This seminar is designed to improve any writer's proofreading skills.
This seminar is designed to improve writers’ proofreading and editing skills.
Answers provided by our proofreading trainer, Catherine S. Hibbard
Q: What is the difference between proofreading and editing?
A: When you proofread, you look for errors and inconsistencies. When you edit, you make changes in content and organization.
Q: Why is it so hard to find your own mistakes?
A: That’s an easy one to answer. You tend to read what you expect to see, not what is really on the paper or screen. For example, if you type, Thanks for you care and concern, chances are you'll read it as Thanks for your care and concern because that is what you meant to type. These kinds of errors are hard to catch.
Q: What is the advantage to multiple people proofreading the same document? Is there a “downside?”
A: What one person misses, another person will catch. However, when a group proofreads the same document, no one is responsible for the finished product. When mistakes go unnoticed—there is no sense of "The buck stops here."
Q: Can you really improve your proofreading skills, even if you only do it occasionally?
A: Yes. Anytime you become more aware of potential problems, you become more adept at finding them.
Q: Is it okay for e-mails to contain errors? After all, everyone knows that people are busy. E-mail doesn’t have to be perfect, does it?
A: Unfortunately, e-mail needs to be error-free like any other business document. The good thing about e-mail is it is quick and easy—the bad thing about e-mail is it is quick and easy. Take the time to proofread your e-mails, just like you proofread everything else.
Q: Can I really improve my proofreading skills in a one-day proofreading course?
A: Participants in past proofreading seminars are amazed at what they learn in a one-day workshop. Not only does the seminar reinforce what you already know, but the materials also highlight some of the recent changes in grammar rules.
Q: Isn’t a whole day of proofreading training boring?
A: Not at all! I vary the pace, use hands-on documents to proofread, and provide numerous opportunities to work in small groups, with partners, and individually.
Q: What makes your proofreading seminars worth my company's money and my time?
A: I can also customize the training materials to include your specific company documents or create similar documents to ensure the exercises are relevant and include working with the kinds of documents you typically write.
Catherine S. Hibbard is a nationally recognized expert in business and technical writing. She designs and delivers customized training seminars in technical and business writing, writing effective policies and procedures, and proofreading/editing.
Ms. Hibbard's client base, which is diverse and impressive, draws from both corporations and government agencies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), several NASA centers, and numerous military branches. Her corporate clients include Nestlé Purina, Lowe’s, Verizon, and Campbell Soup. She has been awarded contracts for large training initiatives with the Office of Professional Management (OPM), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), New York State Insurance Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).