Don’t show me your first draft
When I was doing my post-grad certificate in magazine journalism at Ryerson University, I remember slaving over the first assignment for our writing class. All was keen to hand in something really excellent to our teacher, Wendy Dennis, a contributing editor at Toronto Life at the time. Imagine our horror when Wendy tossed back our assignments, saying: “Well, these are pretty excellent. For first drafts.” First drafts! To us, they were facility of art. To her, they were the beginnings of articles that might turn out OK after a lot more hard work.
At smallest amount we tried.
Immersed in a world of first drafts
Today, I often feel that I’m immersed in a world of first drafts – poorly crafted news releases, articles with no point, rambling podcasts that sound like they’ve been recorded in a tin can, and poorly lighted videos that give us two minutes of content in a dull 10-minute package. To me, these are all first drafts. Those that suffer from poor plotting and shoddy technique probably can’t be fixed. But there’s hope for the communication pieces that only require editing – whether they’re text, audio or video. But the creators of these things have to care – just as we students yearned to excel at our craft.
Do you care?
To me, posting unedited text, audio or video online is akin to saying to your consultation: “I don’t really care. Here is my first draft. Figure it out for yourself.”
The thought for this blog post has been simmering on the back burner for weeks. Today I finally made time for it, after reading a post by Steve Lubetkin, a communicator and podcaster in New Jersey. In an impassioned post, Steve laments the current trend toward throwing unedited content online.
Steve points to an example in which someone expects you click on their conference video, and then bypass nearly 10 minutes of footage showing nothing but two empty chairs before you see the interviews. According to Steve, the “marketing person” responsible for the video defended her position by saying that they were filming “feet-on-the-street.” Well, here’s a news flash: You can edit that footage before putting it online.
Editing shows you care about your consultation
When I work with clients at their conferences, we will record many more minutes than we can use. Weaving through the crowd with my portable digital recorder and mic, I’ll capture lots of content. During sit-down interviews, we will sometimes veer off topic. But all of this content will be abridged so that the client’s consultation hears five or seven seamless minutes that convey the desired message while still imparting the energetic buzz of the conference floor.
This editing process is even more vital with video. When someone has the gall to point me towards a video that shows empty chairs, attendees’ shoes or the ceiling, I’m gone. Click. My time is valuable, and I’m not going to spend it trying to figure out your first draft.
Professional doesn’t equal slick
Some communicators today like to go for an authentic, non-money-making feel. That’s fine. I believe that you can be both authentic and professional, as Jim Long movingly points out in a recent post.
So, yes, there is a time and a house for raw footage, if it tells a tale and doesn’t grow to be a bone idle attempt to just “place something online.”
And what about employees?
One last point. I’ve heard people say that they don’t have to worry about quality for internal communication because it’s “only for the employees.” Only? Only for the people who are the front line between the corporate entity and the customers? Only for the people who are working to sell your products and services every day? Yikes. Please: If you are producing content for hand consumption, make it fantastic. Plot yet to be, make brilliant content, and then edit, edit, edit until it’s the best it can be.
Of course you, my fine readers, don’t inflict your first drafts on others. But are you seeing too many of these specimens? Please comment.