Clear, direct feedback is great for business because it allows employees to learn from their mistakes and grow as professionals. But be careful not to step over the line.

“I’m all about being direct with colleagues and direct reports—but not when ‘candor’ is used as an excuse to act like a jerk,” says Emma Brudner on Inc.

There are ways to toe the line between honesty and disrespect. For one, take the time to have a conversation instead of dumping bad news on an employee and walking away.

“You owe it to the other person to answer any questions they have, help them process, or at minimum invite them to respond and listen,” Brudner says. “Running out of the room as soon as feedback leaves your lips shows that you only care about getting your point across—and failing to show the other person courtesy only undermines what you have to say.”

Feedback will also be received better when you know something about the person you’re talking to. “Feedback gets infinitely more effective when you’ve taken the time to get to know the other person’s dreams, motivations, and insecurities,” Brudner says. “That way, you can frame your feedback in terms of the things they care about and how it gets them closer to or farther away from their goals.”

Finding New Digital Revenue Streams

With the future of face-to-face events unknown for the time being, here are 5 ideas for creating new digital revenue streams https://t.co/xGxdwSli2y #revenue #associations #assncha

— Blue Sky eLearn (@blueskyelearn) April 21, 2020

Many associations have had to change course on in-person events, resulting in significant financial losses. But opportunity for new and increased digital revenue streams still lies ahead, says Jocelyn Fielding on the Blue Sky eLearn blog. For example, virtual events can make money.

“You can decide you want to run the conference on the same schedule, or spread it out over an entire week or month,” Fielding says. “This could also allow for some more flexible pricing (for example, paying per session instead of for the entire conference) which may allow more people to attend and increase your overall revenue at the end of the day.”

Other Links of Note

There are two kinds of feedback: constructive and destructive. Designers get a lot of it, which is why this The Next Web piece on designer feedback has some good advice for everyone.

Need those important files from your old computer? Lifehacker’s David Murphy offers tips on how to extract data from old machines when you’re stuck.

What should be in your organization’s Instagram Stories? Marly Broudie of the Social Media Examiner breaks down how to create an Instagram content strategy.

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