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If you write for your job or business, you need to read this. If you write at all, you should read this. Editing is an important step in the writing process, and it’s more than checking for typos. A lot more because of what’s at stake.
Editing can prevent awkward situations that result from typos, and it can prevent confusion from a poorly worded message. Here are four reasons to ask someone to edit your work.
Professionalism
Editing is a key step in maintaining your professionalism. A quick review doesn’t take long and saves potential embarrassment and heartache.
For example, if you’re sending a text for work, take an extra second to reread your message. Check your phone didn’t surprise you with autocorrect. Anyone who has used a smartphone long enough has likely experienced an unusual autocorrect suggestion.
When writing emails, check that you’ve spelled the recipient’s name correctly. You don’t like it when people get your name wrong, so treat others with that in mind!
The other party can guess your meaning when you skip a word. However, “I will finish by tomorrow” and “I will not finish by tomorrow” have a completely different meaning.
Editing your work can include checking what you do. I once saw a section on a website that looked like internal notes to team members – because someone had accidentally hit publish instead of save.
Clarify Meaning
It’s clear in your mind what you want to say. Asking a coworker or taking a break before rereading your work can make a huge difference. You may find that your writing isn’t as straightforward as you thought.
Getting someone else to read your work can give you valuable insight. They may ask questions that make you realize you left out details or your meaning wasn’t clear. Or they may have suggestions about how to write something more concisely. Why take fifty words to say something that you can express in thirty?
When you read your work aloud, you might realize you are wordy. You might discover that you need more commas to break up chunks of text in a sentence. Or you may have a sentence that goes on forever and you need to add a period before you pass out from lack of oxygen.
Verify Details
Review important details before publishing a report or sending an email. A simple typo could send your client to the wrong address or invite a colleague to attend a meeting at the wrong time.
Numbers can be boring to check, but they are worth verifying. For example, suppose you have completed several calculations. You’re typing up a table of numbers or copying a bunch of monetary totals as part of a project proposal. Double check your numbers. You don’t want your proposal to say that you can do the project for $1000 when your team quoted $10,000 for the job!
New ideas
Asking someone edit or check over your work is the same as getting a fresh pair of eyes. You’ll see your work from a new perspective. Your coworker could provide suggestions on a more engaging way to word your email.
A colleague could provide ideas for another way to present your information. For example, taking a paragraph of statistics and presenting it as a graph or colourful infographic.
Key Takeaways
It is worth taking the time to double check your work. You could be saving yourself the embarrassment of a costly typo. You could gain insight into writing in a more appealing way to your audience. Be open to learning from mistakes and learning new ways to write.
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