’ work?
Let’s learn from each other!
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