Ghostwriting Part 2 - In Class
After ghostwriting a letter to Starbucks on behalf of my mother-in-law and editing it slightly as I knew I would have done in reality, I brought it to class this past Monday night.
Our instructor had us form groups of 2 and trade letters - each one had to edit the other's letter, then give it back for consideration. This was difficult for a few reasons: first, because we don't really know the other people in the class yet, so it's awkward to give them constructive feedback; second, because almost everyone in the class is an experienced writer, so you don't feel like you can contradict them too much.
However, for exactly those two reasons, this was a great exercise. Whether you're giving feedback to a superior or subordinate, especially if they have a similar skill set, it's great to learn how to provide feedback with diplomacy. This is something I've learned from years in both diplomacy and writing, but I never dealt with both of the above two reasons at the same time before. Although tentative at first, my partner and I both were able to give constructive positive and negative feedback that we both appreciated.
The questions we asked ourselves about the other's writing were:
What are the strong points in this letter?
What are the weak points in this letter?
How could this message be improved? What would sharpen the message?
Our criteria was to be: balanced, specific, constructive, and gentle.
Then we had a class visit from a woman who works at the Scott/Ross Center for Community Service, a non-profit organization which encourages service learning. We learned about how Simmons students help this and other non-profits. For instance, I volunteered to be the team leader for a group that was tasked with writing copy for the website of another non-profit, a task which helps the organization market itself using an effective website while we get experience writing copy for one particular industry. It's an actual assignment for class, and I think it will be a great experience that will benefit both myself and the organization.
Our instructor had us form groups of 2 and trade letters - each one had to edit the other's letter, then give it back for consideration. This was difficult for a few reasons: first, because we don't really know the other people in the class yet, so it's awkward to give them constructive feedback; second, because almost everyone in the class is an experienced writer, so you don't feel like you can contradict them too much.
However, for exactly those two reasons, this was a great exercise. Whether you're giving feedback to a superior or subordinate, especially if they have a similar skill set, it's great to learn how to provide feedback with diplomacy. This is something I've learned from years in both diplomacy and writing, but I never dealt with both of the above two reasons at the same time before. Although tentative at first, my partner and I both were able to give constructive positive and negative feedback that we both appreciated.
The questions we asked ourselves about the other's writing were:
What are the strong points in this letter?
What are the weak points in this letter?
How could this message be improved? What would sharpen the message?
Our criteria was to be: balanced, specific, constructive, and gentle.
Then we had a class visit from a woman who works at the Scott/Ross Center for Community Service, a non-profit organization which encourages service learning. We learned about how Simmons students help this and other non-profits. For instance, I volunteered to be the team leader for a group that was tasked with writing copy for the website of another non-profit, a task which helps the organization market itself using an effective website while we get experience writing copy for one particular industry. It's an actual assignment for class, and I think it will be a great experience that will benefit both myself and the organization.
posted by Allison at 10:30 AM
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