Summary of Episode 192: "How can you consolidate feedback?"

The Smart Communications Podcast | Hosted by Big Duck
Release Date: August 6, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 192 of The Smart Communications Podcast, host Farah welcomes back Jay Kelly, a Senior Account Manager at Big Duck, to discuss effective strategies for consolidating feedback within nonprofit organizations. This episode delves into the challenges and opportunities associated with managing feedback in project settings, offering actionable insights to help nonprofit leaders enhance their communication and project management skills.

Guest Background

Jay Kelly (they/them) is a dedicated Senior Account Manager at Big Duck, committed to delivering supportive, well-structured, and high-quality client experiences. Jay's work focuses on areas such as queer liberation, economic justice, and ending endless war. With a background in thoughtful and intersectional project management, Jay has previously appeared on episodes 181 and 169, discussing fostering healthy group participation and planning inclusive projects, respectively.

Overview of the Blog Post

Jay recently authored a blog titled "A Simple Guide for Consolidating Feedback," which outlines six essential steps for effectively gathering, synthesizing, and implementing feedback within projects. This episode serves as a discussion and expansion of the ideas presented in that blog.

The Six Steps to Consolidating Feedback

Jay outlines six pivotal steps to streamline the feedback process:

1. Map Your Stakeholder Landscape
2. Plan Intentional Touch Points
3. Center Transparency and Consent
4. Context is Key
5. Sort and Probe
6. Create an Implementation Roadmap

In-Depth Discussion of Key Steps

1. Context is Key & 6. Create an Implementation Roadmap

Farah highlights two interconnected steps that particularly resonate with her:

• Context is Key ([04:13]): Providing comprehensive context ensures that feedback is relevant and actionable. Farah emphasizes the importance of aligning feedback with the project's current stage and objectives, preventing misaligned or unproductive input.

  "You give them a lot of context... you know, making sure you're giving that context again when you ask for feedback." ([04:13])

• Create an Implementation Roadmap ([05:00]): Translating feedback into clear, actionable steps ensures that the project team can effectively implement changes. Farah compares this process to assigning tasks to interns, where clarity and structure are paramount for successful execution.

  "You want to take these things that people are saying to you and communicate them in a way that any stranger on the street could pick up your feedback and implement it without a challenge." ([05:00])

2. Map Your Stakeholder Landscape

Farah shares a practical example of effectively mapping stakeholders early in a project:

• Example ([07:36]): During a project kickoff, Farah used a stakeholder mapping worksheet to swiftly identify key stakeholders. This proactive approach facilitated strategic engagement and prevented the project from being derailed by "too many cooks in the kitchen."

  "They immediately started just rattling off exactly what their stakeholder landscape was... we were done before the meeting was even over." ([07:36])

3. Plan Intentional Touch Points

While not deeply elaborated in the transcript, this step involves scheduling regular and purposeful interactions with stakeholders to ensure continuous and relevant feedback throughout the project lifecycle.

4. Center Transparency and Consent

This step emphasizes maintaining openness and obtaining necessary permissions when collecting and sharing feedback, fostering trust and collaboration among all parties involved.

5. Sort and Probe

Sorting feedback involves categorizing and prioritizing input to address the most critical issues first. Probing requires seeking clarification on ambiguous or conflicting feedback to ensure a clear understanding before implementation.

Effective Feedback on Creative Work

The conversation shifts to providing constructive feedback on creative projects, such as branding and visual design—areas where feedback can often be subjective and emotionally charged.

Challenges in Giving Feedback

Farah discusses the difficulty non-designers face when providing feedback on visual content:

"I deeply empathize with everyone who is not a graphic designer who has been asked to give a designer feedback about a logo or visuals. And it can be very overwhelming." ([10:02])

Strategies for Constructive Feedback

1. Connect Emotion to Thought ([11:23] & [14:04]): Transform emotional reactions into specific, actionable feedback by identifying the underlying reasons for the feelings expressed.

   "What can be helpful is trying to attach a thought to that emotion... figuring out, okay, I don't like this, but why don't I like this?" ([11:23])

2. Be Objective and Tie Feedback to Project Goals ([14:04]): Relate feedback to the project's objectives and agreed-upon criteria to maintain alignment and clarity.

   "If you can get this out of the world of sort of your specific instincts perhaps around what you're talking about, like is there project agreements or alignment around outcomes that you actually don't think are going to get met if this choice is made." ([14:04])

3. Resist the Urge to Rewrite ([14:52] & [15:10]): Instead of overstepping by rewriting others' work, provide clear guidance and allow the creative professionals to implement the necessary changes.

   "Resist the urge to rewrite... you have to figure out a way to help them that isn't just I'm going to do this myself." ([14:52])

Practical Takeaways and Best Practices

• Provide Clear Context: Always align feedback with the project's current stage and objectives to ensure relevance and effectiveness.

• Map Stakeholders Early: Identify and understand all relevant stakeholders at the project's outset to facilitate strategic engagement and decision-making.

• Transform Emotions into Constructive Feedback: When providing feedback, especially on creative work, aim to articulate the reasons behind your feelings to make the feedback actionable.

• Maintain Objectivity: Base feedback on project goals and agreed-upon criteria rather than personal preferences to ensure decisions are aligned with the project's success.

• Create Actionable Roadmaps: Develop clear implementation plans based on consolidated feedback to guide the project team in executing necessary changes.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode concludes, Farah encourages listeners to embrace the complexities of consolidating feedback with intention, confidence, and humor. She states:

"If you are like me and in a position to be consolidating and communicating feedback, just embrace that chaos with intention, confidence, and a sense of humor." ([15:40])

Jay echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive outlook even when facing challenges in the feedback process.

Notable Quotes

• Farah on Feedback Challenges:

  "Sometimes I receive feedback that perhaps is unclear, maybe some contradicting ideas in there, and ultimately feedback that is actually challenging to implement without additional discussion." ([01:45])

• Jay on Effective Feedback:

  "It's really getting more at the why than the what... understanding what's not working is the kind of feedback that really will help." ([14:04])

Additional Resources

• Jay Kelly's Blog: A Simple Guide for Consolidating Feedback

• Big Duck's Insights: Explore more blogs and podcasts on project management and inclusive practices at bigduck.com/insights

Connect with Big Duck

Big Duck is an agency dedicated to empowering nonprofits through strategic communications. They assist nonprofit clients in developing strong brands, campaigns, and teams to advance their missions and achieve their goals.

• Website: Big Duck
• Contact: hello@bigduck.com

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of Episode 192, encapsulating the essential discussions and insights shared by Farah and Jay Kelly on consolidating feedback within nonprofit projects.