How do I give helpful feedback on senior colleagues’ writing?

Giving feedback on senior colleagues’ writing can feel awkward, and even intimidating at times. It’s often hard to give helpful feedback anyway, and adding a grade disparity into the mix can really magnify this.

Maybe you’re a PA, a committee officer, or a governance manager. You’ve been asked to support or check a document, and you’ve spotted things that could be improved. You want to be helpful. But you don’t want to seem critical, or like you’re trying to “punch above your grade”.

Here’s a practical way to think it through.

This matrix brings together two different dimensions of writing feedback:

🧡 1. The type of feedback

• Some feedback is factual or technical (e.g. typos, formatting, missing fields). This is often easier to give and receive.
• Some is subjective or evaluative (e.g. structure, clarity, readability). This is often harder to give and receive.

🧡 2. The effort your feedback demands from the other person

• Some feedback is easy to accept because you’ve already suggested a fix.
• Some is harder to act on, especially if it means rewriting or making judgement calls.

By plotting these two dimensions, you get four types of feedback, each with different levels of complexity and risk. Let’s walk through them.

🧡 Lower left: easiest feedback to give and receive
Example: “I’ve track-changed a few typos for you – let me know if anything doesn’t sit right.”

This is factual, low-risk, and helpful. You’ve already done the work; and the other person can just review and accept.
It’s an ideal entry point if you’re still building your confidence as a reviewer.

🧡 Upper left: factual feedback, but higher effort for the recipient
Example: “You need to complete the ‘Risk Implications’ field on the cover sheet.”

You’re not criticising the writing – you’re pointing out a missing step. But this time you’re asking them to take action.
Still, this kind of feedback is usually welcomed, as the writer knows you’re doing it to make their paper better.

If you additionally suggest some “starter-for-ten” text for the missing field(s), you’ve made life easier for the writer, and moved your feedback back to the lower-left quadrant.

🧡 Lower right: subjective feedback, but you’ve helped make it easier for them
Example: “I’ve suggested some edits to improve the readability of the executive summary.”

You’re entering trickier territory – readability is partly a judgment call.
But you’ve softened the load by suggesting changes, not just pointing out a problem and leaving them to it.
This quadrant is great when you’re a little more confident and the relationship allows for it.

🧡 Upper right: hardest feedback to give
Example: “Your executive summary isn’t very readable – please could you rewrite it?”

This is the toughest kind of feedback to give and receive; subjective and high-effort. You’re pointing out something that needs work – but not offering any fix. That can be a big ask of a busy executive. You also need to bear in mind that they may not have the skills to fix it themselves, as not everyone is a confident writer.

Still, there are times when you do need to go here if:

• You genuinely can’t follow what’s being said
• You’re not confident enough to rewrite it yourself, but confident enough to know that it doesn’t meet the expected standard
• The paper definitely needs to improve before it’s published or presented, and you want to protect your senior colleague

If you do go here, be clear and constructive. You might say:

• “I’m struggling to follow this section – would you be able to take another look?”
• “Would it help if we talked it through together?”
• “Is there someone else you’d like me to loop in for a second view?”

The key is to raise the issue without backing the writer into a corner. This isn’t about being difficult. It’s about making sure important documents do their job – and that the writer isn’t left exposed,

🧡 So which quadrant should you use?
That depends on your role, your relationship, and your confidence.
But here are some helpful rules of thumb:

• If you’re just starting out, stick to the lower left. You’ll build trust without overstepping.
• As you grow in confidence, you can move into the lower right – offering gentle, helpful edits that improve clarity.
• If you’re close to the person, or in a governance role, the upper left may be essential – especially for compliance or publication. High-quality support given within this quadrant is often very highly valued.
• The upper right is sometimes necessary, but use it sparingly and always with kindness.

🧡 You’re not overstepping. You’re helping the work land.
If you’ve been asked to review or “sense check” formal documents – papers, reports, summaries – then you’re already part of the writing process.

You don’t need to pretend to be invisible. You just need to offer feedback that’s proportionate, thoughtful, and helpful.

And this matrix might help you do that with more clarity and confidence.