Sharp

I’ve been studying French for the last ten weeks with a lady called Monique from a company called Cactus. Last night’s lesson was the final one, sadly.

This morning, Cactus sent me this email:

Dear Rob

Congratulations on completing your French Beginner 2 course with Monique Baudet-Smyth! Give Your Feedback.

We hope you have achieved your learning goals, met some nice people and had fun along the way. This is your chance to rave or rant about our service, praise us or make us grovel. Please tell us what you think - the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Cross your heart.

We'd like to know that you have enjoyed learning with us. But if you haven't we want to know how to put it right. That's really important to us. It helps us sleep well at night.

Please Give Your Feedback now.

Many thanks!

Your Cactus Team

Recently, I’ve been put off by companies that write like this. Not because I don’t like the odd bit of cheeky language, a nice turn of phrase here and there. It’s because a lot of companies that want this voice don’t have the personality to go with it. In branding speak, their voice, values and approach don’t line up.

But Monique from Cactus was a joy. I looked forward to speaking to her every week, learning from her, hearing her stories, smiling as she sang. She was fun, engaging and a little bit cheeky. And so, I think, is this email from her company.

If you’re an MD and one day you decide you’d be much happier if you pumped some new personality into your company, remember to pump that personality into your brand too: through words, design, values, everything.

But if you don’t want to change the way you do things, you just want to sell more stuff by trying to be a bit chattier, watch out. People will see through it. And they might feel duped.

Me? I’ll definitely be giving feedback to Cactus. Monique était superbe!

Good feedback

I've just had some good feedback. It told me the things that were wrong with the piece I'd written. I now know how to make it better.

All feedback is good feedback. That might sound silly when you've just heard from a client that they hate what you've written for them and it'd be much better in a completely different way. At those times it's hardest to see the value in the feedback. But there will be some, I promise.

Generally, feedback is constructive. A client tells you they like what you've tried but it just doesn't feel right for their brand. That's the time you can accept the feedback or counter it, explaining why you feel this piece of writing is good for them. Or how, with small edits, it could be exactly what they need. That bit's your choice: to accept it or challenge it.

But my point about all feedback being good is this: you can always make a piece of writing different. Sometimes that different is better, sometimes not. But you'll never know how the second incarnation will look without showing the first to someone else. That could be another writer, an editor, a friend, your mum or, if they're keen to be part of the writing process, your client. Their feedback will make you think creatively about changing things. And that's a good thing.

I worked with James Henry -- a writer for Smack the Pony and Green Wing -- during the summer of 2008. He was my script tutor while I was studying for an MA in Professional Writing in Falmouth. James taught me how to deal with feedback.

Accept it all, he said. Smile and say thank you to everyone who takes the time to offer it. Then use the bits you think are most useful and will bring the best out of the thing you've written, and put the rest to one side. Learn how to improve by taking the constructive feedback, and learn how to grow by making big decisions about what to ignore.(I wrote a little something about this last year. It's timeless advice.)

Just remember that all feedback is good feedback. So always smile and say thank you.

The Professor's Terrible Trip

I got an email this morning from Professor GR Batho. He sounded very distressed. But thankfully he had time to write me a couple of paragraphs and explain his predicament. I've never met the Professor, but I like that he feels he can write to me, a man he doesn't know, and ask for help. The Professor clearly has a lot of trust in people.

Here's the email:

Subject: My Terrible Trip........ Gordon Batho

I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about our trip, because it was impromptu. we had to be in Madrid , Spain for a program. The program was successful, but our journey has turned sour. we misplaced our wallet and cell phone on our way back to the hotel we lodge in after we went for sight seeing. The wallet contained all the valuables we had. Now, our passport is in custody of the hotel management pending when we make payment.

I am sorry if i am inconveniencing you, but i have only very few people to run to now. i will be indeed very grateful if i can get a loan of 2,720 Euro from you. this will enable me sort our hotel bills and get my sorry self back home. I will really appreciate whatever you can afford in assisting me with. I promise to refund it in full as soon as I return. let me know if you can be of any assistance. Please, let me know soonest. Thanks so much..

I think my favourite thing about this email is its subject. If my journey to Madrid had turned sour and I'd misplaced my wallet and cell phone and hotel management had taken my passport until I paid them lots of Euros and all I could think to do was email someone I'd never met to ask for a loan, I think I'd give my email a serious subject: one that highlights the graveness of the situation.

I probably wouldn't give it a short story title. That makes me think someone's pulling my leg.