If you have a job where you have to be creative, chances are you have run into a situation where you’ve worked really hard on a project only to have it torn to shreds. What do you do in these situations? How do you keep professional while swallowing your disappointment?
Take a deep breath and focus on getting what you want. You can get defensive at your client’s or boss’s first response but it would be better if you took a different approach. You catch more flies with honey and you have a better chance of getting a positive outcome if you respond positively. Don’t react defensively or aggressively, no matter how hurt or disappointed you are. Remind yourself of your goal- getting the job done.
Clarify the negative feedback before you explain or defend your work. It’s essential that you understand exactly what the other person doesn’t like about it. This can be difficult if they use vague terms such as “awful”, “terrible”, “no good” or “disappointing” but don’t give you any criteria in which the judgment is based on. Sometimes they can fail to back up their judgments with specific examples and they may be rude or aggressive. Before you can have a meaningful discussion you may need to clarify what they are talking about try asking very specific questions like:
- What exactly don’t you like?
- Can you give me an example?
- Can you point to the bit you don’t like?
- Is it the font itself or the size of the text that is the problem?
- Do you not like the story, or the way it’s being told?
At this stage your goal is to completely understand and help them articulate their criteria and how exactly the work fails to meet it in their eyes. This doesn’t mean that you’re agreeing with them, just trying to understand what it is that they mean.
The next step is to move the conversation forward to a positive conclusion either getting the work accepted in its current form or agreeing on what needs changing. Solution focused questions are great tools for doing this. Ask questions describing your suggested solution and ask whether or not it would be acceptable. Your goal here is to leave the room with a clear outline of your agreement upon the next step towards a solution. This way you can complete the project, make them happy, and keep your professional reputation in tact.
Leave a Reply