Why is the phrase constructive criticism so controversial and why do we fear it so much?
A lot of people, unfortunately myself included, seem to sugar coat the truth very often, and are usually afraid to give our honest opinions, but what we don’t realize is that we’re not helping what so ever, in fact we’re causing issues that could’ve been easily avoided if we had just spoke the truth in a constructive and not destructive form.
Constructive Criticism can be one of the best methods for improvement, whatever the topic is, since you know you can always count on the other person being completely honest and that they’re only intentions are to help you out!
How to give constructive criticism? There are a few tips you can use to do so, here are some:
1.Keep it private
Don’t give someone feedback when there’s an audience, because they’re very likely to get sensitive about it and think they’re being singled out, so try to talk to them privately, one-on-one.
2.Don’t make it personal
Address the person’s actions not their personality. Meaning tell them how they can change what they’re doing, not how they can change in general.
3.Be specific
You have to be clear and get straight to the point in order to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding.
4.Be positive
You have to also highlight their strengths as well as pointing out their weaknesses in order for them not to feel bad about themselves, and so that they can be encouraged to work on fixing what you addressed.
5.Provide ideas for improvement
After you address what can be worked on make sure to tell them how to fix it. Give them ideas on how they can improve so that they know how to deal with the same situation in the future.
Hope this helped out some of y’all!
Written by: Malak Eldawy