Stakeholders are giving unclear content feedback. How can you steer the direction effectively?

If stakeholders are giving unclear content feedback, the best way to steer the discussion is to load all the stakeholders into a car. Label the car "The Discussion." Get on the highway and once up to a high, consistent speed - 120+ mph is perfect - abandon the car. Roll to minimise impact and watch as the stakeholders synergise their efforts to effectively steer The Discussion away from median barriers, other traffic, and so on. This thought leadership will result in stakeholders putting aside their petty differences, and the discussion will finally be steered effectively.

To get clear feedback, ask specific questions and give examples. This helps ensure you get useful and clear input from stakeholders.

Clarity is kindness. Are you confused? Embrace your vulnerability and be honest about where you are at. Faking a level of understanding behooves nobody.

Stakeholders are giving unclear content feedback. How can you steer the direction effectively? Unclear content feedback can be frustrating. To improve feedback, clarify expectations, encourage specifics, actively listen, provide context, iterate, build relationships, and use feedback tools. Understanding why feedback is unclear is crucial.

You have to create a feedback framework that doesn't set your team up to fail. Establish clear guidance on how many rounds of revisions are fair or useful. Ensure that process doesn't come ahead of people.

Ensure that both your team and the stakeholders share a common understanding of the project goals. Confirm that everyone is on the same page regarding the intended outcomes and key messages of the content.

Ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page regarding the project's objectives. Reiterate the project's goals and how the content aligns with these goals. This can help focus feedback and make it more constructive. Alignment on objectives provides a common ground for evaluating content changes.

Para orientar a dire??o do conteúdo de forma eficaz, a clareza nos feedbacks é essencial. Ao promover um diálogo aberto e esclarecer expectativas, podemos garantir que o conteúdo atenda às necessidades de todos.

Ensure that both you and the stakeholders are aligned on the project objectives. Revisit the goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to confirm that everyone is on the same page. Alignment on objectives provides a clear framework for evaluating and refining the content.

Establish a structured feedback process that includes regular check-ins and reviews. Create a standardized template or form for stakeholders to provide their feedback in a more organized and clear manner.

Creating a space for you and your clients to leave and respond to feedback is a great way to document it and not lose track. In social media calendars for example, something like google sheets is a good place to list requests/ revisions and keep an eye on what’s being done about it etc

Content Reviews are important & feedback is your bible. The best way is to create an easiest method to take feedback like a spreadsheet/ slack list/ etc with specific questions. Divide the feedback as High, Medium & Low. Use project management tools like ClickUp, Asana & Jira to define stakeholders with proper deadlines. This is the best way to project manage the content projects.

Establish a structured feedback loop to facilitate ongoing communication with stakeholders. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress, address concerns, and receive continuous input. This iterative process helps in making incremental improvements and keeping the project on track.

Using an Eisenhower matrix can be a great way to getting the mutual agreement for what content (or point) to prioritize. However, it is important to understand how your key stakeholder is prioritizing their feedback to you in context of your project vs. their own business needs (which can include their own job performance, or at least the perception of it). You'll know exactly when this happens, because that stakeholder will automatically put ALL their feedback into the Urgent/Important quadrant. This is also likely the exact time to seek outside help or intervention to mediate from upon high.

Identify and prioritize the most critical revisions that need to be made based on the feedback. Focus on changes that align with the project goals and have the most significant impact on the content’s effectiveness. Prioritizing revisions ensures that the most important issues are addressed first.

Don't be afraid to contact the Stakeholders. Connect with them and get the right details. If you continue working with unclear feedback, your content may not be appealing to them and might not meet their expectations in spite of your efforts and it is a colossal waste of your time and resources. So shun, your nervousness and get clear feedback about your content.

Especially with new clients, invest/ create an optimized onboarding plan. The best way to do it is making the plan so simple for your clients so they don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to bombard them with information from Day 1. You can literally take them on a journey of your processes etc as they go along how things go down in your projects.

Provide stakeholders with insights into the content creation process and the rationale behind certain decisions. Educating them on best practices, industry standards, and the strategic approach helps in building their understanding and appreciation of the content strategy.

It can be as difficult to give feedback as it is to write and revise. Help stakeholders get specific by asking them how their feedback supports the goals of the piece they're critiquing. If there is a campaign brief or creative brief, refer to that in your question. Sometimes it helps to ask them for similar pieces that they like before you start writing, so you know what to aim for--this can sometimes help at the feedback stage too.

The education piece usually happens if we need to onboard a newbie SME or if we're working with new stakeholders who are unfamiliar with our content production process. When a newbie arrives, we ensure a robust handover process and that the SME knows exactly what's expected of them. If templates are available, we refer to them and provide as much guidance upfront as possible, which usually enables high-quality feedback. If we're working with new stakeholders, we will always agree on and define clear objectives to ensure success. Do not ever assume your stakeholders know what's expected of them.

The ability to reflect and adjust from feedback is the hallmark of a great writer / content producer. If you have that amazing person how can "somehow" translate vague or confusing comments from senior stakeholders or the leadership - you've got yourself a golden person working on your project. Help and support them however you can.

Reflect on the feedback and the adjustments made to ensure that they meet the desired outcomes. Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the changes and be ready to make further adjustments as necessary. This reflective practice ensures that the content evolves to meet stakeholder expectations and project goals.

First identify the reasons behind the unclear feedback. Are they receiving the materials at par with the team or community or project guidelines? If not, then you should check your review mechanism and documentation part. Secondly, check if there is any conflict among your team members. Maybe that's the reason that is restricting them to do the review properly. Many times it happens that professional conflicts leave personal scars that restrict people to perform adequately. And thirdly, were the previous feedback provided by your team members valued aptly? This is where you need to check yourself as how much importance you are giving to the feedback provided by your team members and the level to which those are implemented.

Facilitate Workshops: Organize workshops or collaborative sessions where stakeholders can see the content development process in action. This can help them provide more informed and relevant feedback. Use Visual Aids: Utilize mock-ups, wireframes, or prototypes to visually demonstrate how the content will look and function. This can help stakeholders give more precise feedback. Set Clear Guidelines: Establish clear guidelines for providing feedback, including focusing on specific elements such as tone, structure, and key messages, rather than general impressions.

It's the time to go through the data collected, find out why it's happening, list out the solutions and execute the most appropriate one. It has to be beneficial to all!

Iterate and Refine:Continuously refine your content based on ongoing feedback and performance data. This iterative process helps ensure alignment with your audience's needs and preferences.

Whenever feedback is unclear, use mirroring. Listen to what the stakeholder says, then mirror it back to them to confirm agreement on understanding. Your response would start with something like, “So what I hear you saying is..” This is the best path to a mutually agreed upon understanding.