097 It's time to talk about the trolls

Fail Forward - A podcast by Henri Ghijben

Categories:

In this episode I delve into the challenging but common experience of encountering trolls and negative feedback online. Something I experienced first hand, and still do, but I have learned to handle criticism, whether from strangers, or even friends and family in my case, and turn it to an advantage.  If I listened to the trolls I would not be in this position: position No 2 in the Entrepreneur Apple Podcast, top 10 in business and within the Top 50 podcast in USA for Business and Entrepreneurship. If you are trolled, most people’s immediate response is to retort and defend. I know I did to begin. It’s a pure fight or flight response. But I shifted initial defensive reactions to responding rationally and with integrity. The fact is they are only trolling you because you are making them feel uncomfortable about what they are doing in their life. You will face imposter syndrome head on and question yourself as you become more visible on platforms like social media and podcasting. But I encourage you all to step outside of your comfort zone.  Bizarrely, the unexpected advantage of trolls in increasing the visibility of your content due to the way social media algorithms work. So, in a way, each troll contributes to spreading your message further. Thanks trolls! My message is clear: don't be deterred by trolls, when you are trolled it’s a sign you’ve made it!  So - just keep on keeping on.  All the best, Henri.