How can you effectively respond to unhelpful feedback in your early career?

If you want to get the most out of feedback (both constructive and non-constructive), use a selective approach. In every feedback there is an instructive point that can be used to improve your performance. Hear the feedback, check it out, sift through the good and the bad, take the good and apply it. With this method, you can create a training course for yourself even from negative and unconstructive feedback.

Acknowledging the negative feedback is crucial for the good image of your brand. Use polite feedback as this will make the consumers lower their guard and acknowledge the brand as well. This can eventually help you convert the negative feedbacks into positive one.

Acknowledge the feedback by clarifying the client's reservations. Try to avoid/cancel working with in the first place if it is known that the feedback will be bad. As they say, in the community of freelancers, it is better to cancel the order than to get a bad feedback.

One can ask for actionable inputs. Few examples are: How can I contribute to this better? What exactly do you want me to target in the copy? Do I need to work on the tone of copy or rethink for a new audience? Asking for clarity and actionable points can help.

Unhelpful is a subjective definition when it comes to feedback. You have the power to define it on a case-by-case basis. Chances are early on in your career most feedback will actually be helpful. You have a lot to learn and never stop (I know I haven't). Remain unemotional, like your copy, and apply the lessons you learn. The results will be positive!

??Phrase your questions better and ask for suggestions. In the example, asking “what do you mean by boring?” sounds defensive no matter how you will deliver this. Instead, ask specific aspects that you felt made it boring and seek feedback. Say, “Did this word made it boring? Or is it how I phrased the sentence? What do you think?”

Clarity is always the key for a copywriter. Be it the client brief, messaging needs or feedback, a copywriter has to be clear about the objective of the ad. Ask for clarity and follow up on the feedback if it's unclear. Ask for examples, suggestions to know the other point of view. But at the end, always bring a balance and give what your audience needs.

Here's another tool to clarify: ask for examples. They say the text is boring? Okay, noted, please tell me what kind of texts I can use as a reference then. "Boring" is subjective, while "I want something like this" is loud and clear.

Sometimes the feedback may be helpful but can come across as the opposite. Some simple steps for this are: 1)Restating the feedback - repeating it in a questioning tone can indicate that maybe you did not fully understand the topic. 2) Asking for more clarification - maybe you understood it in a different way than they tried to portray. Communication is an important role in all aspects of business, if not the most important. Whether it is a client, your boss, or a colleague, everyone appreciates someone who takes the extra effort to try.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Unhelpful feedback might be masking actual constructive criticism. Ask as many questions as you want and don’t fear the answer, take it onboard. If you feel that there isn’t anything constructive being offered, it’s worth going to another source and asking from feedback there. Sometimes a second opinion is worth its weight in gold.

??Evaluate feedback together with someone. We may have biases because it is our writing, so it is important to go through feedback together with someone. ??Don’t focus on justifying your writing choices. You can be right, but you can also be wrong. Take the comment and do two things: (1) check if it is according to the client brief and (2) check if it does improve the copy.

When feedback is not directly valuable to it, the best thing to do is to take it and let it be. You don't have to use that feedback, you just have to acknowledge it out of courtesy. If you think that someone continuously gives you irrelevant feedback, to the point of it becoming annoying and destroying your confidence, then it is action time. You need to be vocal about their feedback not being helpful.

The Thoughtful Judge Think of yourself as a judge in a courtroom. You're impartially weighing the evidence presented in the feedback. Is there any merit to it? Evaluating the feedback helps you separate constructive criticism from noise.

In order to respond to unhelpful feedback, you need to reason out your thoughts to the reviewers. Bias often makes us stubborn. Analyze the reasons behind the feedback and consider the reviewer's point of view. If necessary, discuss the feedback with the reviewer. As a copywriter, if you believe it is unhelpful, it is important to present reasons from a copywriter's perspective. This could be related to copy style, content guidelines, or user experience. Don’t take it personally.

Evaluate directly with the client on a call (or face-to-face is even better). Dig as deep as possible and ensure you listen more than you talk. Give them the space and chance to air their concerns and give more details on what they don't like and why. This might be "preference" based, but don't assume that until you talk with them. Make sure the feedback makes sense, is consistent with other work and feedback already provided and make detailed notes which you may need to rely on to evidence those inconsistencies.

Early in my career, I learned the importance of responding to feedback, even if it seemed unhelpful... Once, after receiving vague criticism on a project, instead of getting defensive, I asked for specific examples to better understand the concerns. This approach not only helped clarify the feedback but also showed my willingness to learn and improve. It’s key to maintain professionalism, I think.

As someone who has spent over two decades as a copywriter and creative leader, I can say the most important thing to remember is to be unemotional. After thanking the person thrashing your work, seeing the problem from the other person's perspective and fully understanding the opposing position, it's time for an empathetic and thoughtful response. Avoid the temptation to immediately defend. Despite the heat rising in your neck and face, acknowledge the feedback in a way that makes the person understand that YOU understand their position. Reposition your opinions to questions so that the person at the other side of the table follows a logical thread back to your position. At the same time be open to the fact that you could be wrong.

If you disagree with the feedback and your client is struggling to move on from that, you can suggest A/B testing. It's a great way to solve disagreements and for everyone to learn what's best for the readers.

