“Workshop: From Feedback to Flourish” Recap

In this remote world, effective communication is becoming more important, yet increasingly more difficult. And the art of giving and receiving feedback is no exception. To find better solutions to today’s growing problems, we need to feed our and others’ ideas, yet the way we give feedback often starves them. Last week we discovered a new way to give feedback, or should we say, to feed forward.

A huge thank you to Michael Doody, founder of The [blank] Project, for sharing 5 actionable steps to feeding ideas forward. Keep scrolling to get the gist of what we learned, best bites, and more. 👇🏽

Best bites

• “Everything in the world starts small. Except for some reason, when it comes to ideas, when we’re time-starved and online, we decide what’s a big idea vs. a small idea. We don’t think about what it takes to make an idea bigger and stronger and gather people around it. Feedback is the place where ideas either grow bigger or get smaller.” When we make preconceptions about an idea in its early stages, we don’t spend enough time on the most critical stage: giving feedback to help it grow. As a result, we deprive the idea, the creator, and the world of its full potential and miss out on seeing how it could evolve.
• “I’ve never seen an award show where there’s one person on the stage that says, ‘Thanks for the award, I did it all myself.’ Collaboration is critical in making ideas bigger. But the part we often forget about is not just the ‘Yes and’ but the ‘Have you explored this?’” It takes a village to grow an idea. Part of feeding an idea forward is building onto what’s existing and opening doors for what’s missing, all with the end goal of making it the best and strongest idea it can be.
• “One minute is enough to give really powerful feedback. If you’re paying attention.” When giving feedback, quality > quantity. If you are truly present when listening to a pitch or idea, your response will be that much more thoughtful and can feel like an eternity (in a good way).

Go deeper

To learn more about the inspiration behind Michael’s 5 steps to feeding ideas forward, check out Critical Response Process by dancer and choreographer Liz Lerman.

Move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset with Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Sneak peek: it’s not so much about talent as it is about how much you practice.

Run with it

The next time you’re asked to give feedback, follow these 5 steps and see if there’s a difference in how you and the recipient feel afterwards.

• Gather for growth: Put the idea at the center of everything. For whatever time you have — whether it’s a minute or an hour — devote yourself to nourishing the idea by removing all distractions and setting a clear agenda so everyone is on the same page.
• Notice to nourish: Comment on what struck you or what resonated with you. What did you find meaningful, thought-provoking, or surprising? By being present, you can be more specific.
• Creator as cultivator: Allow the creator to ask questions that will guide and benefit them. Instead of jumping to comment on aspects of the idea that may not be ready for feedback, let them tell you what they need to grow the idea.
• Nourish through neutrality: Clarify by asking neutral questions, like “Tell me about…” This lowers pulses and doesn’t feel like an attack on the idea (or the person presenting it).
• Open up for opinions: Ask if the person presenting the idea wants your opinion on a specific part of the idea. It may feel odd, but it’s okay if they say no! At the moment, the presenter may only want to hear feedback on X instead of Y.

Giving and receiving feedback can feel terrifying, but it’s essential to our work as strtgsts. We hope that the next time someone asks you for feedback, you feel confident in feeding the idea forward.

With love and solidarity,

Team strtgst

the gst /gist/ is a publication of strtgst.co