Review

Test

Testing your message with someone from the target audience is a great way to check how effective it is. Even running it past a colleague, after giving them a clear brief about the audience and the purpose of the message, will help you determine if you need to make changes.

Rework

Consider the feedback and rewrite or restructure your message if necessary. If you are making substantial changes, you may need to go back and edit your new content.

Always save your drafts, just in case you need to go back to an earlier version.

Proofread

Before you send anything out, make sure it has been thoroughly proofread. Always use Word’s spell-check tool, but don’t rely on that alone. A spell-check won’t pick up a correctly spelt word used in the wrong context, or a confusing sentence.

Ask someone who hasn’t read your earlier drafts to proofread the final message. A fresh eye will often pick up mistakes that you might miss.