HOW TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK

Whether you're working on a project with co-workers, pitching an idea to investors, or being given feedback personally, receiving feedback is integral to developing your product and yourself. However, it can be difficult to receive negative feedback at first; this is especially true when someone is saying something about how you've failed or what they don't like about your work.

In this post, I break down how to receive feedback in a way that makes it easier for everyone involved!

Listen: Before you respond to the feedback, make sure you actually understand what is being said.

When you hear feedback, your first instinct might be to defend or disagree. But before you respond, make sure you actually understand what is being said.

Here are a few tips for listening:

• Listen to what the person is saying: The person giving feedback may not have all of their facts straight, so try not to jump on them right away. Instead, listen carefully and take notes of any points that seem unclear or where they've gotten something wrong.
• Ask questions if necessary: If you're still unsure about something after someone else's explanation, ask questions! This will help ensure that both parties are on the same page (and prevent potential arguments).
• Don't interrupt: It's tempting when someone gives an answer that doesn't seem right or doesn't match up with how things actually happened—but don't interrupt! Give them time to explain themselves fully before jumping in with “Actually…” That way everyone will walk away feeling like they were heard and respected enough to give their own opinion back in return (which leads us nicely into our next point).

Acknowledge: The person who is providing feedback has put a lot of time and effort into thinking about your work.

The person who is providing feedback has put a lot of time and effort into thinking about what they're going to say, we've all been there. They've thought carefully about it, and they want to help you. So first and foremost, thank them! Even if the feedback wasn't what you wanted to hear (or if it was just confusing), acknowledge that they took the time and made an effort to help you grow as a professional. You'll look more professional yourself if you show gratitude, even if it's hard for you at first!

It's important that we understand that receiving feedback is not only about improving ourselves and our work; it's also about how we communicate with others. It might seem like there are no other skills involved in this process besides listening well, but there are also important social skills involved when receiving valuable criticism from someone else - especially when those skills haven't been practiced before!

Receiving feedback can be hard at first, but if done right it can be really helpful!

• Feedback is a great way to improve yourself and to learn new things about yourself.
• You might not agree with the feedback, but you will find something within the feedback to help you grow as a person.
• Take time to reflect and be honest with yourself. You wont develop and evolve otherwise.
• Receiving feedback in a professional way sets the standard for everybody else - it shows what you expect from others and creates an open culture where giving feedback isn't a taboo.

Summary

As you can see, receiving feedback can be a bit tricky. But as we said earlier, it's important to remember that this is something that everyone has to go through at some point in their career. So if you're feeling nervous about giving or receiving feedback right now, don't worry! Just follow these steps, take a breath and reflect.

About Oliver Burton

Helping Founders, Owners, Entrepreneurs, Businesses & Organisations achieve their goals is my passion. Having been CEO for the last 10 years, including at a top 200 law firm (I’m not a lawyer!), as well as an International Board Advisor, NED and Entrepreneur in Residence, enables me to provide simple and easily actionable solutions to help you unlock the potential of your business and your most valuable asset, its people.

Book an introductory meeting here: https://calendly.com/curly-top/30min