First Do No Harm: How to Give Clearer, Kinder, and More Helpful Feedback on Creative Work

One of the most exciting parts of any creative endeavor is that moment when the Creative team emerges from their hidey-hole to share the fruits of their labor with you and the broader team.

They’ve been hard at work since kickoff. They’ve lost sleep, researched, thrown things out, banged their heads against the wall, started over, worked on 14 other projects that have to be done TODAY, and attempted to live a little bit of their life in the meantime. The temerity.

And now here you come with your pokerface. Pressure’s on.

Creative reviews have an energy of their own. They can be lighthearted, fun, and uplifting. Or they can be arduous, ponderous, and stressful. Whether you're a colleague or a client, you are a VIP (Very Important Perspective), and you have an influence on which direction that energy goes. With great power comes great responsibility, eh?

To help ensure a positive feedback experience for everyone at your next creative review, check out the following tips, which I've gathered over the years from some of my favorite Creatives. I guarantee they'll make you a better partner AND improve the work at the same time.

1. Be engaged, stay engaged.

A lot of work went into what, for you, may be just an hourlong discussion. Show up on time. Don’t leave early. Be an active listener. Take notes. Stay off your phone and your email. If you’re virtual, don’t covertly text about the work with others. The more attention you pay, the more respectful you are, the more helpful you will be when it’s time to discuss the work.

2. Start on a positive note.

I’m not advocating for a compliment sandwich, which everyone can smell coming like week-old tuna salad. Just remember that you hold the power for the tone of the meeting, particularly if you’re the first to speak. So focus on an idea or ideas you feel are working, and help things get off to a smooth start.

3. Make room for others.

We’ve all been in a room with someone who dominates the conversation. They speak first, they speak most, and often try to have the last word. Sometimes people with higher titles think it’s expected of them (it’s not). Other times it’s ego, insecurity, or a poisonous cocktail of both. Regardless, this can be a death knell for a collaborative conversation, and that means other less assertive people may not share their perspectives.

4. Stay aware of your biases.

Everyone knows that Creative is subjective. That’s part of its beauty. It’s also what makes creative reviews so tricky for everyone to navigate. You can and should share your unique perspective, but recognize that this conversation should not be about what you like or don’t like. Always remember: you’re not the audience.

5. Practice specificity.

Vague feedback isn’t worth your breath. Don’t say something unless you can back it up with specific rationale, ideally grounded in the strategy, the research, the creative brief. If you can’t articulate why something isn’t working, it could be a signal that it’s just a subjective bias and should be ignored.

6. Avoid prescriptive notes.

If you spot an issue in the creative work, point it out clearly and kindly, and trust that your Creative team will come up with the solution. I’ve heard from multiple Creatives that one of their biggest pet peeves is “Do this, not that” style feedback. You’re not here to direct. That’s what Creative Directors are for.

7. Don’t expect solutions in the room.

One of the easiest ways to bog down a creative review is to turn it into a group brainstorm, ESPECIALLY if not everyone has had a chance to say their piece yet. First, maybe not everyone even agrees that anything needs “fixing.” And if they do, then things get quiet, brows get furrowed in concentration, kneejerk ideas get floated, and all of a sudden you have creative-by-committee, which leads to sloppy, compromised work.

8. Slay Frankenstein.

This is a variation on not trying to solve problems in the room. You like the headline on Idea A and the art on Idea B? Great, give that feedback, but don’t try to mash them together. The result will be an abomination.

9. Abstain from sugarcoating.

You may think you’re being nice by complimenting work as a way to soften your real concerns, but you may in fact be causing confusion. Rotten tuna salad, remember? You might be surprised at how thick-skinned Creatives can be. Being clear is far kinder than empty compliments.

10. Don’t speak just to speak.

You’re in the room for a reason. Maybe you manage the client relationship. Maybe you wrote the brief. Maybe you’re a subject matter expert. But if you feel like your points have already been covered in the conversation, don’t feel obligated to repeat them in a different way. Many an hour has been wasted with “paraphrased feedback,” where people repeat each other without adding anything new to the conversation. It’s okay to say “I agree.”

11. Speak for yourself.

It’s also okay to say “I disagree.” Don’t worry about what the person next to you thinks, whether they’re your boss, the head of the company, or someone who has it out for you politically. You are your own person. If you see something a different way, it’s okay. In fact, it’s important to hear that. So don’t try to anticipate what others will say, and don’t try to echo them either.

12. Be nice.

This one shouldn’t have to be said. But I have to say it, because I’ve seen it more often than I care to admit. Nothing positive comes from making Creatives feel bad about the work they did. There is no room for snark, passive-aggression, or outright bullying. Remember, there’s an energy to these meetings. You can be a force for good, or a force for evil. Only one of those will lead to better work, and that’s all you want, right? RIGHT?

13. Know the difference between an idea and execution.

Early on in a project, it's important to remember that nothing is intended to be final. Whatever form you see the work in, be it rough sketches, cocktail napkins, swipe art, it shouldn’t matter. If you find yourself criticizing an idea because of a particular photograph, or defending an idea because it looks finished, you’re focusing on the wrong things. Does the idea connect to the strategy? Will it resonate with the target audience? That’s all that matters in the beginning.

14. Don't hold feedback til later.

If you have something to say, say it in the room. Do not wait until after the meeting to have a hallway conversation with a smaller group. Do not send an email afterwards with your real thoughts. This one is especially deadly when combined with sugarcoating. There’s nothing worse than being told “great job” only to have a followup one-on-one conversation where someone shares their “concerns” after the Creatives are already back to work.

15. Recognize that sometimes it’s okay to just say “This is great. No comments.”

Hey, you know what? This one is great. No comments.

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Hopefully, you’ve found some advice here that you can put into pratice in your next creative review. Remember, everyone shares a common goal, to get to the best work. To do that, you should focus on being as helpful as possible. Not only will the work improve, but the Creatives will love you. And who doesn’t want to be loved by Creatives?

Tune back in next Tuesday, when I’ll flip the script to the other side of the table, and give some tips to Creatives on how to receive feedback.

Hey Creatives, are there any tips I'm missing? Have a different POV to share? A feedback experience you dare to relive in public? Drop me a comment or feel free to share with others to help them improve their feedback game!