When faced with feedback that is rude, unprofessional, and personal, it's natural to find the experience hurtful and to question the intentions behind the feedback. According to Ed Batista, there are several steps you can take to manage your reaction and respond effectively:

1. Recognize Feedback as Data: Understand that feedback, even when painful, is a form of data. It contains both signal (valuable information) and noise (unhelpful or irrelevant information). Your task is to filter out the noise and focus on any signal that may be present, which can provide an opportunity for learning and growth [1].

2. Understand Why Feedback Hurts: Utilize frameworks such as David Rock's SCARF model and Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen's concept of "feedback triggers" to comprehend why the feedback feels hurtful. Feedback can trigger a social threat response, evoking feelings related to status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness. Recognizing these triggers can help you regulate your emotional response and diminish the sense of threat [2][3][4][5].

3. Reframe the Experience: Use cognitive reappraisal to regulate distress. Remind yourself that the perceived threat from feedback is rooted in neurological and psychological dynamics and does not necessarily mean you are facing a literal threat to your safety. Reframing can help reduce stress levels and improve your ability to manage negative emotions [7][8].

4. Build the Relationship: If possible, seek to develop a stronger connection and a deeper sense of trust with the person who provided the feedback. This can help with the "relationship trigger" and make future feedback exchanges less stressful [9].

5. Develop a Feedback-Rich Culture: Strive to create a culture where feedback is more frequent and less stressful for all members of the organization. This can involve giving and receiving feedback more regularly, making it acceptable to postpone feedback conversations, and ensuring leaders model this behavior [10].

6. Respond to Feedback Without Defensiveness: Recognize that hurtful feedback often contains a request for change. It is important to respond without being defensive or rejecting the feedback outright. Distinguish between easy changes you can make, hard changes you're willing to attempt, and changes that are too difficult or costly to undertake. Empathize with the feedback giver's perspective even if you decide not to implement the suggested changes [11][12].

7. Avoid Labeling Yourself as Defensive: If you've been accused of defensiveness, don't exacerbate the situation by rejecting the label. Instead, view the accusation as a form of feedback and a learning opportunity. Consider the trustworthiness and intentions of the person providing the feedback, and if they are acting in good faith, thank them for their input and ask for more information to understand their perspective [13].

In summary, when faced with unprofessional and personal feedback, it's crucial to separate the emotional impact from the potential learning opportunities. By reframing your perspective, building relationships, fostering a feedback-rich culture, and responding thoughtfully, you can navigate the situation more effectively and use it as a growth opportunity.