Feedback Sessions for Church Websites
The basics of feedback
Most feedback is either (A) incredibly easy to collect; or (B) incredibly difficult to collect. The former comes in snippy comments, unsolicited input, and—most popularly—emails to pastors. But the difficult-to-collect feedback is usually all the more important, because the thoughts and feelings of a congregation’s nonverbal majority don’t receive the same attention and concern as that former vocal minority. Congregational leaders should be careful to solicit a broad swath of feedback when assessing an existing website or a new draft. Providing formal, structured sessions for feedback will be key in that endeavor.
It’s important to consider a wider range of feedback that isn’t limited to focus groups or surveys. This can include the following:
Empirical feedback (analytics and measurable data)
Anecdotal feedback (the stories being told or expressed)
Emotional feedback (the responses elicited by a design, website, or process evokes)
In the congregational context, it’s also important to listen to those who find themselves on the periphery of opinion: those thoughts, feelings, and opinions that do not align with the majority. No website or communications strategy will satisfy everyone, of course, but peripheral opinions can often preempt broader issues that will surface down the road.
Here’s a helping hand
Use this worksheet to help guide your feedback session and document everyone’s perspectives.
Download now
General guidelines for feedback sessions
A few ground rules are often helpful when leading a feedback session:
Keep the goal in mind at all times: communicating opinions, perspectives, and thoughts. Fixing is not on the agenda.
Focus on identifying general themes, strengths, weaknesses, and patterns rather than nitty-gritty details.
Keep the discussion tightly moderated with a clear agenda and schedule.
Track action items throughout the session
End by reviewing action items, setting timeframes for completion, and assigning a person to complete it. Make sure everyone leaves with a list of action items for everyone and themselves.
Document, document, document. Make sure everything is in writing and easy to reference later. Feedback sessions are a critical tool in evaluating and assessing your progress.
