Feedback Strategies

The first article I read on feedback is "How to Craft Constructive Feedback." The purpose of this article, which is actually a transcription of  an infographic, is to give some steps for giving useful feedback to others. The first step is to know when a person is actually looking for feedback, and when they are just expressing themselves. This can be tough to do and requires you to listen intently to what is being expressed and the way in which the person asks for criticism. If they want a full critique, you follow three steps for each feature you want to critique. First, you Observe the feature in question, then Describe what that feature does in detail, before going on to your own Suggestions.  Honestly, this may seem like some pretty basic stuff, but it is very easy to forget when you are looking over other people's work which may be done in a style completely different from what you would have done.

My second choice of article is "Criticizing Praise." The author talks about how we often do things to others, rather than working with them. They see praise as patronizing. They go on to say that praise can reduce interest in and quality of work produced by the recipient of the praise. Praise shouldn't be used to enforce compliance, but rather to truly show appreciation for a significant accomplishment.

Overall, the gist I get from these articles is don't be fake. Don't come up with compliments and empty criticisms. They do more harm than good and serve no purpose. Put genuine thought into each criticism you make and only praise others when they have truly done something well. Also be aware of how other people take criticism, and don't say anything simply to elicit a response. That's not being insightful, that's just being a jerk.

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