Receiving Feedback
Think about the last bit of feedback you received. What was it about? More importantly, how did you take it? Now that does depend in part on how the feedback was delivered, but whether it was nice to hear or not, the feedback itself was probably delivered by someone who has a vested interest in what it is you have produced.
They want it to succeed, and by wanting to give feedback, they want it to have the best chance possible of doing so. As they say, more heads are better than one. So next time you get some feedback and you find yourself resisting it, ask yourself why that is and how you can better consider the opinion being delivered.
Giving Feedback
If you are or have been in the position of delivering feedback, again think back to the last time you delivered that feedback. What environment was it in? Was it in passing on your way to lunch, or did you choose a nice quiet meeting room? The environment in which you deliver feedback will have a direct effect on how the recipient chooses to handle it.
Another impactor will be how you put that feedback across. Simply walking up to someone and stating that your opinion on the matter is ‘such and such’ because you’ve been doing it longer or are more talented might not be the best way to get buy-in. They have completed the work in a certain fashion or dealt with a situation a certain way for a reason. Find out what that reason is, and base your feedback around that.
Through my time at The Social Adviser, I’ve been subject to more feedback than ever before in my professional career…. and that’s a good thing! We all thrive on contributing to the team and making everything we can bigger and better, but more than that, I’ve been able to change what I think when I get some feedback. Now sometimes after putting hours into a video, for example, it takes a bit more focus to not get opinionated, but now I can take feedback on and use it to go down new paths that I hadn’t even considered beforehand! A better outcome for everyone!
Ultimately, whether you are giving or receiving feedback, you need to be open to the other person’s opinion; consider it by weighing up its pros and cons, and have a conversation. Celebrate what worked well and know that together, you will have a more unified and ultimately better outcome than working alone. You’ll see that it’s not yourself that is being critiqued, and that’s exactly why I have decided to change how I act when I hear ‘Its time for some feedback Nick…’
Want to give me some feedback of your own? By all means! Hit me up on LinkedIn (http://au.linkedin.com/in/