In my experience, the first you'd want to do is clarify the feedback. Understand its meaning, ask the concerned person to elaborate or go more in detail and an action that could have worked better. Be it helpful advice, or unhelpful advice, you got to acknowledge the advice first. Even if you disagree after clarification, simply say thank you for the advice and move on. Trust your instincts and rationally think about any feedback you receive.

Responding to the feedback is a crucial step in your career. - Thank them for the feedback and state how you will incorporate what they said. - Make sure it is actionable items you will do. use the S.M.A.R.T system. - Try not to get defensive - sometimes we feel attacked when we feel criticized.

Unhelpful feedback can serve as a significant learning opportunity, especially in the early stages of your career. ?? Instead of viewing it as an obstacle, consider it a building block for personal growth. ?? ??Take the time to carefully analyze the feedback. It is crucial to distinguish between constructive and destructive feedback. The constructive elements are like building blocks that can help you to develop your skills and improve. ?? Ask yourself which steps you can take to enhance your process and ensure customer expectations are clear from the outset. ?? It might involve communication or aligning with their needs. ?? Utilize the feedback as a tool to sharpen your skills and build a successful career.??

Don’t take feedback as a personal criticism. It can be hard early in your career to not see everything as a feedback on yourself. Feedback early in your career is crucial to creating a much more objective view of your work, in whatever industry or field. Unhelpful criticism also helps you to define what is useful and what isn’t. It can also give you the confidence to question feedback and get the most from it. Give yourself the time to make mistakes and learn from them, cut yourself a break because NOBODY is perfect.

The Growth-Seeking Gardener Transform into a gardener tending to your skills. Even if the feedback seems unhelpful initially, there might be a seed of truth that can sprout into personal and professional growth. Learning from feedback is like nurturing your skills, ensuring they blossom over time.

If the feedback is helpful and you were able to find common ground with the client, reflect and learn from it and don't be afraid to ask your peers for guidance and their opinions. If the feedback is still unhelpful and you weren't able to convert it into being helpful, then leverage this experience to learn how to get better clients - let it fuel your fire! ?? And learn how to be more selective when choosing your clients.

Moving on from feedback, especially if it's harsh, can be tough. I remember a time when I got overly critical feedback that shook my confidence :(( Instead of dwelling on it, I focused on the constructive parts and used it to refine my skills. It’s essential to not let feedback, particularly the negative kind, define you or your work. Learn, adapt, and then shift your focus back to growth and progress.

One of my clients jokes about being "curious, not furious" and I think this is a perfect example of when to utilize that phrase. ??If the feedback is really getting under your skin: why? ??Do you think others perceive the situation similarly to the feedback-giver? Why or why not? And is their perception even slightly valuable? ?? How can you use this experience to your advantage? What can you take away from it? Notice that none of these are based on the other person- they're mostly about you and your internal dialogue. These kinds of experiences can be really valuable if we use them as learning opportunities about ourselves.

We're only human, and we're prone to getting upset, deflated, and feeling like we don't want to continue. It's natural, and you'll have down moments. And you'll lose clients. The trick is to know your value and develop the art of "bouncing back" - it's okay to be down for a short period, but don't "stay there" and put a positive spin on everything that seems negative at the time. Where focus goes, energy flows!

The Resilient Athlete Imagine you're an athlete facing a setback. After acknowledging, clarifying, evaluating, and responding, it's time to move forward. Like a resilient athlete bouncing back from defeat, you don't dwell on the negative feedback. Instead, you focus on the next race – your next opportunity for success.

It's good to not focus on what's invaluable as you will be wasting alot of time. If you think too much it's going to hinder your performance. Hence focus on your goal and keep working. The spirits and good omen with a lot of hard work will eventually help you achieve great results.

Get really good at shaping, refining and agreeing a brief that sets out project objectives and client expectations in writing. The clearer everyone is on what 'good' looks like, the more chance you'll have of avoiding unhelpful feedback.

Before you react defensively, take a moment to recognize the emotional reactions the feedback has triggered and consider why — Did it challenge your core values? Or did it make you feel insecure about your skills? Is there any truth to what the person has shared, and does it shed a light on certain blind spots you might have? If you have to continuously work with this person, it might also be helpful to have a chat with them on your preferred communication styles and how you can both make future feedback sessions more constructive and fruitful. Focus on solutions and growth. Once you've taken steps to address the feedback, follow up with the person who provided it. Share your progress and demonstrate your commitment to improvement.

Take it in context. The feedback you've just had is from one individual. Others may differ - I once delivered a speech and within ten minutes I had one person feeding back that it really came to life when I was joking with the audience while another person offered the feedback that the joking was a bit of a distraction and I needed to get my target topic nailed down a bit more firmly. Both views had merit but of course I couldn't act on one without dismissing the other. For what it's worth I opted for "fewer interactions" rather than building up on the audience rapport as I know I have a tendency to get carried away in that department. But I recognise that each person had the right to their view, opposite though they may have been.

The Strategic Chess Player Finally, think of yourself as a chess player. Consider the long-term strategy. Is there a pattern in the feedback you've received? Are there recurring themes? Strategically understanding the bigger picture helps you navigate future challenges with greater wisdom.