reviews vs egos

Subject: reviews vs egos
From: Miki Magyar <MDM0857 -at- MCDATA -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 12:11:18 -0600

Goeff said:
"You can get better reviews from outside the group (i.e., no toes to step
on) than from within (i.e., critical reviews make it hard to keep on good
terms with the neighbors)."

If this is so, it's because of lack of training in how to edit and review. It is
possible to do a thorough, critical, and substantive review without
making enemies. Learning how to give and receive reviews or edits is
(IMO) part of our job as communicators. Tech writing is no place for
fragile egos, and most of us have learned to save the ego for the Great
Novel we're going to finish any year now.... If we have to deal with
fragile egos of SMEs, then we need to help them understand the
process, and that there's nothing personal, just part of the team effort to
give the customer the best we can. <soapbox OFF>

Miki, the Kindly Editor
mikim -at- mcdata -dot- com

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