There’s lots to learn from a Peer Review
It’s the difference between theory and practice – being able to absorb information and say you understand it, in theory, is one thing. But actually being able to turn around and put that theory into practice, and solidify your understanding (move your comprehension from your brain to your hand or mouth), is the only guarantee that true understanding was achieved.
In my Grant Writing 101 course, I build in a practical exercise that has become a favorite of my students. Once the elements of Proposal Writing are covered, I challenge my students to put what they learned through an exercise. I ask them to pick a nonprofit, a program, and a funder match, and write the narrative portion of the application. [The fact that they make these selections means they have a stake in the outcome.]
This homework never gets graded. But what I do is have the class spend time reading and then reviewing – constructively – their fellow students’ work. We do this together, in real time. In common parlance this is called a Peer Review, and it is the single most valuable class of my entire course.
The ground rules:
1. Be constructive in your comments.
2. Be open to listening and hearing what your colleagues offer.
3. Be fully present.
One by one, each student explains to the class their matched funder’s priorities, their program and its alignment with those priorities, and then we all read their assignment. Once everyone has had a chance to read through the student’s narrative, we all get to act as a Review Panel.
Together we discuss its strengths, opportunities, challenges, and what we think of how that student approached and tackled the narrative. Did they convince us to fund them? Did they come across as grant-worthy? If it missed the mark, what made you feel that way? What was compelling, and what was lacking?
We ALL learn in this Peer Review, whether it is our homework being reviewed or not. This is a prime example of “learning from other’s mistakes.”
A Peer Review in real life is a luxury. Giving ourselves this luxury in a classroom setting shows these students its value. The real-life version would be seeking out colleagues or peers to review your draft and giving helpful feedback before you run it by your supervisor or program person – and ultimately your prospective funder.
As a solopreneur, I rarely get the chance to run my narratives through a Peer Review before they reach the client’s eyes. On the rare occasion I get trusted colleagues or friends to act as if they are my prospective funder, I have found it so helpful!
They catch me in all sorts of ways. Sometimes I’m making too many assumptions. Sometimes I’m not making my point clear enough. I’ve been guilty of overuse of acronyms. Sometimes, I’m either talking down to my audience, or talking over their heads. In any case, I ALWAYS take my reviewers’ comments very seriously, and incorporate their feedback in my updated draft.
Not even my clients give such thorough and pointed feedback – and I wish they would!
So if you are learning about grant writing, or are a seasoned grant pro, indulge yourself and put your narratives through a Peer Review whenever possible. Your reader will learn, and you will too!
