[M.K. Thompson]Constructive in your criticism

By nature, humans crave praise for their work. We like prizes and awards. We appreciate a smile, a pat on the back, and other acknowledgement of a job well done. The rewards vary by age. Children may receive a hug, a cookie, a trip to the zoo, or another age-appropriate treat. Corporate executives may receive bonuses or other financial incentives. But the desire for positive feedback does not decrease with age.

No one really likes to receive criticism. We fear the dreaded red pen that corrects writing assignments. Particularly bad assignments are covered in so much red ink that students often complain that their teachers have "bled" on all of their work. Some editors in industry will mark corrections and comments in books with yellow sticky notes. I have heard heavily corrected books referred to as "dead canaries" because the sticky notes resemble the limp feathers of a very sad bird. These morbid and unappetizing descriptions convey some of the emotions related to receiving large quantities of negative feedback.

But feedback and constructive criticism are vital to progress and innovation. In order to improve our work, we must be aware of the existing problems. We are often too close to our work to see its flaws. We cannot observe our work from the perspective of others. And, we as individuals have limited knowledge. So the information and suggestions that other people can provide are invaluable.

Constructive criticism is like particularly unpleasant medicine. We don`t really want to ask for it. We especially don`t want to take it. But we need it and are ultimately grateful to have it. So the question is how to give, and how to receive critical feedback that will produce the desired results.

Critical feedback can have up to three main goals: to address and improve the situation, to make one or both parties feel better, or to make the other party feel worse. The first is the primary goal of constructive criticism. The second is often a happy side-effect of the first. The last, sadly, is all too common, rarely helpful, and best ignored.

When giving constructive criticism, you want to be heard and understood. And, you want your ideas to be accepted and implemented. This is difficult because you have one opinion with an emotional investment in the situation and your audience likely has the opposite opinion and a similar (if not stronger) emotional investment in the same situation. As a result, your audience may not want to hear what you have to say.

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. When preparing your comments, start with the good. Be polite and try to leave emotion at the door. If your arguments are rational, logical, and based on facts instead of emotion, they are much more likely to be accepted. Offer solutions if you can.

Get your facts straight. If I can find a piece of information in 30 seconds on the internet that refutes your argument, then you and your entire argument lose credibility. Avoid strong language and personal attacks or your audience will stop listening and your message will fall on deaf ears. And most importantly, acknowledge to yourself that you may not have all of the information about the situation. Play devil`s advocate and try to see the situation from both sides. You may, in fact, be wrong and you`ll save face if you acknowledge that at the outset.

It is equally important to be a good patient and take your constructive criticism like an adult. At first, even very reasonable and helpful feedback can seem like a personal attack. Remember that language is a lossy medium. Much of the communication between people is based on body language, gestures, and intonation. These signals are not transmitted via text messaging and email and it can be easy to interpret comments as being more negative than they really are. When receiving constructive criticism via email, I suggest reading it through and then walking away for awhile. When you come back, it`s much easier to see how reasonable and helpful the comments were and how much you appreciate the advice.

A large amount of feedback can be overwhelming. I find it helpful to address comments one at a time. Ask for clarification if you are confused. Try to filter out any non-constructive criticism rather than being upset by it. Finally, remember that most of the time you are not obligated to read or respond to unfair and unnecessarily harsh criticism.

Providing good constructive criticism is a delicate, difficult, time-consuming and occasionally thankless task. And even reviewers appreciate praise (a hug, a cookie, or other rewards) for their work. So take a few minutes and thank the people in your life who provide you with critical feedback today!





Mary Kathryn Thompson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She can be reached at mkthompson@an.kaist.ac.kr. - Ed.