What are the best ways to coordinate writing with other contributors?

I believe Google Docs and MS Word are the best collab tools ever. Seamlessly collaborate, comment, review, add suggestions, edit and more. Also, a sea of add-ons is available to even more power it up.

Google Docs has proven to be an excellent tool in my experience, especially for collaborative efforts. It's user-friendly interface, real-time editing capabilities, and easy sharing options make it a favorite among teams and individuals seeking seamless collaboration. And, GitHub stands out as a robust platform for version control. Its allows for tracking changes, merging code, and collaborating on software projects, making it a preferred choice for many organisations, from startups to large enterprises. Both tools, though serving different purposes, play a vital role in facilitating collaborative work.

I encourage students to use MS Word and collaborate through secure cloud space or MS Teams. I am concerned when they share their intellectual property on Google.

For initial stages of writing collaborations, Google Docs all the way. I am a Ph.D. student and have had a semester of group writing. My group starts with an outline of sections, then we assign work. The edit and comment modes in Google Docs are less complicated (yes…you might read that as “less sophisticated”) than Word. Sections are easily assigned. I have been editor all semester; making comments, suggesting editorial changes, tracking those changes and contributor completion is super accessible in Docs. We also have institutional access to many Google features such as chat and Workspace. Workspace is invaluable when sharing non-Google documents.

Today's its all about team work and collaboration.. An individual who would have mindset to learn, unlearn and relearn can be great in co-ordinating with other contributors. Also they would be looked up as Team player. Being active listener and being unbiased is the best way to co-ordinate with other writers, and even clients too.

I’ve used an Excel spreadsheet to assign writing of numbered sections to the various authors along with deadlines, then you can track the date of receipt, when the formatting was fixed, when it was edited, who needs to approve the technical content, etc. This works well for really big documents with submissions from multiple disciplines.

Defining roles is a great tool when there is an understanding of the task at hand. I would suggest that the first thing to do would be to define the writing task and brainstorm ideas so that what is written, edited and later presented is a product of the joint venture between all co-authors

We assign roles right in Google Docs. Very easy! Docs can send notifications to the contributor which means they don’t have to go hunting for the assignment.

In my experience managing multiple contributors for the same piece, it’s always great to section things out for them and also give them the liberty to add comments on the Google doc we’re working on, if they have something specific to add to another writer’s section. This of course is with the understanding that not all recommendations and suggestions may be implemented, in order to keep the original author’s essence intact.

Clearly define who is responsible for what. Assign specific sections or topics to different contributors based on their expertise or interest. A project manager or editor can oversee and distribute these tasks.

I usually use a variety of style guides based on publishing platforms and targeted audiences. Always focus on the targeted audience first, later on, the publishing platform, and put your creativity into it. It helps to save time during reviews, and publishing.

This is of course lots of extra work for everyone, and I promise the result will STILL be inconsistent. Much better to have one individual edit the near-final draft for style.

Templates of project work that already happened are very useful, it's easier to write overtop on a template, that to be the first writer

Create a style guide that defines formatting, tone, and other writing guidelines. This ensures consistency throughout the project. You can also provide templates for specific document types.

I usually use Google docs to collaborate with other copywriters/ collaborators since it's simple to use. Also the track changes really help in tracing the original vs the recent copy. However a key thing that I define to my peers before we start collaborating is brand guidelines and tone of voice. Having a clear set of do & don'ts saves my time & energy. And the last thing is learning from one another.

Set up a system for reviewing and providing feedback on each other's work. Constructive criticism is essential for improving the quality of the content. Use commenting features in collaboration tools for this purpose.

Here my favourite is Word because you can easily follow up by track changes option the progress and new input. Also, on comment the option of marking the comment as done helps the contributors to close their potential open questions on a particular topic. One thing that i find difficult though, is making sure all contributors include their input directly in the text in the expected form and tone of voice, and not in comments as a general recommendation.

You need to set up regular connects if you are working collaboratively. You need to understand other's viewpoints and may need to tweak your writing, and change the tone, modify it to align and sync with others. While there may be multiple contributors, ultimately it should have the same voice.

Inevitably, conflicts or differences in writing styles may arise. Encourage a culture of constructive feedback and work together to find solutions to any disputes.

Respect the reviewer's perspective. Everyone has their unique views and thought process. And there is a possibility of a better idea out there. If you think the suggested changes are better, you can accept the suggestion.

I think being a true teamplayer also means being able to share credit and achievements with others, with no hidden agenda. In a world where teams are the engines of progress, where diverse minds come together to solve complex problems, and where innovation drives success, giving credit where credit's due is not just a nicety, it's a necessity. It's a practice that celebrates individuality while reinforcing the collective power of teamwork. It transforms groups of individuals into high-performing, harmonious teams that can achieve greatness.

Typically, I write for subject matter experts who know far more than I do but are not necessarily strong communicators. I like them to provide the thoughts they want to convey in bullets or a couple of paragraphs and then let me produce a draft. From there, that's where the rest of the great advice on this page comes into play.

It is human nature to appreciate oneself and highlight one's contributions. But in case of a team efforts, it makes good sense to equally appreciate each team member and call out each person's strengths which has led to the creation of an insightful written piece.

I recently worked on a particularly tough article with one of our technical departments, Mining. The information they provided was in a jargon hard to understand. Yet they had accomplished a fit, and turned around a dire situation. How do I as a Communication person mold the story to captivate attention without losing the essence of their prowess? It took some back and forth with them for clarity sake, and research on my side to get a full picture. It came together beautifully once I had pieced together what they had done. On an article where different people interact especially non Comms people, it's important to research thoroughly the topic, and listen to people, to be able cut out the noise and focus on what is essential.

It’s always recommended to keep and open mind and understand that there may be many perspectives to the same idea. But, that doesn’t mean we stray away from the message we want to communicate with our audience with the piece. We have to understand that when we’re communicating about a particular brand, we write as the brand and not as certain individuals.