The Wedding Pro CEO Podcast: Episode 170

With Brandee Gaar and Jordan Kentris

Welcome to the Wedding Pro CEO podcast! My guest, Jordan Kentris, has a unique background in advertising, web development, and art that has allowed him to bridge the gap between design and customer service.

Jordan and I are talking about the importance of understanding your customer, employee or vendor partner when clearly communicating feedback. How we communicate can help you identify future ideal clients, grow your staff and create strategic vendor partnerships.

We should desire how to give and receive valuable feedback without getting emotional.

So, join us as we dive into the process of how to give constructive feedback and build positive relationships in the Wedding Industry.

Jordan is also an educator in the wedding industry who is passionate about helping entrepreneurs in the wedding industry build profitable and fulfilling businesses.

With a background in advertising and web development, Jordan has developed a strong understanding of how to separate emotion from business.

Through his educational talks and seminars, Jordan offers insight into understanding customer needs, onboarding ideal clients, and giving and receiving constructive feedback.

He has found success in combining his creative and user experience (UX) design skills with his advertising background, and travels the country to help others do the same.

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Giving constructive feedback to clients, employees and vendor partners should not be intimidating.

Constructive feedback is an important part of being a wedding industry entrepreneur.

It is an opportunity to provide valuable insight and advice to clients, demonstrating their expertise and validating their credibility.

For employees it can build a trusting relationship between employer and employee, and for vendor partners it strengthens the reputation of all involved.

By providing constructive feedback, wedding industry entrepreneurs can demonstrate their expertise and increase their credibility.

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Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Set emotion aside. Start with a positive attitude, avoid blaming the other person.
2. Calmly present the situation from your perspective. Include how the issue impacted you personally and/or professionally.
3. Empathize! Acknowledge the other person’s perspective.
4. Become better. Be open to their feedback and willing to learn.
5. Actively listen. Focus on understanding rather than being right.
6. Crystal clarity. Be clear and concise with your communication.
7. Touch base in the future. Follow up to ensure understanding and resolution.

1. Set emotion aside. Start with a positive attitude, avoid blaming the other person.

Do not be emotional but positively anticipate the other person’s side of the story.

Starting with a positive attitude can be as simple as acknowledging the other person’s efforts and being open to listening to their perspective.

Avoid any language that could be interpreted as blaming or attacking the other person. Instead, focus on the issue at hand and work together to come up with solutions.

Here is an example of how to start a conversation, when giving feedback to a vendor partner about a missed delivery.

“I appreciate all your hard work and I understand the careful shipping, handling and installing of this item. However, our client expected you to handle the on-time delivery of this item. Unfortunately that delivery was missed. Let’s look at the situation together and come up with a solution for the client today and a plan to make it better for the next event.”

This approach will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and working together to make the best outcome

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being awesome and 1 being terrible, how would you rate your ability to give and receive feedback?

2. Calmly present the situation from your perspective. Include how the issue impacted you personally and/or professionally.

If the issue impacted you personally or professionally, clearly communicate how that occurred.

It is important to recognize that the issue has caused a certain amount of stress, and it is okay to be honest about it and how it impacted the client, employees or other vendors.

We want to become better companies, or at least our desire is to work with those that want to become better through tough situations. Therefore it is important to emphasize how the issue has affected your work or how it has hindered your ability to do what the client has hired you to do.

While it was difficult to go through, it was a learning experience and it has made you better at your job. By professionally expressing your emotions in a constructive way, it can help the other person to understand the impact of their words, and it can also help to resolve any tension that was created.

3. Empathize! Acknowledge the other person’s perspective.

May we all be more empathetic! Acknowledging the other person’s perspective is an important step in any conversation, especially when giving feedback.

This helps create an environment of understanding and respect, allowing a more productive exchange of ideas.

Look the other person in the eyes and show the other person that their feelings and opinions are valued.

Don’t just listen for them to stop talking so you can make your next point. Actively listen to what they have to say and repeating their thoughts and feelings back to them is an incredibly kind method of communication. Just ask my husband. 🙂

If you will validate their perception of the event and try to empathize with their point of view, even if you disagree, this will demonstrate to them that you are open to hearing their views and that you are willing to provide a space to have an effective discussion and ultimately a solution to prevent the same thing from happening in the future.

And then genuinely thank them for their input and let them know that you appreciate their perspective. This helps to build trust and encourages the other person to continue to count on you and your team to create the perfect events for your clients.

“Don’t just listen for them to stop talking so you can make your next point. Actively listen to what they have to say and repeating their thoughts and feelings back to them is an incredibly kind method of communication. Just ask my husband.” 🙂

4. Become better. Be open to their feedback and willing to learn.

When it comes to giving and receiving feedback, it is important to remain open and willing to learn. This can be a difficult task, especially when it comes to the wedding industry, as emotions can run high.

To ensure that feedback is received in a positive manner, it is important to remain mindful and respectful of the other person’s feelings. This means taking a step back and listening to what they have to say, while also considering the circumstances and underlying emotions that may be present.

Furthermore, when giving feedback, it is important to do so in a constructive manner. Starting with positive reinforcement and then providing suggestions for improvement can help ensure that the feedback is acknowledged and appreciated.

5. Actively listen. Focus on understanding rather than being right.

Let’s keep this simple. 🙂

Everyone wants their point to be correct. But let’s consider others as more important than ourselves especially in these moments of giving/receiving feedback. Easier said than done? I understand. But we will come out of this on the other side a more trusted employer or partner than you began.

Let’s all agree we ALL need help practicing humility.

This means that we should take the time to listen to the other human being’s perspective and attempt to understand their point of view without feeling the need to be right or to prove our own opinion.

6. Crystal clarity. Be clear and concise with your communication.

Take time before the conversation to note the situation and your perspective and the stick to the script. Cover the points and do not get distracted or digress.

6. Touch base in the future. Follow up to ensure understanding and resolution.

This is a great time to get a lunch on the calendar with someone from your staff or a vendor partner. Check in on how implementing the solution has impacted your services and operating procedures. This is also another great opportunity to grow and mature the business relationship between everyone involved and become better together.

Constructive feedback is essential to maintain positive relationships in the wedding industry.

Whether you are giving or receiving feedback, it is important to start with a positive attitude, express how the issue impacted you personally, acknowledge the other person’s perspective, be open to feedback and willing to learn, focus on understanding rather than being right, be clear and concise with your communication, and follow up to ensure understanding and resolution.

With these steps, you can give and receive constructive feedback in a respectful and productive manner. Remember, you have the power to create positive relationships through constructive feedback. With the right attitude and approach, you can achieve the same results!

I’d love to hear how you apply Constructive Feedback Skills to build positive relationships and solve the challenges our industry deals with from time to time. DM me on Instagram or post your thoughts in the facebook group! (links are below)

Thank you so much for dropping in and we will see you next time CEO! 🙂

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