Responding to feedback, whether solicited or not, can be challenging. As I mentioned in my earlier post: “Seeking Feedback for Your Social Marketing Activities,” our egos can get in the way of receiving constructive critique and making the appropriate changes.

Recently I wrote to a number of business colleagues and personal friends asking for feedback on a series of videos I had recently created on ways to optimize a LinkedIn profile.

The comments have been both specific and helpful, and I will apply many of them in my next round of creating videos. Here are my recommendations for making the most of feedback once you get it.

 

Suggestions for Processing Feedback

• Honor the feedback and thank the person who gave it to you. Even if you feel it is way off base, someone took the time to review what you said or wrote or filmed and give you their thoughts about it. And they typically are well-intentioned, or they wouldn’t have given you the feedback in the first place.

• If the feedback comes via email, social media communication, or voice mail, respond as soon as you can. If the person asks you specific questions, answer them to the best of your ability. I had several folks ask me clarifying kinds of questions about the videos I created.

• Create some sort of system (perhaps an Excel spread sheet or some other tool) for compiling and sorting the feedback you get. Doing this will help you to notice how many times a particular suggestion for improvement is made and see other patterns as well. Remember to notate both the positive comments and the areas where you could improve.

• Share the compiled feedback with the appropriate people. In my case, I will be sharing what I heard with the man who coordinated the video project for me and with his colleague, the videographer.

• Take some time to congratulate yourself on whatever people have responded to positively.

• Then dive in and determine which suggestions for improvement you will take to heart and how you will make the desired changes. For example, many people suggested that I smile more often during my videos. So, before I create my next video, I will spend some time recording myself with the video camera in my smart phone and watching the results to see whether I am smiling more often.

 

To see my four videos on ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile, go to my company’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2s7fzNl0OaGg1jB4lmse1g

 

How About You?

What has been your experience in processing feedback from clients, friends, and business colleagues? If you haven’t asked anyone for feedback yet, why do you suppose you’re hesitating, and is there something I or one of your fellow readers of this blog can do to help you overcome that roadblock?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.