How do you handle feedback and criticism from stakeholders using active listening skills?

Handle stakeholder feedback with active listening by staying present and focused on their perspective without interruption. Paraphrase their comments to ensure understanding and show empathy. Ask clarifying questions to delve deeper into their concerns. Avoid becoming defensive and instead express gratitude for their input. Acknowledge areas for improvement and commit to addressing them. Follow up with actions to demonstrate responsiveness, fostering trust and collaboration in the relationship.

One thing I've found helpful is to take the practice used in improvisation of saying 'yes, and'. Accept that the difficult feedback you are hearing is your stakeholders reality, and build on it. Establishing that you understand their perspective is a strong foundation for building trust.

I've always found it worth remembering the amount of non-verbal communication that is happening where you have face to face contact, either in person or . You can frequently tell if the feedback or criticism is deeply meant or just felt to be obligatory, by how it is given. This allows you respond appropriately. However, this works both ways. It is very easy to antagonise a situation, even quite a benign one, by ignoring the non-verbal communication you are giving.

Active listening is a communication technique where the listener fully engages with the speaker, paying attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues. It involves giving the speaker full attention, acknowledging their message, and providing feedback to ensure mutual understanding.

Active listening involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said. It requires the listener to engage with the speaker, both verbally and non-verbally.

An added benefit of active listening is your stakeholders are more likely to come forward and offer up information in the future if they can sense that you're actively engaging with them. It opens the doors to future conversations and ways of working.

Active listening is one of the most important tool in the project manager arsenal. You can eliminate so many problems just by listening and asking questions. This skill will save you a bunch of money and nerves. Sometimes people do not really know what they need or want - so that is why active listening help so much - you can find out, together with a stakeholder, what is the real problem.

Active listening is crucial for effective communication, especially when receiving feedback or criticism from stakeholders. It helps build trust and rapport, fosters understanding, and promotes constructive dialogue. By actively listening to stakeholders, one can demonstrate respect for their perspective and increase the likelihood of reaching mutually beneficial solutions.

Active listening builds trust and rapport, ensures accurate understanding of feedback, and fosters a collaborative environment where stakeholders feel valued.

Set aside distractions: Before engaging in a conversation, eliminate distractions such as phones or other tasks to focus fully on the speaker. Maintain an open mindset: Approach the conversation with curiosity and a willingness to understand the stakeholder's viewpoint, even if it differs from your own. Review previous interactions: Consider any past feedback or criticism from stakeholders to identify recurring themes or areas for improvement.

When preparing for active listening, in my experience it's also important to manage emotions: Be aware of your own and your conversation partner(s) emotions and biases and strive to maintain emotional balance during the conversation, even when handling feedback and criticism you might not agree with.

Prepare by creating a focused environment free from distractions and mentally setting aside your own biases or defensive reactions. Approach the conversation with an open mind, ensuring you fully understand their concerns by nodding, paraphrasing their points and asking clarifying questions. This preparation helps you to genuinely engage with their feedback, fostering constructive dialogue and effectively addressing their concerns.

Give full attention: Maintain eye contact, nod occasionally, and use non-verbal cues to show engagement in the conversation. Paraphrase and clarify: Repeat back key points or summarize the speaker's message to ensure you've understood correctly. Ask clarifying questions to fill in any gaps or ambiguities. Empathize with the speaker: Put yourself in the speaker's shoes and try to understand their perspective, feelings, and motivations behind their feedback or criticism. Avoid interrupting or jumping to conclusions: Allow the speaker to express their thoughts fully without interrupting. Avoid making assumptions or forming judgments prematurely.

Pay full attention, show engagement through body language and verbal acknowledgments, reflect and paraphrase, ask clarifying questions, and show empathy.

Practice by giving your full attention, maintaining eye contact and avoiding interruptions while they speak. Reflect back what you've heard by summarizing their points and asking open-ended questions to ensure clarity. Show empathy by acknowledging their concerns and validating their feelings, which helps build trust and demonstrates that you value their input, leading to more productive and respectful discussions.

When receiving feedback and criticism from stakeholders, instead of getting defensive, ask a question. For example "How does this impact you when I'm..." or "Can you help me understand how...". Seeking clarification in a reasonable manner with a neutral tone will you not only help understand the feedback, but also why that stakeholder is providing you with advice/criticism. In my experience this helps prioritizing a stakeholder relationship above your roadmap.

Reflect on the feedback: Take time to process the feedback or criticism received and consider its validity and implications. Provide acknowledgment and feedback: Thank the stakeholder for their input and acknowledge any valid points raised. If necessary, offer your perspective or additional information to clarify misunderstandings. Take action: Identify actionable steps based on the feedback received and incorporate them into your plans or actions moving forward. Follow up: Check in with the stakeholder later to update them on any progress made or changes implemented based on their feedback. This demonstrates your commitment to addressing their concerns and maintaining open communication.

Act on feedback, seek clarification if needed, provide updates on progress and outcomes, and express gratitude to stakeholders for their input.