Editing for Others

About 10 years ago I wrote my first piece for public distribution -- a technical document on the processes and tools for developing an EnergySmart School -- I developed a large editorial board that helped ensure technical credibility and to ensure that I was properly addressing the language requirements of the Federal government. The project was sponsored by the US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and there were many restrictions on how I could use language and present benefits.

Anyway, to my surprise, many of the edits arrived with sincere apologies for the suggested changes. Yes, I painstakingly arranged the 16 81/2" x 11" pages into philosophy, technology, process, tools and using the school as a learning laboratory. Concise with text and dense with information, the booklet was geared toward school administrators to help them understand the benefits of high performance building. And I, a visual and kinesthetic learner -- I who am not often detail oriented -- needed all of the help I could get editing for content, continuity and flow.

It was only with gratitude that I received these edits. Each person's efforts made the document that much more robust, concise and a joy to hand out to others. Without those efforts, I would have never known if I was representing so many points of view well; without those efforts I would never have known whether I was actually communicating well with anyone.

To this day, it is my pleasure to have other people edit my work. It is a necessity for me. Even more so, it is an honor when I am asked to reflect on the work of others.