Why Feedback is such a Valuable Gift
In any community, one of the most important things you can do (and should do!) is have a real dialogue with your members: listen, ask, respond. Feedback isn’t just useful, it’s essential. Whether you’re building a professional network, an online group, or a local meetup, feedback helps you understand your members' needs, recognize pain points, and improve experiences. Without it, your strategy can be more of a shot in the dark. But when you actively ask and act on feedback, you increase engagement and improve relationships and trust.
Feedback in action
I’ve been a big fan of feedback throughout my career. Some of the most impactful community programs I’ve worked on were shaped by listening (really listening!) to members.
At Factory Berlin, we treated it as a continuous process. From big yearly surveys to quick Slack polls, one-on-one member sessions, and post-event check-ins, we used every touchpoint to listen. The insights we gathered influenced everything: from programming to perks to the design of the physical space. This created a better members’ experience and a sense of shared ownership. Members weren’t just users, they became co-creators of the community experience. Of course, you cannot expect the same involvement from all the members, but you will have a number of them who will be motivated and excited to be part of the community experience co-creation. Plus, if you think of the Commitment Curve, this is one touchpoint where you offer your members to take on more responsibility.
In the Tezos community, feedback played a similar role. Some of the most valuable insights came not from surveys, but from casual conversations at events and exhibitions — simple, small moments when people shared frustrations or joy. That kind of unfiltered input helped us iterate the programming and improve pain points we otherwise wouldn't recognize that easily. And once members saw their ideas reflected in the community, they were even more willing to speak up the next time (again, take feedback seriously).
Why feedback builds stronger relationships
When you ask for feedback, you're not just gathering data. You're sending a message: your opinion matters. People naturally gravitate toward spaces where they feel seen and heard. And when they do, they show up more emotionally, intellectually, and even physically.
Feedback also builds trust. It shows that leadership isn’t operating from the top down, but in collaboration with the community. You're not making decisions for people, you're making them with them.
But (!): asking for feedback without the intention to act on it is worse than not asking at all. Don’t waste people’s time and ask for their input if you plan to ignore the results. I once worked on a growth campaign where feedback was collected, but management only wanted the one-page executive summary. They didn’t want to understand the responses, and some super valuable insights were lost. The community, treated mostly as a growth lever, felt it. When people realize their input isn’t being taken seriously, it erodes trust. And when trust is gone, don’t expect more feedback coming in. Think of your personal experience. When you do something nice for someone, if it gets overlooked and you don’t even get a “thank you,” the chances that you’ll repeat it are quite slim.
The benefits of feedback (beyond the obvious)
Engagement: Feedback invites people to participate, not just observe. Community starts co-creating, not just consuming (mentioning Community Commitment Curve again).
Trust: Acting on feedback shows you're serious about the dialogue. Transparency earns you long-term credibility.
Improvement: Honest feedback reveals blind spots. It keeps you from building in the dark and wasting energy on things that don’t serve your community.
Loyalty: When people feel heard and see their input shape outcomes, they stick around and bring others in.
How to ask for and receive feedback effectively
Here are some of the ways to create a healthy feedback culture:
Create a safe space: make it easy and comfortable for people to share honestly. Value every piece of input, even the critics. Stay open, not defensive.
Offer easy feedback channels: use multiple formats: forms, threads, short polls, post-event prompts, or casual conversations (choose channels based on the purpose and the type of feedback you’re collecting).
Ask the right questions: go beyond “What do you think?”. The more specific the ask, the more useful the feedback. I like to ask: “What did you enjoy most? What could be improved next time?”. It focuses on the positivity, and it is action oriented (sounds better than “What went wrong?”, right?).
Be consistent: feedback isn’t a one-off activity. Regular check-ins create a natural loop and normalize input. But, be mindful of feedback fatigue. If you ask too often, or don’t make it easy, people might disengage.
Act on feedback: don’t let feedback die in a Google Doc. You don’t have to implement every idea, but you do have to acknowledge it and show that it was heard. Even a simple “thanks, we’ll think about this” goes a long way.
Prioritize what matters most: you won’t be able to act on everything. Focus on feedback that comes up repeatedly, aligns with your goals and long-term vision, comes from trusted voices in your community, and genuinely enhances the experience.
Close the loop: share what you’ve learned and what you’re changing. This transparency makes people feel part of the process and they can see the result of their input.
It can feel vulnerable to open yourself up to criticism, especially when you've poured your heart into something. But remember: feedback is a sign that people care enough to engage.
So:
Listen actively without becoming defensive
Thank the person for their input
Ask clarifying questions to fully understand their perspective
Reflect on the feedback before responding or acting
Final thoughts: make feedback a habit, not a campaign
Feedback is one of the simplest, most powerful tools in your community-building toolkit (but only if it’s genuine!). It helps you shape a community that is reflective of the people in it (community is like a living organism), the one that listens, evolves, and gets better with time.
If you’re not already creating space for feedback, you should start. Make it part of your culture, not just your strategy. Start small, listen actively, and don’t be afraid to adapt the strategy and programming. A couple of years ago, I took the Creating Innovation course with Hyper Island, and one of the learnings was “kill your darlings.” We love our ideas and we get attached to them, so learn rather sooner than later if something doesn’t work for the community.
What’s worked for you when it comes to feedback in your community? I’d love to hear.
