The Content Move-Around

You ask for feedback. Or maybe you don’t ask, but you get it. And the majority of changes relate to content, more time-consuming and frustrating than an all-red jigsaw puzzle. The solution is to show your original list to your editor. Get feedback, play with the order together, settle any content problems up front. Then, if necessary, show your editor the draft before you edit for structure.

This Feedback Would Make Perfect Sense . . . If Only I Understood It!

You get feedback written on the margins on your page or typed on a separate piece of paper. Your editor — a coworker renowned for his

One Hundred Frenchmen, and Other Aspects
of the Resiliency Test

You’re not sure what happened. But, suddenly, you’re writing a proposal for what could be the biggest account in the company’s history. Millions of dollars hover between your moist fingertips and the keys you punch to articulate a message. Finally, you finish, edit for structure . . . fine, word use . . . change those general expressions into specific ones. Then you show not one, but two of your coworkers. You flip the pages, read their comments. Now you’re ready to make changes. Except for one problem. Your editors commented on everything from the way you presented key benefits to your comma use.

What do you do? Give your editors’ comments the resiliency test. First, see how well their comments stand up against logic. If, for example, one editor suggests that you heap in jargon for a more professional and credible message, don’t. Why add dull words and phrases when you’re striving to create interest? Next, see whether

your editors’ comments are consistent with each other and with comments you’ve received before. If they are, you’d better edit. For as the old adage says, “If one hundred Frenchmen say you’re drunk, you’d better go sit down.” skills. Or maybe a boss with a perfect understanding of the material. You know this person’s advice must be helpful, except there’s one problem: you don’t understand any of it. The solution is easy. Simply arrange to discuss the edits. In-person discussions are best, since you can look at the copy together, flip to other sections, pull out support documents and read through them together. If meeting in person isn’t possible, try the telephone.

CONCLUSION

Never be shy about showing your unfinished document to someone you trust. After all, quality matters most in a compelling message. Make sure your editor understands how to edit. Make sure you listen to his or her suggestions. And in the end, trust your own judgment.