‘Hold Your Horses’ is a phrase commonly used to tell someone to slow down. According to Wikipedia, the phrase can be traced back to ancient Greece & was used to convey literally holding horses still due to noise or to slow them down when going too fast.
The work crew that completed this job off 71st and Binford Blvd in Indianapolis needed to hold their horses a bit before painting this notice.
It is common to miss errors, even simple ones like this one. Especially when working on the same content for hours, days, or even weeks; we go numb to mistakes right in front of us. Even as a technical writer, I miss mistakes too. True Story.
Here are some tricks I use to avoid common writing mistakes.
Most importantly, remove yourself from distractions; phones & noisy office spaces included. Plan to review a single piece of work in one setting.
- Read the material slowly and out loud. Read every word as written.
- Print out the material for review. Slide a ruler or notecard along each sentence as you read the material.
- Take a break! Leave your computer, even for 5 minute. Stretch your legs, drink a glass of water, or take your lunch break. Clearing your head with another activity brings a fresh perspective when you return.
- Ask a friend or coworker to review your work. Not only will they provide valuable insight, they will most likely catch errors that have been staring you in the face for days. If you are too good to ask for feedback; there are bigger problems at hand than spelling & grammar.
DAJ Consulting can offer more than just a fresh pair of eyes to catch spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Analyzing your content from a business perspective and testing readability can greatly improve your customer service.
Contact me to discuss how DAJ Consulting can create new or update existing documentation for maximum impact.
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