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Last week your company was robbed. Where were the grammar
police? Do you rely on your computer to do
your proofreading? Every day employees send out written
communication that contains embarrassing errors in grammar,
punctuation and spelling. How much is that costing your company in
lost customers or lost business?
Most of us are rushed when we write. We want to
get done as soon as possible and get that message sent off. So, we
take a quick look at our work, run the spell checker and grammar
checker and then we are done. Right? Wrong.
Computers Can Be Wrong
Don’t always believe what your computer tells
you. Even if you are using the grammar checker and the spell
checker on your computer, you are still going to have mistakes.
In fact, haven’t you had the experience of the
grammar checker telling you something was wrong, when you knew it
was right? Or worse yet, making the suggested grammar change and
then finding out later (after your work was sent out) that the
computer was wrong. Yikes. What’s a person to do?
Proofreading Tips
Here are some tips to help you do a better job of proofreading
your business messages.
(1) Don’t try to proof a document by reading
it on your computer screen. Read from a printed copy.
Reading from a computer screen is more
difficult than reading from a printed copy. Your eyes tend to
get tired and not be able to focus as well when viewing a
monitor.
(2) Proofread after you have composed the
first draft of your message. Go ahead and make all the mistakes
you want while you are composing your first draft.
If you stop to correct all your errors, you
will lose your focus and forget what you were going to say. It’s
like having someone constantly interrupt you when you are trying
to give a speech. After awhile, you can’t remember what your
point was.
(3) Double-space your printed copy. This
makes it much easier to read when you have the added white space
to help your eyes rest between all the text. This is also handy
for circling errors.
(4) Allow yourself time to proofread. When
you are rushed, you can’t do a good job of proofreading. You
will skip over words that were spelled right, but are used
incorrectly, such as “you” for “your.” Also, you will not notice
missing words when you proofread too quickly.
(5) Assume you will find errors, so look for
them. Again, don’t accept the computer as your proofreader. Look
for common punctuation errors such as the comma versus the
semicolon.
(6) Read the message at least twice. The
first time through look for the meaning of the words. Does
everything make sense to you? Did you leave out any important
details? The second time through become the grammar police and
look for all the grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes.
(7) Reading your message aloud is a great
technique to find errors in construction. Listen to how the
message comes together. Is it smooth or disjointed? Does it make
sense to you?
Are you using the same words in your writing
that you would use when speaking? If you don’t talk like that,
don’t write like that.
(8) Have you ever tried reading a message
backwards? Start at the end of the message and read towards the
beginning. This is tough to do, but it forces you to look at
every word out of context. The mistakes will just jump right out
at you.
(9) The final look should be for
capitalization, spelling of names and numbers used in sentences.
Double-check all the names because it is so easy to misspell a
person’s name. If you don’t catch it, you can be sure your
recipient will catch it and that’s embarrassing.
Also, brush up on your knowledge of using
numbers in a sentence and maybe keep a “cheat sheet” close to
your desk for easy reference.
(10) If at all possible, have someone else
look at your final document. A fresh pair of eyes can usually
spot a mistake right away. In fact, it’s much easier to
proofread someone else’s document, rather than your own.
Haven’t you ever read a novel that had a typo
and wondered how did that get past the editor? It happens
because the editor has read the text so many times; it just gets
overlooked. This is the first time you have read the novel, so
the mistake is obvious to you.
Create a Positive Image
It does take added time to proofread a business
message, but it is well worth your time. Remember: Every single
piece of written correspondence you send out is a representation
of your company.
The errors you missed will be quite obvious to
your reader and whether you like it or not, they will judge you.
Now the reader associates your company’s name with negative words
like sloppy, careless, lazy and disorganized. Don’t go there.
Make sure your reader thinks highly of your
company by making sure your message is the best it can be.
Proofread for the finishing touch.
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Contact Michelle Howe
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This article reprinted from the Riverside Business Journal
Serving Riverside County's Small Business Community
4129 Main St., Riverside, CA 92501
(909) 784-0111
Tuesday, July 22, 2003 |
