Feedback Strategies

I think this week's readings are going to be very helpful for me, as I always feel unsure about the feedback I give to others. I typically feel rude giving constructive feedback and think I am being too critical. When I have given feedback before, I usually say something like "I like what you did at this one part..." because I do not want to be rude. The gallery, however, gave me good ideas on how to give good feedback that doesn't sound too harsh. I specifically like the idea of asking questions about parts that were unclear to me. Questions are not mean, but rather allow the author to look at the story from the reader's perspective.

The first article I read was "How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk" by Adam Grant. This article first looks at the "compliment sandwich" style of giving feedback: give a praise, give the criticism, then finish with more praise. Grant examines why this often does not work for the person receiving feedback. I think this is something I tend to do and will need to move away from. He then goes on to give four tips on how to actually give constructive feedback. His suggestions are to tell your reasoning for giving feedback, make yourself seem like an equal, ask if the person would like feedback, and have a transparent dialogue. While I don't think these tips will be very applicable in this class as I give feedback to peers, I certainly think it could be helpful if I hold a leadership position in my future career.

The second article I read was Jennifer Gonzalez's "The Trouble with Amazing: Giving Praise that Matters." Gonzalez points out that praise often does not mean anything to the recipient, it's unspecific and therefore does not tell the recipient what they are doing well, and it does not compliment the effort the recipient has made. She ties this last point into growth mindset, saying the issue with complimenting the person (rather than the effort) is that people are less likely to try new or challenging things if they believe they are naturally talented. In this class, I'd like to try to make sure I am not just giving out empty praise to my classmates, but rather focus on what they are doing well and tell them specifically what I like about their writing.

Root for each other. Source: Feedback padlet

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