One morning last week I opened my front door to find a
basket of Godiva chocolates. It was sent by a colleague who had asked me to
critique his film script. A note said that my feedback had
helped him complete a successful revision.
This was a first. A writing critique more often induces
distress, not dark chocolate. Who hasn’t reeled from the trauma of getting back
a school or work document riddled with cross-outs and comments by the reviewer?
A paper may have earned a failing grade. But worse is the work document
emblazoned with the dreaded word: rewrite.
Receiving and giving feedback have their own pitfalls. If
you are on the receiving end, it’s hard not to take the criticism personally. You’ve
given it your best shot. Revise? What? How?
If you are the reviewer, it is disappointing to get a draft
that doesn’t meet your expectations. You are annoyed at having to spend your
time reviewing and editing. So maybe your comments are a little curt. The
tension escalates if there is a deadline or if the revision is still
inadequate.
So how do you give (and receive) feedback that garners
Godiva? And most importantly, how do you get the results you want—a good piece
of writing produced with as little blood, sweat, and tears as possible?
It’s Not Personal, It’s Business
Remember you are discussing a document—not a person. If you are
the reviewer try: This section doesn’t
seem logical. Not: You’re not logical!
If you’re the writer try: I thought the
purpose was to. . . . Not: You said you wanted. . . .
Think Fix, Not Failure
If you are the reviewer, give actionable feedback. Instead
of marking a section and scrawling Fix!
Tell the writer what to fix: Support your main point with relevant examples. Instead of Wrong tone, tell the writer what’s wrong:
Too much jargon. Rewrite a sentence or two to illustrate the
tone you want.
Message First, Typos Last
It is so satisfying to find a spelling or grammar error in
someone else’s writing. It’s hard not to immediately correct these errors as
you give the document a first read. Resist the temptation. Focus on the
document's message first. If it is off message, you’ve wasted your time
correcting mechanical errors on a section that might be rewritten or deleted.
After reading for message, focus secondly on organization and structure. Then finally
focus on mechanical issues—wordiness, typos, spelling and grammar errors.
Giving useful feedback trains writers. (I believe that good
writers are made not born.) It might seem easier to just rewrite the damn
thing—especially if a deadline looms. But if you do that it is difficult for the writer to improve; it's likely you'll be rewriting his next document, too.
If you are the writer who gets a document from a reviewer
with vague or unhelpful comments, ask to meet in person and press for
actionable feedback.
You can diffuse the tension in a writer-reviewer
relationship if you think of writing as collaborative. (See my post: Enlisting
Reviewers, Editors, and Cold Readers as Writing Collaborators.)
Both the writer and reviewer are working together to produce a piece of writing
that serves the reader.
--Marilynne Rudick
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