Think of what you didn’t see amidst all the grandeur and pomp and beauty: not one single pair of blue jeans, not one tank top, not one T-shirt with a funny caption. Why not? Because the dress code matched the event—formal, fancy, classy. Anything less than a suit or a tuxedo would have been out of place. Imagine jeans, tank tops, and funny T-shirts scattered throughout the church. That would have created a far different atmosphere and knocked formal, fancy, and classy down to informal, casual, and tacky.
What does this have to do with editing and branding?
Just like the wrong dress code can reduce a royal wedding extravaganza to a stereotypical shotgun wedding, the wrong dress code in your business communication can reduce your professional, informative, and unique company image to something cheap, unhelpful, and commonplace.
What does this have to do with editing and branding?
Just like the wrong dress code can reduce a royal wedding extravaganza to a stereotypical shotgun wedding, the wrong dress code in your business communication can reduce your professional, informative, and unique company image to something cheap, unhelpful, and commonplace.
How do you dress your business communication properly to send the right message? Make sure your work has had “alterations” for the best fit. Only instead of seams and fabrics, use the tools of proofreading and editing.
Proofreading – Getting Rid of the Wrong
“But I ran it through spell check,” some may say. Well, as nice a tool as spell check is, it falls short in one vital area—it doesn’t think for itself. It’s only as good as its dictionary. Because of that, trusting it to make your copy foolproof is a risky proposition.
“But I ran it through spell check,” some may say. Well, as nice a tool as spell check is, it falls short in one vital area—it doesn’t think for itself. It’s only as good as its dictionary. Because of that, trusting it to make your copy foolproof is a risky proposition.
For example, spell check fails to understand the differences between “it’s” and “its” (though it does mark it while you’re typing, be careful—it’s often trying to “correct” it into a wrong usage) or “they’re” and “their” and “there.” It also doesn’t catch the common mistyping of words like “or” for “of” and “up” for “us.” And that’s the just the beginning. When it comes to proper usage, it doesn’t recognize the differences between “which” and “that” or “less than” and “under,” among other common grammatical mistakes.
Just ask the editors of the Brigham Young University student paper. In 2009, they trusted spell check to “proofread” their copy and accidently accepted the word “apostate” for a misspelling of “apostle.” Then they went to press without proofreading the “corrected” text—and quickly recalled 18,000 copies of the paper (http://www.sunjournal.com/node/85717). As honest a mistake as it was, it did cause the paper a lot of embarrassment.
Suppose you’re driving home and pass a billboard that reads “Better then our competitors.” That’s not exactly going to fill you with confidence in that company’s ability to do its job. It doesn’t matter if that job is laying bricks and has nothing to do with writing or editing. It still reflects poorly on that company’s quality of work. “I wonder if they hurry through their brickwork too, and make similar mistakes,” you might think. Sure, it is a simple mistake and a common error, but it speaks volumes about the business that made it. In other words, it hurt the brand in the eyes of a potential client.
The bottom line: Read your work to proofread it. Sure, use spell check and grammar checkers as tools, but yours must be the mind at work behind them to think beyond where their abilities stop short.
Editing – Making What’s Right Even Better
There’s a common misconception that editing and proofreading are just two ways of saying the same idea. The truth, however, is that editing picks up where proofreading ends. Editing goes beyond correcting spelling and grammar to make your copy the best it can be. (To continue our analogy of getting dressed for the royal wedding, think of proofreading as taking a shower and getting clean—the basics—and editing as visiting your closet to choose the right suit or dress—adding the finishing touches to look your best.)
There’s a common misconception that editing and proofreading are just two ways of saying the same idea. The truth, however, is that editing picks up where proofreading ends. Editing goes beyond correcting spelling and grammar to make your copy the best it can be. (To continue our analogy of getting dressed for the royal wedding, think of proofreading as taking a shower and getting clean—the basics—and editing as visiting your closet to choose the right suit or dress—adding the finishing touches to look your best.)
Good editing looks at style, tone, and voice. It makes sure your professional company has a professional image. It makes sure your casual surf shop has a casual tone in your communication. It makes sure your instructional copy is easy-to-follow and written simply and directly.
Good editing aims first for the ultimate goal of any written message—understanding. It aims for the simple instead of the verbose, the clearly defined instead of the esoteric, and the concrete instead of the abstract. It enables you to speak plain language to the average person rather than speaking jargon understandable only to those with doctorates in your field. Good editing helps you “determine the best options” rather than “delineate the most advantageous possibilities intrinsic to the market.”
Taking the time to edit your documents (or have them edited by someone else) will ensure your brand maintains the image you want to show off to your current and potential clients.
We’re often told that we “clean up well” when we put on something nice to wear, which for me usually means a coat and tie. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. When I go out, I want to put my best foot forward and talk and dress in a way that says something about me. In a word, I “edit” myself to send the right message.
Put Your Message on the Best Dressed List
Are you looking to improve your company's communication and ensure that your brand is seen in the appropriate light? Don’t let simple, common errors undermine your materials. Make sure to get your point across clearly and directly, and don’t hinder your message with a tone, style, and voice that doesn’t match your image.
Are you looking to improve your company's communication and ensure that your brand is seen in the appropriate light? Don’t let simple, common errors undermine your materials. Make sure to get your point across clearly and directly, and don’t hinder your message with a tone, style, and voice that doesn’t match your image.
In short, don’t show up at the royal wedding in jeans and a T-shirt. It’s not pretty, and you’ll get all the wrong kind of attention.
Written by: Sean Taylor, ProEdit
Written by: Sean Taylor, ProEdit
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