The Art of Receiving Constructive Criticism

On May 5, 2022   /   Building Trust, Effective Communication, Effective Listening, Emotional Intelligence, Uncategorized   /   Leave a comment
The Art of Receiving Constructive Criticism

Many people find it difficult to be on the receiving end of constructive criticism.  It can feel like an attack—especially if it isn’t delivered thoughtfully and with empathy. 

We can’t stress enough how important it is to mentally reframe corrective action as an opportunity for continuous growth and improvement.  As an employee makes performance adjustments based on feedback, their performance reviews/ratings will increase (not to mention job satisfaction!).  When an employee can effectively process corrective feedback, they will be happier and more productive.

Here are a few practices that you can share with your team from Forbes.com:

1) Actively listen. Repeat and affirm what you’ve heard. This gives the brain time to process without becoming defensive. Body language is also a component of active listening.  Check your posture.  Are your arms folded?  If so, relax your arms and maintain good eye contact.

2) Thoughtfully consider the feedback given to you.  Avoid quickly rejecting or accepting the person and take your time to evaluate the information. Consider the impact of the requested change.  Reflect on how frequently you receive similar feedback from other coworkers or in other environments, i.e., at home.

3) Remain open…ask followup questions using the start, stop, continue format.  Begin by asking, “What is something that I am not doing that you would like me to start doing?”.   Next ask, “What is something that I am doing that you would like me to stop doing?”.  Finally ask, “What is something that I am doing that you would like me to continue doing?”.

Take these tips into your next feedback session and leave with clear understanding and amazing opportunities for improvement. 

Share your best practices for receiving corrective feedback in the comments below.   Make it a great day!

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Prepare Employees for Constructive Criticism

On April 27, 2022   /   Effective Communication, Effective Listening, Emotional Intelligence, Generation Z   /   Leave a comment
Prepare Employees for Constructive Criticism

Many people find it difficult to be on the receiving end of corrective criticism or feedback.  It can feel like an attack—especially if it isn’t delivered thoughtfully and with empathy. 

It is important to frame corrective action as an opportunity for continuous growth and improvement.  When an employee can effectively process corrective feedback, they will be happier and more productive.

Here are a few practices for your employees from Forbes.com:

1) Actively listen. Repeat and affirm what you’ve heard. This gives the brain time to process without becoming defensive. Body language is also a component of active listening.  Check your posture.  Are your arms folded?  If so, relax your arms and maintain good eye contact.

2) Thoughtfully consider the feedback given to you.  Avoid quickly rejecting or accepting the person and take time to evaluate the information. Consider the impact of the requested change.  Reflect on how frequently you receive similar feedback from other coworkers or in other environments, i.e., at home.

3) Remain open…ask followup questions using the start, stop, continue format.  Begin by asking, “What is something I am not doing that you would like me to start doing?”.   Next ask, “What is something I am doing that you would like me to stop doing?”.  Finally ask, “What is something I am doing that you would like me to continue doing?”.

Try these tips in your next feedback session.  You may find satisfactory results for clearer understanding and amazing opportunities for improved employee productivity. 

Share your best practices for receiving corrective feedback in the comments below.   Make it a great day!

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5 Tips to Attract Young Consumers

On February 24, 2021   /   All Star Customer Satisfaction, College Students, Effective Listening, Emotional Intelligence, Getting Loyal Employees   /   Leave a comment
5 Tips to Attract Young Consumers

Generation Z (Gen Z) is known as the digital generation.  They are a powerful group of consumers who will give you about 8 seconds to attract and keep their interest in your product or service.  This is particularly important for eCommerce businesses.

Here’s a secret: Refine your website.  Here are five ways to attract and keep their attention:

#1  Your website should mirror their lightning quick attention span.  This demographic is proficient at editing out fluff and hype.  Contrary to popular belief, Gen Z doesn’t act on every stimulus. They want to spend precious little time on a site to decide if you have anything relevant to offer them.  So, make sure your site focuses on realistic and authentic engagement.

#2  Gen Z is mobile-first.  Acknowledging the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets as a primary means of connecting and consuming, design a website for a quality mobile experience–that is where customers will find you, especially Gen Z.

#3  If your auto-play slows down page loading, Gen Z (and most other consumers) will lose enthusiasm to engage.  Use videos that reinforce your company’s relevance and be sure to launch them with the audio muted.  This will give consumers control and will likely keep them on your site.

#4  Gen Zers immediately know whether your blog post is sponsored. They’ll know if you’ve just written it to get your blog post done for the week.  If that’s the case, they’ll promptly stop following your blog.  Think about how you can make your content exciting, funny, insightful, and helpful.  If possible, make it a series. Above all, be honest.

#5  Consider invitng Gen Zers to write guest posts for your company blog. This will show that you value their viewpoints and opinions.  It will also differentiate you from competitors who may be too resistant to do this.  Additionally, it is highly likely they’ll share their post with their own followers on social media – potentially introducing your blog to hundreds of new Gen Z followers.

These practices will set your company on the right path to capture the more than $44 billion (USD) in spending power of Generation Z.  So, who wants to go out there and make it a great day?

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