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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning.

This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is about how to respond to feedback about improving your work.

Start by saying, thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Whether you intend to do anything about the feedback or not, this phrase keeps things courteous and makes the person giving the feedback feel heard.

Whatever your field, it is likely that you sometimes get feedback about what you could do differently, perhaps from a boss or a client or from

a trusted colleague, but it could also be from a person you've never met, who just wants to

share his or her opinion. Sometimes this feedback is phrased nicely, and sometimes it's just blunt. You know how this goes. I had a hard time hearing you

during that presentation. You really need to use a mic next time. Or, you use the phrase, you know,

way too often. You really should practice more to get rid of it. Or, this signage is so confusing, I'm surprised

anyone can find your office. Or, my appointment was an hour ago, and I haven't even laid eyes on the

doctor yet. Whatever the nature of the feedback and whoever is offering it, thank you for bringing

that to my attention

can be a great response. For one thing, if you receive the feedback in person, simply saying,

thank you for bringing that to my attention, saves you from the awkward moment of figuring out a good

immediate response. You have a pocket phrase,

ready to go. Thank you for bringing that to my attention also strikes a collaborative tone,

not a defensive one. Getting defensive tends to raise the temperature on a situation quickly, and especially if you

are dealing with an aggravated customer, turning down the temperature can be incredibly important.

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