Do you hit a point when the clutter of paper on your desk drives you nuts?

It’s an event that needs to happen more often for me. But, when it does, I am amazed at how a simple shuffle of paper makes me feel so much better.

You can use a simple word shuffle to feel better about your business communication, too.

How a Simple Word Shuffle Works

A prior post listed skimpy editing as a contributor to confusing business communication. You may view editing as a necessary but dreaded task. Kind of like cleaning your desk.

Let’s change the mindset on editing. Maybe you’ll never think of editing as much fun as Henneke Duistermaat does, but duplicating that clean desk happy feeling is possible.

The Word Shuffle System

When I tackle paper cleaning on my desk, I set up three sorting sites.

1. Filing
2. Shredding
3. Recycling

This works for me. You may have another system. Basically, I figure out what I need to keep, what I need to shred (due to confidential information), and what paper I can recycle.

So, how can this help on business communication editing? Apply the same basic concept.

Filing: What You Keep

Even the truly gifted writers go beyond their first draft. But, how do you know what to keep and what to trash? Here’s a simple place to start.

Read the content out loud

I look at this method as another version of talking to yourself. Some of my best conversations have been with me. On the other hand, the sound of my own voice can put me to sleep.

I prefer using Microsoft Word’s Read Aloud feature. You can even choose Microsoft David, Zira or Mark to do the speaking. I use David (Mark sounds robotic to me). I sometimes switch to Zira for a little variety. The trouble I find with reading aloud myself is I tune out. I know what’s coming and I’ve heard my voice before.

Imagine you’re listening to a podcast. Hear your words through the ears of your listeners (or readers).

• Are you clicking off long before the end?
• Or constantly rewinding for what you missed?
• Does the word, “Huh?” continuously pop into your head?

Reading your business communication out loud speaks volumes about your editing needs. Share on X

Shredding: What You Trash

Start with the obvious. I look for the following candidates for trashing.

• Typos, misspellings
• Grammatical gremlins
• Over-repeated words

Reading out loud is great for detecting words you repeat too many times. Another helpful tool is keeping a list of the stumbles you are prone to.

I developed Avoid These Grammar Guffaws, Common Writing Errors, and Grammar Modifier Miscues to get you started. Check out Free Stuff for more tools.

Next, pull out your highlighter. No, not your makeup highlighter. Although, I guess that could work, too. I’m talking the “old school” highlighter pen. Or you could use your Word text highlighter. The graphic below illustrates how I use the highlighter.

 

Edit yourself. During the reading aloud phase, I pause and jot down edits. Then I review my highlighted draft. I like to do all my edits at once. But, that’s me. Do what works best for you.

• Play whac-a-mole on words you don’t need
• Figure out your key ideas and stick with those – eliminate the rest
• Define your beginning, middle, and end

But, I have one more component of editing – keeping the good stuff for later.

Recycling: What You Reuse

Has this happened to you while editing?

• You read something you wrote and think, “Dang, that’s good.”
• But, it doesn’t fit the edited message you want to deliver
• Or it is simply too much detail

Ideas are hard to come by. And who wants to throw out such brilliance? So, what do you do?

Recycle the good stuff.

Sometimes that may be a phrase or an analogy. Other times, the good stuff may be in a form of a great topic or idea.

Save edited content gems for another day.

I keep online folders for ideas and copy I like. It’s also a great way to get past those days when ideas seem like a forgotten skill from the past.

This post is an example of recycled content. I updated Why is It So Hard to Keep it Simple from its original and subsequent publication dates of October 6, 2010 and October 17, 2016. I took the post in a different direction, so I cut some of the content and used it in this post.

Edited Bliss

I have the highest regard for professional editors. The really good ones know how to balance grammar, structure, and personal style.

I stopped offering editing services because I hated editing other people’s writing. But, I have found it easier (and not so painful) to edit my own writing by filing, trashing or recycling.

What editing tips do you have? Do you have a method that works for you? Please share in Comments.

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