L-E-A-R-N from your mistakes

Have you written any corrections lately? 'Corrections' call into question our credibility. You can improve your accuracy when you L-E-A-R-N from your mistakes:

• L - Listen to callers who point out mistakes. Rather than be defensive, see their point of view. Put yourself in their shoes.
  
  
• E - Evaluate how you made the mistake. Was it by making assumptions? Lack of fact checking? Inaccurate notetaking?
  
  
• A - Acknowledge when you've made an error and how you made it.
  
  
• R - Refrain from making excuses. Excuses won't solve the causes that lead to errors.
  
  
• N - Never file and forget your corrections. Too many times corrections appear in the newspaper and then are forgotten for all eternity. Clip your corrections and keep them in a private place. Every so often, review them. They can serve as important reminders on accuracy