I will be the first person to admit that accepting 'negative' feedback is difficult. Or, at least, it was until I started going out of my way to get it for my projects, whether that be writing or painting. Once I started looking for feedback that was not positive, I began to realize just how much further I could go and how much I was holding myself back by ignoring the negative stuff. Sure it still stings a little when I am told that it is not good enough, but I can take that negative and make the overall project better by fixing those problems. That is the main point in Megan Bruneau's article 5 tips for Taking Feedback like a Champ. Basically, she states that being challenged is a good thing, it helps you grow in new ways. Room for improvement just means that you can always get better. William Treseder's article Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career explains how to take those suggestions and not feel like its a personal attack. For him, it is all about reminding yourself that it is not about you. Most feedback is not meant to be a personal attack and it is important to step back from initial reactions and emotional responses to understand that the commenter is simply trying to help improve your weakness not to insult you as a person. I say this, and while I can take feedback about the aforementioned projects, personal issues, like appearance or work ethic, still can not take a hit.
I really liked Gravity Goldberg's article, Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset. I love how she encourages people to step away from giving feedback as solely an opinion. For the most part, Goldberg is saying do not make judgment on what you personally feel is missing, just on what is available from the author. That is not to say, do not make parallel or connections to other works, in fact she encourages it, just understand that the author is his or her own person with a specific agenda in mind. She also mentions how it is important to specific, rather then making generalizations or broad statements . Narrow down what specifically needs improvement, inconsistencies or things that do not make sense. Grant Wiggins article, 7 Key Characteristics of Better Learning Feedback explains how a commenter should give this feedback. The most important part of this article for me was, do not be afraid to give negative feedback, this feed back is what helps people improve. At the same time, do not be a critic, meaning do not be a troll. When giving feedback it is important to be upfront without being cruel. Think of the feedback more like a conversation then a one way enterprise. You need to be clear and concise in you commentary but also leave space for the author to reply without feeling judged.
I really liked Gravity Goldberg's article, Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset. I love how she encourages people to step away from giving feedback as solely an opinion. For the most part, Goldberg is saying do not make judgment on what you personally feel is missing, just on what is available from the author. That is not to say, do not make parallel or connections to other works, in fact she encourages it, just understand that the author is his or her own person with a specific agenda in mind. She also mentions how it is important to specific, rather then making generalizations or broad statements . Narrow down what specifically needs improvement, inconsistencies or things that do not make sense. Grant Wiggins article, 7 Key Characteristics of Better Learning Feedback explains how a commenter should give this feedback. The most important part of this article for me was, do not be afraid to give negative feedback, this feed back is what helps people improve. At the same time, do not be a critic, meaning do not be a troll. When giving feedback it is important to be upfront without being cruel. Think of the feedback more like a conversation then a one way enterprise. You need to be clear and concise in you commentary but also leave space for the author to reply without feeling judged.
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