Constructive Criticism is an important topic which needs to be understood properly. We commenced the discussion last week taking a look at what it is, why it is important, the two types, the differences between the two types and the benefits. This week we will in sha Allah continue with the discussion taking a look at how to give it, how to receive it, practical examples in different situations and general do`s and don’ts.

Giving/Offering Constructive Criticism

Regardless of your role, level, or industry, at some point in your career, you’ll most likely need to know how to give constructive feedback in the workplace. While this is especially true if you manage others, you might also be called on to give this feedback to peers or team members when working on projects with multiple contributors to ensure that the group’s output is ultimately successful. However, giving constructive criticism can be easier said than done – it’s something that many people find challenging, and can be tricky to do well.

Establish Trust

If you are working with someone regularly and know you will at some point need to give feedback to them, whether as part of your job duties (as a manager or supervisor) or simply due to the nature of your work together (as team members or colleagues), it’s important to establish an open, trusting relationship with them. Having a baseline of trust will help set the tone of your future conversations, and will both help you deliver your feedback, and help them accept it and put your suggestions to use. It’s very difficult to accept feedback or criticism from someone you do not trust to have your best interests at heart – you want the receiver to truly know that, first and foremost, you recognize their abilities, believe in their potential, and appreciate their work. This means they’ll be more likely to view your feedback as constructive, and will further open communication channels to make this kind of exchange even easier and more productive in the future.

Balance the Positive and the Negative

When giving constructive criticism, it’s important to make sure you’re presenting a balanced perspective, whether your feedback is ultimately positive or negative. This is more obvious when it comes to negative feedback – while you shouldn’t have to feel like you must paint a picture that’s different from the reality of the situation, especially if you have major concerns about the work or behaviours being discussed, it’s helpful to be able to point out some positives in that person’s attitude or output. For example, if a specific project doesn’t meet your expectations, you could frame the conversation by saying how you’ve been impressed with the individual’s work in the past, which is why you know that this deliverable could be improved. Again, you want to be truthful – don’t mislead someone into thinking their performance is better than it actually is – but giving someone a few positives to help motivate them can go a long way.

Observe, Don’t Interpret

Don’t assign meaning or intent to someone else’s actions until you’ve had a chance to hear what they have to say. Present issues as things you are observing, and give them the opportunity to explain their perspective.

Be Specific

One of the best ways to give constructive feedback is to focus on specifics. Telling someone that their work needs improvement, but not giving details on what exactly is lacking or how it might be fixed, isn’t helpful to anyone – the individual won’t know what you’re looking for, so they’ll be frustrated and you most likely will not get the results you hoped for. Again, bringing in both positives and negatives can be key here. For example, telling someone that the structure of their presentation is strong, but is missing key information on a specific topic is a good way to help someone feel good about what they’ve done so far, and give them the specific instruction they need to bring it up to par.

Talk Face-to-Face

Whenever possible, it is almost always better to deliver constructive criticism in face-to-face meetings rather than via email, instant messenger, or phone. All of these technologies, while useful in other situations, are much more open to misinterpretation, because they eliminate important context such as vocal tone, body language, and emotional inflection (such as humour or concern). It’s easy to read negativity into a statement that was meant as neutral, or to dismiss the importance of an issue that has serious consequences, when you’re not talking in-person. Face-to-face conversations also are more dynamic, as both parties can ask questions and dig deeper into the issues at hand.

Don’t Make it Personal

When giving constructive criticism, it’s important to remember to distinguish a person from their actions. Focus on the issue at hand, whether it’s a pattern or performance on a specific project, without making broader claims about who they are. If it feels like a personal attack, the individual will be more likely to shut down and lose trust in you than to listen to what you have to say.

Be Timely

Don’t let days or weeks pass by before you give someone feedback on their work, especially when it comes to a specific project. You want the work to be fresh in both their minds and yours, so that the conversation will be relevant and actionable, and any context (such as challenges that came up during the work, what the process looked like, and ideas that emerged for future work) will still be top of mind.