It's one of the toughest things, whether you're a client or an agency person. The people in front of you have just presented something which they believe solves your problem perfectly. They're probably excited about it. And the chances are, they've put mental (and sometimes physical) blood, sweat and tears into what they've just showed you. Now they expect you to tell them (and possibly others in the room) what you think of it. There's a palpable silence, as they wait, praying that you'll love it, fearing that you might not.

Sometimes you'll adore the work, there and then. It's exactly right. Perfect. Hit the ball right out of the park. In which case, applaud loudly, buy everyone a beer, and you can go home happy. The rest of the time, you'll need to give some feedback which might vary from telling them it needs a few tweaks, to it sending them right back to the drawing board.

Now, assuming that you're not firing them on the spot, or resigning on the spot, you'll want to keep them motivated, and pleased (or at least content) to go back and work on it. Don't believe any Alan Sugar types who tell you that the secret is to treat them like they're shit, or intellectually beneath you. Or anyone who tells you to remember that you're the client, that you're the one who understands the customer best or brings in the money that pays their salaries anyway. I'll let you into a secret: if you show them that you like and respect them, and that you want to work with them, you will ALWAYS get better work. Whether it's the team putting in those extra hours, or striving for a better idea, rather than being satisfied that one of the three they've had "will do".

Well then, we're back to that palpable silence, whilst they wait to hear your views. And it's not champagne time.

So here's my advice, (with thanks to the 6 hats methodology of Edward de Bono's, which is often a great tool for thinking about difficult subjects and of whom I'm a great fan, generally).

Say something positive.

(He calls this Yellow Hat) - hopefully there is something that you can find to like about the work. Try hard - we're culturally trained in the West that it's a sign of intelligence to critique, to find negatives, and consequently there's a huge temptation to start off with these. DON'T. There'll be plenty of time for that later. In actual fact, the most intelligent people can always find a positive side to most ideas - and this is what you should lead with. Aside from creating a much better vibe, it is valuable for the team to understand the sort of things that DO appeal - and it also makes it easier for them to try to solve any criticisms you may have later.

Tell them how you feel about it.

(Red Hat, if you're interested). Don't try to justify those feelings. Just tell them. And be honest. I'm scared by this idea. I'm disappointed - I thought you could have done more. I love it, but I don't think I'll get it approved. I'm not sure what I think about it (yes, it's okay to say this, if that's what you feel - as long as it's really what you feel, and you're not just wussing out of telling them you don't like it). Don't spend ages on this - any more than 30 seconds will be overkill, and they'll want you to move on. So that's what you should do.

What are the negatives?

(Black Hat). Don't try to correct it, or tell them how you'd have done it. Just tell them what you see as the downsides. Or what you don't like. Consumers tell us that they don't like to think of XXXX, the new regulatory requirements say that we must XXXXX, this doesn't fit our corporate strategy. It will be very helpful to the team to distinguish between your feedback on the broader idea and your feedback on the execution; after all it's easy to fix a bad logo on a good idea - much harder the other way around. Chances are the team in front of you will start to tell you how they could address your concerns as you go. I think it's better if you get all the concerns out on the table first - so don't be afraid to tell them you'd rather they listened first, then you discussed the issues together afterwards.

How might this be solved?

(Green Hat). This is where you talk through how the idea could be made to work. Even if you think the idea is utter, utter bollocks, this is worth a go - you'd be amazed how easily some concerns can be dealt with, with a little creative thinking. You can often start this by making a suggestion - "perhaps if you took the idea of the xxxxx, and expressed it as xxxx" - but don't always expect that this will be accepted - and try not to be disheartened when it isn't. Often, this will turn into a collaborative discussion, which is often highly productive - and it can help your relationship with the team - especially if you've just blown their idea out of the water. Just make sure you decide how long you're going to do this for before you start. That way, it's clear whether you're prepared to talk about it for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. And whether they are, too. You may decide that once you get into it, you want more time - that's okay, provided that they do, too.

Do we need any information?

(White Hat). This should be very quick - but is worth doing. Do we need to check anything out? Does the product really do that? Are we still better than the competition's products in that way? If we do - just make a list of them, and then you can check it afterwards.

Finally, what is going to happen next?

(Blue Hat). If you're not sure what do next, then ask them what they suggest. Or make a suggestion as to next steps and see if they agree. But whatever you do, make sure you are very clear at the end of the discussion. Are you prepared to have them work further on the idea? If not, then say so, clearly. Are they going to work on any other ideas? Check. When do you need them to share their ideas again? What do you expect to see then? Do you need to discuss the idea with someone else? And might that change the outcome? Again, if so, then make it ultra-clear. They won't think you're weak, they'll appreciate your honesty - it's rare within both agencies and clients that anyone signs an idea off unconditionally without at least a conversation with others. It will also help them understand if (when) the plans change.

And that's it.

Now, you might do all of these in about 5 -10 minutes. Often it's better if you do. Or you might take longer. It doesn't matter.

There are probably other ways of doing it - but the people I've worked with, who I think are best at it (and get the best work out) usually follow something like this. Whatever happens, remember two things. Firstly that no-one likes their ideas criticised, but there are ways that you can do it that will make them still like working with you. And secondly, at the end of the day, that creative is highly subjective, but that's probably what makes it one of the most fun parts of our job. So however tough the meeting, smile, it's only advertising, nobody died (this time).

Author: Dan

At HS&P, a third of the agency is made up of planners: integrated, data, digital and loyalty planners for clear, integrated thinking.

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