Technical writing is only good if it conveys information in a clear and unambiguous way. So it’s essential to have reviewers tell you if whether you hit the mark or not. It can be a bit tough to hear or read that feedback though. You did what seemed like a great job, and now you are getting a negative response instead of total praise! How do you respond to criticism and feedback on what you have written?
“Thank you.”
The feedback was probably meant in a positive way, and the professional response is always to be grateful for someone taking the time to give you feedback.
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Something was wrong; you made a mistake.
“Thank you. I’ll fix that and send out a revision.” -
Someone misunderstood something that was actually correct the way you wrote it.
“Thank you. I’ll reword that so it is clearer.” (If one person misunderstood it even though it was correct, someone else will as well. Maybe it was ambiguous.) -
You are sure something is correct, but the reader is sure it is wrong.
“Thank you. I was sure that was right, but I’d better double check. I’ll follow up with the subject matter expert to see what the facts really are.” -
Someone has a better choice of words.
“Thank you. That sounds better.” -
Someone has a choice of words that you don’t think is better.
“Thank you. I see where you are going with that, so let me take a look and see if I can improve what I wrote.”
That’s pretty much it. Put ego aside if you can and concentrate on getting out the best product.
