Editing Checklist for Good Business Communication

The main task of a business editor is to enhance your written content to ensure that it is a perfect fit for it's audience. Just as authors of short stories and books use book proofreading services UK to improve their work before publication, it is critical for businesses to use editing and proofreading services to ensure their content is up to scratch..

Irrespective of the type of business document that you have – whether it is website copy, a report, a document, an information email, marketing or advertising materials – it is important to apply a standardised editing and proofreading process. This ensures that the style, tone, and presentation of your business documents are uniform and consistent, and it also safeguards against human error.

The purpose of this article, therefore, is to provide and discuss a comprehensive editing checklist that you can use for good business communication. Whenever your business uses editing and proofreading services, consider consulting this editing checklist to ensure that the professional you have worked with has performed a high-quality service.

Editing Checklist

·         Correct and consistent spelling, grammar, and punctuation (correctness)

·         Content is easy to understand (readability)

·         Content is not overly long (concision)

·         Ideas are explained effectively and accurately (accuracy)

·         The focus is good and key points are sharply presented (clarity)

Discussion

The editing checklist presented above focuses on five core areas: correctness, readability, concision, accuracy, and clarity. To ensure that your business writing is as direct and concise as it needs to be to engage your audience, it is essential to score well along each dimension.

If you are concerned about your editor’s ability to meet the requirements in each of these areas, please remember to consult with them before the service begins. It is helpful if your editor has experience in working with checklists, and you can ask them about this before hiring them.

It is worth noting that although the editing checklist presented above, if followed effectively, will bring your business content to a shippable state, there are other issues that it may be desirable to focus on. For example, if your company has standards in terms of style, it is important to ensure that the editor has those guidelines close at hand.

Another consideration relates to the use of specialized terminology, acronyms, and jargon in your business writing. Since your audience may be put off by the extensive use of technical terminologies and jargon, it is crucial to balance this aspect of your business writing by using such words sparingly (if at all).

Conclusion

Asking your editor to follow the editing checklist presented here is a surefire way to improve the quality of the service you receive. However, as emphasised in this article, there are other issues you may want your editor to focus on, including fact-checking, conforming to company style guidelines, and striking a suitable balance in terms of the use of jargon and specialised terminologies.