Writing Feedback for Creative Collaborations

Do you cringe at the thought of providing feedback? I used to break out in hives —but now it feels like no big deal. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆: Feedback often carries a heavy weight.    We all wonder:     should feedback be nice,     or should it be kind? You be the judge: 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 =     • surface-level     • avoids discomfort     • sounds positive      • lacks substance    • unclear 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 =    • connecting    • honest    • constructive     • growth-oriented    • clear 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? 1. It Builds Trust 2. It Encourages Growth 3. It Promotes Collaboration Kind Feedback Examples (Using Core Capacities): 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁:   →Build a genuine connection.    →Set a relational tone.     DONT: Maintain an angry or impersonal stance.  DO: Use a genuine posture of connection.      • Smile     • Be direct 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝟮. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:   →Be clear about what you are addressing.    →Define behavior or outcome you desire. DONT: "You always miss deadlines."  DO: "I noticed your last project was submitted late.  What do you need to get the next one in on time?" 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:   →Help team member metabolize both positive and negative realities.      DONT: "How could you mess that up?" or  "Why did you move forward without consulting us?"  DO: "What has been working well,  and what can we improve?" 𝘈𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯. 𝟰. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:   →Frame feedback as a collaborative effort.    →Invite them to be a part. DONT: "You screwed up and now you need to fix it!"  DO: "Let’s team up and tackle the challenges  from our last project." 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭. Next time you give feedback,  ↳aim for KIND (vs nice)     • connection     • definition     • integration     • collaboration! 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸  𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲. Let’s transform our feedback culture —so everyone can thrive. ----- I’m Julia LeFevre. I help leaders turn divided teams into dream teams  using NeuroChange. Click my name + follow  ♻️ Repost this → spread value 🙌✨

How do you give creative feedback on work outside your area of expertise? As an ECD, I had art, design, copy, and production (and account service, and strategy) all report up to me. But I'm a copywriter by trade. And while I learned the difference between kerning and leading while surrounded by very talented designers at Apple, I'm not qualified to expound on color theory in any meaningful way. When I give feedback on design or art or UX, I approach it conceptually. I ask questions about why the team made their creative choices, and how those choices support the idea. I ask how the execution reflects the strategy, the communication, the brand, and the brief. And I can give direction based on that - the team can revise their work to align to the message as needed, but they still own the creative decisions. So even if you don’t know much about typefaces or grids or diagramming a sentence, you can still give useful feedback to the people who do. 

Almost every account person I’ve ever worked with, has said these things at some point in their career: “I don’t feel comfortable giving creative feedback.” “I’m scared of saying the wrong thing to my creative lead.” “I want to build a better relationship with our creative teams.” 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑟. 𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧  I simply love the way a writers words come together in a script, the reasons a team selects a certain director, the way they’ve incorporated the coolest features on TikTok, a brilliant stunt that uses technology in a new way. And when those ideas hit on the strategy and I can see delivering results for our clients, my enthusiasm is felt. When creatives feel your natural (dare I say authentic?) excitement and curiosity, they feel seen. They want to bounce ideas with you. They want your input for how to make the work tighter and ultimately, how to lead the client to approve it. 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Remember you are there to build, not quash.  𝗧𝗶𝗽: Come in warm, not hot. Ask creatives to explain how an idea aligns to the strategy if you feel it's not quite working. 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 Find out who they are, what inspires them, what creative outlets they have in their personal life (if you’re lucky, they’ll even show you). Through the course of my career, I’ve been invited to a private IG profile where a writer showcases her illustrations and comedic takes on motherhood, seen an art directors homemade furniture, purchased a gorgeous ring from an ECD friend who has a side hustle jewelry business, been gifted a writers’ ceramic bowl, and even given a book a CCO friend wrote, to my entire leadership team. When you take a genuine interest in someone, you'll be surprised how quickly the trust grows, making it easier to offer feedback down the road.  𝗧𝗶𝗽: Find the right moment while breaking bread to ask, “how can I be the best account person for you and your teams?”. Their honest feedback will illuminate how you can build a positive and lasting partnership.  𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗽: Creatives are the one group within an agency that consistently have their work shaped, shifted and vetoed. Every. Single. Day.    When you offer feedback on their work, do so as an ally, not an obstacle. Giving feedback takes practice, but don’t stop trying to improve. 

