Providing Effective Feedback
When editing the work of other journalists, it may be necessary to provide feedback or ask for corrections before a specific piece can be published. In those situations, it is important to craft a message as thoughtfully as you would any other piece of writing. And always remember, you’re communicating with someone who may have different communication preferences than you. Write for your audience, not for yourself.
Remember:
- Send feedback from your Total Apex Media email.
- CC: Dustin Judge, Matt Brown, & Don Watz.
- Send a Slack message to the journalist to let them know they have a feedback email to review.
* Examples included should not be used verbatim. Always use your own words.
The Purpose of Feedback
Feedback is intended to improve a journalist’s craft or to reinforce something they’re already doing well. Positive messages are as important as corrective ones. Your message must be clear, concise, and detailed. But it should also be created with sensitivity. Many people take any correction as a negative experience. So consider how you can make it positive instead.
The experience of receiving feedback from a coach should be a good experience in the end. Perhaps it’s an “ah ha!” moment for the journalist. Or you could be sharing information that is brand new to them.
The Structure of Feedback
When you’re crafting the message, consider how you can lead with something positive. Create a kind of sandwich by opening with a positive message and ending with an encouraging one. We’ll share some examples as we go along.
Beginning
State which of their articles you’re working on and say something positive about the piece. For example:
I’ve reviewed your article called, “Review: To Kill a Mockingbird.” This is a really good start. I love the opening and you have some great details here.
Request for Changes
Most feedback will include a request for changes to the article. Be specific. State what the issue is and what they need to do to improve, or include a link to a reference that will show them the right way to do it. Here are examples:
There are some improvements needed before the piece can be published. Please add a link to the source where you found the information about the author. Anchor it in that same section, the first paragraph of the third section. Also, please rewrite the second section where you review the novel. I understand you have strong feelings about the content but it’s important for us to remain neutral. So, please edit where you’ve included your feelings about the book and instead focus on the quality of the story and writing from a neutral stance.
The images included in your article weren’t formatted correctly. Please review the resource at this link: Include the link here. Delete the images and replace them with correctly formatted versions please.
Feedback Without Changes Needed
Sometimes an article will have just minor adjustments needed. But you may still want to explain what you changed so the journalist can learn and improve. For example, you might correct the category, change the title, or correct the way titles are punctuated. If it only takes a couple of minutes for you to fix it, make the changes, publish the article, and then send feedback.
I’ve edited and published your article called, “Review: Spiderman Noir Trailer has Big Surprises.” You did a great job overall but I have some small feedback regarding adjustments I made.
In the article, you wrote the title of the movie in italics. We use AP Style which doesn’t use italics at all. Instead, movie titles should be in quotation marks. We have a guide you can reference for AP Style information. You can find it through this link: Include link.
Ending the Email
Now that you’ve told the journalist what they can do better, finish it off with something encouraging. We don’t want to leave them feeling like they’re only doing things wrong.
You’re doing a great job! Feedback is just a learning experience. Once the changes are done, go ahead and save it as Pending again and send me a DM in Slack. Let me know if you have any questions! I’m here to help.
Wrapping it Up
Giving feedback is an important part of coaching journalists, but it’s essential to provide that feedback in a way that’s positive and encouraging. Yes, even if it’s the tenth time you’ve given similar feedback that day. After all, it may be the first time for that writer.
There are several essential pieces to good feedback:
- Be positive
- Be concise
- Be detailed
- Be supportive
If the journalist doesn’t understand what you need them to fix, it just creates frustration for both of you. So, craft your feedback as if they have no knowledge of the thing you need them to change. And, if you need help, ask your leaders. It’s OK to need support sometimes!
When in doubt, reach out!