Everybody Needs a Writing Buddy

You’ve written an important email to your boss, and now you sit, staring at it. It has to be right. It has to succeed, but you’ve read it so many times you don’t know what it says anymore.

“Cindy, could you read this and tell me what you think?”

Enter the writing buddy, a trusted colleague who can help you hone important documents at work.

How can I get a writing buddy?

The “buddy” part is key: the relationship is based on friendship and trust. What colleague do you have who could help you with your writing?

Then start with an invitation. Ask the person for help on an important document. You might want the person to go in “cold” to make sure the message can stand on its own, or you might want to give some context so the person knows where the message fits in a larger conversation. You could even ask your buddy for specific feedback.

What kind of feedback can I ask for?

Any kind you wish. You can use the seven traits of business writing as a common language:

• Ideas “Is my main point clear? Is my argument convincing?”
• Organization “Should I start differently? Should I end differently? Is the middle logical?”
• Voice “What do you think of my tone? Do I sound confident and convincing?”
• Words “Am I using this term correctly? Does this word have the wrong connotation?”
• Sentences “Does this seem choppy to you? Is this sentence verbose?”
• Correctness “Is everything spelled right? Could you check my commas?”
• Design “Should I include headings? Should I include a graph? An illustration?”

Obviously, you won’t want to ask all of those questions up front. Pick two or three things that most concern you.

What do I do with feedback?

Note it and decide what suggestions you will use and what changes you will make. You don’t have to do everything that your buddy suggests, but neither should you ignore all of it.

If you like to work collaboratively, you can integrate the changes with your buddy’s help. If you prefer to work alone, you can make changes and ask for the person to review your revision.

After you get your document in order, you should thank your buddy for the help. And make sure to reciprocate.

How do I reciprocate?

Say that you can help with any important documents the person creates. This needs to be a two-way-street–colleagues assisting each other.

When you are the one giving feedback, use these best practices:

• Ask questions. The better you understand the communication situation, the more on-target your feedback will be. “Who will be reading this? What do they already know? What do you want them to do after reading this? What will success look like for this message?”
• Read the document at least twice before responding. First read quickly to get a sense of the whole. Then read slowly to get a sense of the parts. Take notes or leave comments as you go through.
• Discuss your feedback verbally. Give the person an overview of your response before diving into particulars.
• Start with the positive. First let your buddy know what is working. That shows that you are on the same team and helps the person relax and openly receive feedback.
• Provide specific feedback. Don’t just say, “This is confusing,” but say, “At the beginning, you say we need more office space, but here you say that space isn’t the problem so much as organization. I think we should pick one idea and stick with it.”
• Use “we” for sensitive feedback. If your buddy is getting defensive, switch from “you” to “we.” Instead of saying, “You contradict yourself here,” which sounds accusatory, say, “We seem to have a contradiction here.” That “we” connects the two of you instead of dividing you.
• Offer suggestions. For each problem, give a possible solution: “I think the word ‘fiasco’ might be a little strong. What about something like ‘breakdown’ or ‘frustration’?” But recognize that these are just suggestions, and your buddy will decide what to do with them.
• Help with revisions. If your buddy wants you to talk through changes while making them, great! If the person wants you to read a revised draft after changes are made, that’s great, too.