Thoughts on Feedback Strategies

 In one of the articles I read last week for receiving feedback, the author discussed the belief that everyone is participating in good faith. This belief allows someone receiving feedback to take it as a helpful opportunity to grow. However, it is also necessary for the person giving feedback, so that they give constructive opportunities to improve.

The first article I read by Jennifer Gonzalez emphasizes not overusing "amazing" or similar sentiments in praise. I took away to not be afraid of giving people challenges or harsh (but true) feedback because I think they won't be able to handle it. In these situations, telling people that they're doing great feels disingenuous to everyone. This article also discussed how praising the process, rather than the person, contributes to a growth mindset.

The second article I read by Gravity Goldberg outlines how to be a "mirror" to the person you are giving feedback too, making sure they see an accurate picture of their performance. The five aspects of good feedback according to her are specificity, a focus on what's there rather than what's lacking, a focus on the process, advice that's easy to transfer to other endeavors, and taking oneself out of the feedback. The final point is something that I hadn't thought about before, but will use when giving feedback in this class.

Finally, the Feedback Gallery on Canvas gave me some ideas for how to give good feedback. The specific strategies people found helpful in the past are asking questions, pointing out what's confusing, pointing out missing information or gaps, giving ways to expand the story, pointing out specific errors or suggestions, explaining why you are suggesting something, and giving praise for very specific details. I think asking questions is a good strategy because it gets people thinking about their own story rather than just telling them what I think. Praising very specific details instead of giving general "good job" statements is also something I'll put into practice.

Typewriter photo from Markus Winkler on Unsplash.