The two articles that I read really highlighted some of the same beliefs that I have about feedback. The two articles were How to Craft Constructive Feedback and Be a Mirror. I have always tried to be positive when I give others feedback. I have always tried to keep a positive mental attitude and not be negative in my feedback. It can be hard at times to constantly stay positive. I think that there is a nice balance when giving feedback. You should not be afraid to give suggestions, but you also do not want to make the receiver feel like their work is not good. I really liked what one of the articles suggested. It said to focus on what the reader is doing. It is sometimes easy to nitpick someone's work and look at what they do not have. Instead, we should focus on what they do have and give positive feedback based on that. Another great point that the first article made was to "suggest" what the creator might do. I find this one particularly useful especially when I am receiving feedback.
My advice when giving feedback is to just be confident in offering suggestions while also being mindful of the person you are giving feedback to. You should put yourself in their shoes and think about what would be useful to you. I would like to try being more honest with the people I am giving feedback to. Overall, once you find a method that works for you just roll with it.
(A photo of a man trying to provide feedback. Source: Flickr)
Since I read your other feedback post I decided to comment on this one as well. I too read the be a mirror and enjoyed the article. I agree with focusing on being positive with feedback but then again I think it is important to let people know if they need to fix things as well. I have had problems with my work before because all I received was good feedback when I really needed someone to be a bit harsher on me. Anyways I enjoyed reading this post!
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