Enduring the Editing Process - A Perspective

A few years ago, I was asked by an IT Director how it was I endured - and actually embraced - the editing process with our CIO. She was repeatedly frustrated by the process, having spent a lot of time and energy in writing a document, only to have him "re-write" it or edit it heavily. I understood her viewpoint, and in fact, early in my corporate writing career had felt similar frustration, but here's what I've learned (as I shared with her).

- I don't know what I don't know. And I know I don't know.

That is, I know there are conversations, strategies, perspectives, and perceptions that exist outside of my bubble. I can't write to address those if I'm not aware of them. But the CIO is not only aware, but is held accountable to any negative consequences. He adds value to my writing, because he can fine-tune it to meet the need of the organization on a level I just don't have visibility.

- It's not about what I write, but about meeting a need.

My job is not simply to write. It's to meet a specific need, to communicate a specific message, to influence a specific behavior, to manage a specific perception (or set of perceptions). And sometimes it's all of the above. Just as I don't want to use a clunky program written by a programmer who didn't understand the end-user's needs or how the business works, I don't want to create communications that don't meet the needs of my customers. The point for me isn't to write and be validated as a good writer - by the fact that I have a job and remain in that job means I have value - but instead the point is to meet the need of the organization or the customer - including the CIO.

- The world can change at any time.

Dynamics inside the corporate world continually adapt and change. What was true one day may not be true the next. It is the way of things. I may not know that some event that morning changed how a document should or needs to read. I need to be prepared to adapt; and know that it isn't personal, but a reflection of a change in the world around me.


- I turn it into a game.

To avoid getting personally bent-out-of-shape, I play games with the editing process. I take the approach of listening and learning as much as I can to the banter and conversation and edits, absorbing that, and then try to hit the next draft or the next deliverable closer the next time. I score myself based on how closely I hit the mark the next time around or by whether a new direction is decided upon based on concerns or questions I've posed.

It's about meeting the need. I love technology because of what it can do; But I won't use it unless it practically meets my needs. The same goes for a communication deliverable, particularly those I create - does it meet the need?

If not, I'm happy to have the editing. My writing is better for it and the need is better met.

Update: For more on how to have better communications with your IT management, end users, and co-workers, I invite you to join me for my IT Communication Skills Training course at http://ITCommunicationSkills.com