9/10/2004

Critical Advice on Critical Feedback

This essay from UIWeb.com explains how to give and receive constructive criticism stating:

"Good criticism serves one purpose: to give the creator of the work more perspective and help them make their next set of choices. Bad criticism uses the opportunity provided by someone else’s work to make the critic feel smart, superior or better about themselves: things that have nothing to do with helping the recipient of the critique."

How to give critical feedback

• Before you speak, know the goals
• Good and bad, is not the same as what you like or don’t like.
• Talk as much about what it is, as what it isn’t.
• Try the PNP sandwich (offer positive, negative, then positive comments)

Receiving critical feedback

• Shut up. Just shut up and listen.
• Ask clarifying questions.
• Refer back to the goals.
• Ask for what changes you can make that will satisfy the criticism.
• Take control of your feedback process.
• Pick your partners.
• Strive to hear it all, informally and early.