I've never done what I am about to do, but the experience was so surreal I couldn't help but share it.
Last month, a nonprofit association I helped found and led for many years held an annual Holiday Social. Before the board could hold its January meeting and discuss feedback amongst themselves, an attendee sent an email to the board president, another director, and me.
Not only did some expressed ideas in the email show a lack of understanding of the association, but many had already been tried, discussed, or reviewed throughout the nonprofit's history. After that second ping in early January, I briefly, professionally, and honestly shared that opinion.
What happened next could only be described as a Linda Blair experience. A self-professed marketing expert who received "national awards" essentially imploded. Not only did he launch into an endless stream of ad hominem attacks against me, but he carelessly ripped through the association with one erroneous and uninformed assumption after another.
The obvious moral of the story for all of us is don't go off the rails if your opinions don't dazzle clients or your audience the way you thought they did. Use it as an opportunity to get clearer on what they've tried, what worked, what didn't, and lessons learned. Leave the tantrums for toddlers.