In a world where time and money are perhaps the single greatest motivation for engagement of a critically productive day whether in our personal lives, on the job facilitating a process in the blue collar sense or at a desk where every word must be palpable and every decision a manifest component of a recipe or equation for success, demands upon our efforts for perfection were never more evident than they are today.
For anyone whose written presentation or proposal demands a concise, tangible engagement of its reading audience, the demands for a message that consummates flawless conveyance and its delivery cannot be understated. Ironically, it would seem, our educational system leaves many individuals ill-prepared to face the demands of our current day business/corporate environment.
There are fundamental elements of education that should never be left to chance or elective choosing when it comes to our preparedness to meet the demands of today's workplace. The very nature of cognitive functionality as cogs in the wheel of that process is ever-evolving and the roles we play in the professional world are changing dynamically.
In simpler terms what does all this mean? Well, in terms of the composition of important documents, our level of preparedness for writing that all-star paper, document, proposal, presentation, promotion, intern/external business communication and even that single page composition or book of creative writing, will be the determining factor as to whether we create that piece as a stand alone author or team up with someone who can help bring it all together in a conveyance that is centric to its targeted audience.
Targeting....yes, most of us have heard and are very familiar with that word. Its connotations are open to interpretation depending on its application but much of today's work world revolves around this word, this process predicated on the business objective or corporate mandate. The 'targeted' individual or group/business type of interest are the critical focus of a business campaign. The centric conveyance of our approach to that targeted audience is equally critical in their engagement.
As a professional editor it is paramount that we apply the highest of editorial standards having acquired a critical understanding of its process and the role we play in the pursuit of the client's objectives. Initiative and flexibility are key elements and our adaptability to fulfil the needs of each individual project. We need to be illustrative, constructive, and at times, cosmetic in our analysis of client projects, receptive to their learned opinion while skilled in the process of communicating clearly any recommendations for a written project's revision.
Where an individual may possess great skill sets in terms of the story or message they are conveying they may not have the critical knowledge needed for the mechanics of that document conveyance. Often times the delivery of an important message is lost in its conveyance. The metrics of the delivery falls flat on its target audience by virtue of its grammatical misgivings, stuttering flow, poor or inappropriate word choice, its language in terms of its intended audience, ambiguity and lack of logical connection start to finish.
Today's editor must be cognizant of the substantive applications within a document, again as centric to the intended audience. We need to make a document functional for its reader in addition to ensuring the message and its delivery are consistent and correct in conveyance. We've all heard that 'content is king' at least from an author's perspective and that has critical bearing in the business, corporate and marketing world as well. Document organization, design and style are essential elements in a document's success formula and that's where the professional editor comes in.
In a world where we seldom get second chances, the professional editor is a natural and fundamental extension of the developmental aspects of a written project where close scrutiny and engagement of the targeted recipient are critical elements in meeting the client's objectives.
The editing process is a consultative and constructive analysis and application of the highest level of fundamental editorial standards pursuant to the client's goals and objectives and in no sense adversarial. When the process and conveyance must be perfect, editorial considerations are paramount.
© Lasting Impressions Editing 2015