5 TIPS FOR PROOFREADING

 5 TIPS FOR PROOFREADING

"Let's eat grandma!"

"Let's eat, grandma!"

Looking at her two sentences above, the only visible difference is the addition of a small comma. But forgetting that a small comma can change a lot of meaning, it can go from grandma's untimely death to inviting grandma to dinner.

Don't rely solely on the spell checker

Spell check programs should not be trusted. Well, they are trustworthy... most of the time. 

But seriously, how many times have you seen a little red squiggle under your name and gasped and muttered, "I can assure you that my name is spelled correctly..."?

If your name is Jim or Gail, you may not have experienced this, but internally I wrote one that had the dreaded red squiggle on "Brian" and the auto-suggestion of "Bryan".

The spell checker has a limited dictionary, so it's a good place to start editing your work, but it's not the only step before hitting the submit button.

Take a break and check again

After you've finished writing something, let it sit for a few minutes with a cup of coffee. When you're writing, you may get tunnel-vision and become blind to catastrophic mistakes like "She got a good cat!" When what you really meant to write was "She got a good catch!" It’s very common to glance over your errors if you attempt to proof and edit while writing because you’re so familiar with the content.

When you get back to writing after a break helps you gain perspective, whether it’s your most important email, groundbreaking white paper, and copies of your next email blast. So take a walk to the kitchen for that freshly brewed coffee you've been thinking about then go back to your editing task.

Get another set of eyes

OK, not literally. Grab a friend, colleague, or that new intern to read your work before you publish it. Having someone new to writing review your work can help you catch potential mistakes (before they hurt you or your brand).

Reading your work aloud is also an alternative option if no one is around, as you can hear any errors.

Take it one at a time

It is commonly called "Pobody's Nerfect". Hmmm... "No one is perfect". Even older proofreaders take time off from time to time. The trick, though, is to handle one kind of error at a time. This allows you to focus on the problem you are looking for. If you try to consider five different potential errors at once, you might miss something. Read the docs and just pay attention to the spelling. Read it again, this time with just the grammar. Please read it again. But notice the format.

Although it doesn't seem like a very efficient use of your time, this process usually doesn't add time to your overall edit. In fact, checking one issue at a time can help streamline the process. Because the brain doesn't try to digest every possible mistake at once.

Sometimes less is better

Whether you're passionate about a topic or have a great deal of knowledge about something, we've discovered that you can just write, write, write...and write. I did. It's great to have details, but it sucks to get an email that looks like a thesis.

According to Tony Beshara in his book Unbeatable Resumes, "Screen-based reading behavior is characterized by spending more time browsing and scanning...while spending less time deep and focused reading." Everything you write in a long email, and when they do, the information is too easily lost in the body.

To get your point across, say exactly what you need without using "business" phrases, or idioms. Simple, direct language is most likely available, which leaves no room for misunderstanding or confusion. Bullet points generally prevent you from going into detail, so it's nice to check yourself using bullet points.

Checking your work for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation not only saves grandma's life, but it also helps increase sales from potential buyers (who also happen to be grammar freaks).

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