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Want to know how feedback can turn a good marketing campaign into a GREAT one? As a small business owner, you're often wearing many hats, and suddenly, you're expected to be an ad guy/gal pro, too. The secret? It's all in the art of creative feedback. After a lifetime in marketing, here's a tip from my experience: Feedback is a delicate dance. It's not just about what you say; it's how you say it. Let's dive in with a few tips: 🌟 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲. A positive note can light up the room. "The energy in this design is infectious." can really set the stage. 🔍 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰. Swap "This isn't working" with "The message gets lost in the font size. Let's try bumping it up." 💡 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Engage the team with questions like "What inspired this approach?" or "How do you think this resonates with our target audience?" 📈 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁. Help the team understand the bigger picture. "This aligns well with our brand voice, but how can we make it more engaging?" 🗣 𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. Encourage an open dialogue. "Let's brainstorm some ideas on how to enhance this further." 🔄 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽. Revisit the feedback after changes are made. "The revised version really pops! Can we apply the same treatment to our other materials?" Remember: - 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰. Think audience-first. - 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 "𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀" 𝗼𝗿 "𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿." Marketing isn't a one-size-fits-all. - 𝗩𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁. Offer clear direction, like "What if our call-to-action stood out more with a bolder color?" Now, tell me about your experience. How has your feedback transformed a project?                                                 ********************** 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, our workshop on the power of personal and business branding. September 24 from 8:30 to noon CST at the Horizon Photography studio in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, IL. Follow Susan Tyson and Jennifer Schuman. Activate notifications (click the🔔 in the upper left of our profiles) to stay updated.                                                 ********************* 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗲: With over 40 years of experience in the marketing industry, I specialize in helping owners of small businesses to achieve their marketing goals with tailored solutions that drive growth and success.

Want to be world class at giving creative feedback? I’ve noticed this as the #1 trait of our best creative partners who get the best out of any team. The mistake most people make is they focus on what they don’t like and what needs to be fixed, both immediately and as the focus of the feedback. But, it’s equally important to share what is working, what you do like and what you love. If you share what you like, you are more likely to get more of it, and it’s motivating and directional to the team working on it. If most of the feedback is just corrective and critical of details, then people are fixing instead of building. I want you to feel what it feels like… “Wow, I’m loving the main character and how witty he is, great call on that. The subject character doesn’t feel right to me with how it’s written, maybe too sarcastic? Open to your thoughts on how to make them feel more likeable” Vs. “Subject character is not working for me at all, their tone is like they hate our customers or something, need to make them likeable.” Hope this tip gives gets you closer to your next great creative!

On Giving Creative Feedback Last week I was observing a creative meeting for a client and I was taken aback by the feedback the creative teams were getting from all and sundry in the room. *"This doesn't fit the marketing brief" *"I'm uncomfortable, and if I'm uncomfortable, the clients will be" and the 'winner' *"I don't like this" While any or all of these could be true, that does not make them relevant or effective pieces of creative feedback--especially since all of these were in the context of an execution or a visual treatment and NOT the IDEA. Here are five points to creative feedback that I believe are effective: 1. The feeling in the room should be open, free and inviting/safe. 2. At the beginning of the meeting, there should be a short statement about the creative brief and what everyone was working towards. (This should be a given and should have been agreed upon before the briefing. If there are people in the room that disagree, ask them to leave and round back up later. It's in no ones best interest to have 1, 3 or 12 teams sitting around while one or two people get caught up or, worst case, decide that they want to rehash a discussion because they didn't get their way the first time.) 3. I've always found it more effective when the creative teams start their walk-through with what their idea is and how their idea leapt from the brief. This should make it easy for everyone in the room to provide their feedback around the idea first, and then if they have comments about the execution, to give that feedback in the context of the idea and HOW. 4. This is key: feedback should be in the form of "HOW" they see an idea working, not IF it works or not. This type of feedback should set the stage for a discussion that includes the consumer and how they might make sense of it, how it should impact the marketing goal, etc and should result in ideas going forward that work in the way the agency wants. 5. And if there are deeper concerns about an execution, then those conversations are held with the creative director and they take it from there--now they might invite you in to have that conversation together with the team and planners especially should work towards that type of relationship. Reading back over this, I know it sounds stilted and process-oriented, but the goal should be that is natural, easy and open. I'd be interesting in hearing if there are other points to ponder... #creativeideas #creativefeedback #agencylife

I’ve led a team of 125+ content creators and creatives, and I want to share tips for critiquing creative work. How to give feedback to creatives: 💡Lead with curiosity. Ask questions. “Tell me why you decided to do X. Walk me through your thought process.” 💬 Use shared language and frameworks. Creative feedback can be messy because we tend to use vague and open-to-interpretation phrases when critiquing creative work. If you leverage frameworks with mutually-understood language, then you can all quickly get on the same page. I tend to frame feedback using rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), the UX honeycomb framework, and buyer modalities. 💁♀️ Share feedback, not solutions. I’ve been in creative review meetings that have devolved into design-by-committee, where people tell the designer exactly how to change the design. Rather than doing this, focus on describing what’s not working and why, and let the designer come up with the design solutions and how to fix it. ✅ Give positive feedback. Pointing out what’s working well is just as important as giving critical feedback. Creators and creatives, what would you add? #design #content #feedback #creative #leadership