Feedback Thoughts: Giving and Receiving Feedback

When reading about giving and receiving feedback, the article that I most related to was “5 Tips for Taking Feedback like a Champ" by Megan Bruneau. I am not very good at receiving criticism and I often take it very personally. One tip Bruneau mentions is to separate “state” and “trait.” Most of the time, criticism is not an attack on myself, but simply on how well or not so well I did a job. I know that if I keep this in mind, I will be less likely to be so hurt by criticism, although it may never stop hurting. Another tip Bruneau offers is to look at criticism as a good thing, as it means you have growing to do. Growth is always a positive thing, and should be look at as such. I also enjoyed Guy Winch’s article, “Why Rejection Hurts so Much—and What to do About it.” I felt this was a good article because it reiterates again and again to not let rejection form your self-worth, which I let happen a lot. So I am not so good at receiving feedback, and can definitely improve. On the flip side, I am good at giving positive feedback, but not negative feedback. Gravity Goldberg gave some good advice in his article, “Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset.” He treats feedback as something that should always help the one receiving feedback grow. It should focus on hard work and encouragement, while still helping to improve the individual. This is something I can work on. Poncie Rutsch’s article, “The Difference Between Praise That Promotes Narcissism vs. Healthy Self-Esteem,” was really good in that it showed how focusing on hard work instead of intelligence or skill can help a child succeed. I know that when someone notices how hard I am working, it makes me feel good and causes me to want to keep working hard. Feedback, whether it comes from school, work, or friends, can always help me grow and is not something I should shrink away from.

Image information: Posted by Anouk Janssens-Bevernage on her blog, The eLearning Nomad. Web source: Dynamind-eLearning