1/23/2008: How to Offer Constructive Feedback

By Dalya F. Massachi

“If your first draft is perfect, you're probably doing something wrong.” (line often heard in my writing workshops)

Thus far, I have offered suggestions on planning and writing effective resumes and cover letters. This fifth column features tips on how to edit these (and other) documents by giving constructive feedback. You can use the ideas to help edit your own work or that of the employees or volunteers you supervise.

Editing multiple drafts is one of the essential secrets to putting out a document you can be proud of. If you put some distance between yourself and your first draft, you will be amazed at the things you can fix! In fact, every piece I write has improved by the third or fourth (or tenth) draft.

Remember: Your job as an editor is to preserve the writer’s original intent and style, while clarifying, smoothing out, livening up and correcting the piece.

Editing is all about finding the spots that work especially well, and then offering suggestions for how to strengthen areas of weakness. It’s a good idea to talk about the positive aspects of the document first, and then explore the challenge areas.

Here’s a handy checklist of basic things you need to make sure you cover. (Hint: You can also use this list as a cover sheet to attach to any document you need to edit.)

Step 1: Ask yourself these overall content questions:

• Does the piece effectively achieve the writer’s purposes?
• Does the piece contain all the information the reader needs to get a clear understanding of the subject, especially the key benefits and features?
• Does the piece engage the intended readers? That is, is it reader-centered and not writer-centered?
• Does the piece cast the writer’s work in the best light and position it as vital to the community and/or the reader?
• Does the writer try to draw conclusions for the readers, or instead prompt their own sensory or visceral experiences?
• How do you feel (your emotional response) after reading the piece?

Example: Does it leave you feeling confused, unconvinced, dissatisfied, frustrated, disappointed, or hopeless? These things are especially important to know in the nonprofit sector. After all, we’re not just out to share facts and figures, but also perspectives and solutions!

Step 2: Take a closer look at the mechanics of the piece as a written document.

Make sure that:

• The piece is easy to read and understand;
• The sequence is logical and flows well;
• The tone is appropriate (and doesn’t shift around);
• The piece does not include any clichés, awkward phrases, jargon, unexplained acronyms, or soap-box preachiness;
• The headline or opening sentence captures the reader's attention (or at least makes a good attempt);
• The ending leaves readers with valuable information and the right attitude.

Step 3: Catch any typos and grammatical errors.

Don’t rely on your computer’s spell-checker! Many homonyms and incorrect words can slip through unnoticed. The best way to do this final proofreading is to print out the document and read it on paper with a colored pen in hand.

Strong editing can often make the difference between a barely passable document and one that shines. Polish makes perfect.

Dalya F. Massachi

Dalya F. Massachi specializes in helping nonprofit professionals advance their missions through outstanding written materials.

She has worked with community-minded organizations for more than 15 years: authoring countless successful marketing pieces, articles, and grant proposals; teaching popular writing workshops; and coaching professionals one-on-one. She will soon publish "Writing to Make a Difference: 50 Powerful Tools & Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact.”

Check out and subscribe to her e-newsletter at her website: http://www.dfmassachi.net dalya@dfmassachi.net