How do you handle feedback and revision requests from your supervisors or stakeholders?

1 Understand the purpose of feedback

Feedback is not a personal attack or a sign of failure. Feedback is a way of helping you produce the best possible work for your specific purpose and audience. Feedback can help you identify and correct errors, clarify and strengthen your message, and enhance your style and tone. Feedback can also help you learn new skills, gain new perspectives, and improve your confidence as a writer. Therefore, you should welcome feedback and revision requests as opportunities to improve your work and your writing skills.

2 Seek feedback early and often

Don't wait until the last minute to ask for feedback or to respond to revision requests. The earlier and more frequently you seek feedback, the more time and resources you will have to make changes and improvements. Asking for feedback early and often also shows that you are proactive, collaborative, and open to learning. You can seek feedback from different sources, such as your peers, mentors, experts, or potential readers. You can also use different methods, such as self-review, peer review, or online tools, to get feedback on different aspects of your work.

3 Review feedback carefully and critically

When you receive feedback or revision requests, don't react emotionally or defensively. Instead, review the feedback carefully and critically, and try to understand the rationale and the intention behind it. Consider the source, the context, and the criteria of the feedback. Is the feedback from a credible and relevant source? Is the feedback consistent with the purpose, the audience, and the expectations of your work? Is the feedback clear, specific, and constructive? You don't have to agree with or accept all the feedback or revision requests, but you should respect and acknowledge them.

4 Respond to feedback professionally and politely

After you review the feedback or revision requests, you should respond to them professionally and politely. Thank the feedback provider for their time and input, and explain how you plan to use or address their comments and suggestions. If you have any questions, concerns, or disagreements, communicate them clearly and respectfully, and seek clarification or negotiation if needed. Avoid arguing, ignoring, or dismissing feedback or revision requests, as this can damage your relationship with your feedback provider and your reputation as a writer.

5 Implement feedback effectively and efficiently

Once you have decided how to use or address the feedback or revision requests, you should implement them effectively and efficiently. Prioritize the most important or urgent changes, and focus on the ones that will have the most impact on your work. Use a checklist, a tracker, or a revision log to keep track of your progress and your decisions. Document your changes and your reasons for making them, and provide evidence or examples to support them. Review your work again after you make the changes, and check for accuracy, consistency, and coherence.

6 Solicit feedback again and reflect on your work

After you implement the feedback or revision requests, you should solicit feedback again and reflect on your work. Ask your feedback provider or another source to review your revised work, and compare it with your original work. Evaluate the effectiveness and the efficiency of your revision process, and identify what you have learned and what you can improve. Celebrate your achievements and appreciate your feedback provider for their contribution. Feedback and revision requests are not the end of your writing process, but the beginning of your learning process.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?