How to Deal With Feedback
Tips to make feedback palatable by Prashant Gopalakrishnan, EVP & National Business Head.
When was the last time you broke into a sweat when someone asked you for feedback? Be it on a presentation, a piece of creative or even just some copy? If I were to guess, I’d probably say ‘never!’. Little do we realise that giving feedback is a responsibility, a skill. A specialised skill that’s acquired over time. It’s the perfect balance of being forthright without being demeaning to the effort put in by someone. Over the last few years, I have seen multiple styles of feedback sharing.
Identifying the kinds of feedback can help you get to action points faster, which is my intention with this piece. So let’s take a look at the kind of feedback givers you can expect to meet:
The Collaborators: These guys are my favourite! They will almost never rubbish an idea. They will help you grow the idea from where you left it. They believe in collaboration and conversations. They will work hand in hand to bring about the best possible solution. A lot of film directors we work with at Webchutney are like that. Having said that, it also takes some time for people to accept your feedback as collaborative. A few good campaigns, maybe?
Pro-tip: Collaborators love to be kept in the loop when you are formalising an idea. After all, it’s their baby too.
The Negators: Now this is a power struggle. These are guys who love to show you ‘who the boss is’. They would invariably never let you finish an idea. Feedback would be received even before the idea is out! It’s hard to respect them at first, but soon you find a way to tackle their idiosyncrasies. We all have been negators at some point. This trait becomes even more inherent as you come close to the deadline.
Pro-tip: Pre-empt what the feedback would be and bring that up yourself. Remember Eminem’s last rap battle with Papa Doc in 8 mile!
The Politically Correct: I find this set to be the most dangerous. They are self aware that their word does not mean much. I believe — for a fresher to succeed in the advertising or marketing world, they have to overcome this stage at the earliest. Have a god-damn POV! Right or wrong doesn’t really matter.
Pro-tip: Try and move to the next stage with minimum changes or with the promise of “let’s get consolidated feedback”!
The Equalizers: I like what they bring to the table, as they tell you what works and what doesn’t. So, you invariably know exactly what to focus on and what not to. They let you choose and give you a direction and that is all you are looking for when it comes to feedback.
Pro-tip: Keep what works. Knock-off what doesn’t.
The Thinking alouds: This is a pretty common encounter — especially amidst clients. They love to think aloud. This is a significant problem when there is a larger team seeking feedback. Patience is the key. You often see these people talking to themselves, in the process negating their own POV, then building on top of it and finally bringing it all down. You get the idea! Seldom is the feedback definite.It’s impossible to find the start and the end, just like that of a Jalebi!
Pro-tip: Record the conversations. When you listen to it later, it may make more sense.
The Poker Faced: Once again this is usually the proprietary tool of those who either know that their feedback does not matter or those who don’t want to give away in their evaluations (happens during pitches all the time). These people are pros at the ‘Poker face’ feedback,their go to line is ‘Allow us to get back to you, it’s a lot to process’. So no point cribbing over the lack of insight.
Pro-tip:
The SBTS: ‘The silence before the storm,’ these are the ones that create maximum anxiety. We know that it can go either way. — a blast off or huge hugs! Total extremes! Since the feedback has been building up in the back of their mind, often you’ll see that the reactions are extreme.
Pro-tip: Gauge the reactions. Indulge in conversations. See if you can get feelers of how the presentation is going. This one is an acquired skill!
The Whatevers: This may not be politically correct, but there are times that you need to present to folks who really shouldn’t be there at all. And whether they like it or not, their feedback won’t matter. Hear them out, as it’s more of a formality and in your head filter out the feedback completely. You might notice that due to the proximity with the key stake-holder, you get some great feedback coming your way.
Pro-tip: Avoid presenting. Send the deck across, there would be a 90% chance that you wouldn’t hear back from them.
The Traditionalists: They would rarely appreciate you deviating from the norm. ‘Why fix it, if it ain’t broken’, is their mantra (Ref Narayan Shankar from Mohabbatein). They don’t like changes, hence every idea that is fresh would be looked at with a lot of scrutiny. However, what can change them is one victory and that is all you need to gun for!
Pro-tip: Never act as if you are reinventing the wheel. You are just building on top of what is the most beautiful pre-existing structure. Play it smart!
At different phases of my career, I have witnessed each of these sets. Even today, I can’t say if I am a ‘SBTS’, a ‘whatever’ or a ‘collaborator’ — the role changes depending on how much skin I have in the game. I am sure each one of you will relate to one of the above personalities. Giving feedback and receiving it are two completely different skills, sometimes correlated. The key here is to know who is giving you feedback. More on that in my next piece…
PS: This list is by no means exhaustive. In fact, as you start thinking about it, you might even customize your style of feedback. Write what type you are in the comments section. Would love to see some new styles of feedback. And of course if you like what you read, give it a clap and share it on your social handle. It never hurts :)
