We all receive negative criticism from time to time. Most of us become defensive, going through four stages of rejectionist impulses, according to Kent Blumberg, a manufacturing industry executive, writing on his blog. First is denial. Next comes anger. Then comes bargaining, trying to get the person to change their view. The final negative emotion we are likely to feel is depression, as we accept the criticism but let it pull us down.

"All of us go through those emotions. The trick is to recognize them and get through them quickly," he says. Then, move on to positive terrain:

• Go back and ask questions to clarify the criticism, and determine the root problem. How does that problem impact the person giving you the criticism, or your customers?



• Acknowledge the feedback. Paraphrase it to be sure you have it right. Express your appreciation for it.



• Go away and think about what the criticism means, burrowing down to find the cause of the root problem. Develop solutions and an action plan. "Own the problem and fix it," he says.



• Share your action plan with the person who gave you the feedback originally.



• Step back and figure out what you have learned from the problem, and share it with others.

Online copywriter Nick Usborne has found two different ways to turn out effective copy for web pages. In the first, when the focus is primarily on a single column of text without many images, he starts writing as if composing a letter or a brochure. He puts down his ideas until he hits "something" -- the realization, perhaps, that his approach isn't working, or that a much better way of expressing his message requires him to start over with that element as the new focus.

He explains on MarketingProfs.com that a second approach is required when various images decorate the page, and is akin to flower arranging. Now he isn't concerning himself with a continuous, uninterrupted column of copy. Instead, he is thinking of the layout of the page, the position of the images, the weight and emphasis given to the headings and sub-headings, and how the eye will travel. This takes longer, with a lot of fiddling to get -- keeping with his metaphor -- the flowers arranged properly.

Both approaches involve the patience to accept a two-steps forward and one-step backward process. And in both cases, he urges you to let the completed copy sit for at least 12 hours before reading through it again and making improvements.

Marketing guru Seth Godin says there are two polar opposites in every workplace: Thrill Seekers and Fear Avoiders. Thrill Seekers love growth. They most enjoy a day where they try something that is difficult or -- even better, supposedly impossible -- and pull it off. "Thrill Seekers are great salespeople because they view every encounter as a chance to break some sort of record or have an interaction that is memorable," he writes on his blog.

Fear Avoiders hate change. They want the world to stay just the way it is. "They're happy being mediocre because being mediocre means less threat/fear/change," he stresses.

Why not call them Risk Seekers and Risk Avoiders? That used to be true, he notes. Seeking thrills was once risky. But no longer. Now safe is risky. In fact, he says, the safest thing you can do is become a thrill seeker.

When you hold a retreat or special planning meeting, it's vital to make sure people are focused on the organization's mission and strategic goals, and that they abide by the rules arranged for the session. To help, meetings expert Eli Mina in his Deliberations Newsletter suggests preparing tent cards to place in front of the meeting participants. On the side facing away from them will be names and titles. On the side facing them, depending on the space and your needs, you might write:

• The organization's mission, vision and strategic goals.



• Principles of shared decision-making, such as achieving quality decisions, fairness and equality, and listening.



• Participants' guidelines, such as speak when you turn comes, speak concisely and clearly, and keep your comments focused on the issues not the people.



• Concise phrases participants can use if things go wrong, such as "Can we get back to the core issue, which is _____," or, "I'm not hearing any new information. Are we ready to move on?" or, "Can we let people finish?"

• Try setting daily limits for e-mail usage, such as sending only 20 messages a day.
  (Source: HR Professional)



• In presentations, think about the action you want your audience to take and make sure your presentation helps them (and persuades them) to take that next step.
  (Source: Kevin Eikenberry's Ezine)



• Adding "How can I help you?" just after you answer the phone can keep phone calls from getting extended by a lot of friendly but unrelated conversation. Other possibilities: "What can I do for you?"; "What's on your mind?"; "Hi, I need to keep this short so let's address your reason for calling and then catch up if we have time."
  (Source: Productivity Café blog)



• Avoid "just checking in" calls to prospects, which they view as a waste of time. Come up with some additional ideas to raise with them or start acting like a peer and treating them like a customer even before they come on board.
  (Source: Selling To Big Companies blog)



• Take a cue from American Idol and Canadian Idol and hold your own office talent contest.
  (Source: Hump Day Humour Gram)

More than ever, electronic readers are processing vast amounts of information. They are reading with a purpose in mind, and they're scanning, rather than reading in a traditional linear manner. So be sure you know what your readers are looking for, and know that your content has to be tight, structured so it can be easily scanned, and relevant.

Whether you are writing for a web site, a blog or an electronic newsletter, consider some of these tips from marketing guru Seth Godin:

• Use lists.



• Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.



• Be topical -- write posts or blurbs that need to be read right now.



• Do email interviews with the well-known.



• Assume that every day is the beginning, because you always have new readers.



• Point to useful but little known resources.



• Don't promote your pitch at the expense of the reader's attention.



• Write short, pithy blurbs.



• Don't be boring. (Make sure you can answer to a yawning or cynical "so what?")



• Edit yourself. Ruthlessly.

Find more tips at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/06/how_to_get_traf.html

We appreciate the bits of wisdom that come our way every week in the course of various consulting projects. In a recent consultation session, for instance, a citizen participant made two key points about the best way to go about developing any kind of a community master plan.

First of all, he recommended that while the timeline for public consultation should not take a day longer than necessary, it must be long enough to permit creative and thoughtful work. Creativity needs a deadline to produce an outcome, but it also takes time.

His own experiences as a participant in community planning projects suggested a second point: that taking an informal approach in the early going will lead to better quality planning. Let a vision be fluid and evolve, rather than beginning from the outset with rigid expectations, bureacratic approval processes, and formal step-by-step steering committee decisions.

We agree. In our experience, the development of a community strategic plan -- if it is to be innovative, of human scale and sustainable -- depends on the participants' creativity, which in turn relies on clear goals, a sense of urgency and a flexible, dynamic approach. Let formal decision-making and final approvals come later, at the right time in the process.