How to Give and Take Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism is very important because it helps in improving the content and also points out the positive side. Constructive criticism can boost the confidence of the creator, and he will do even better next time. However, you have to know how to give constructive criticism, which the creator takes positively

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It is often seen that most people do not like the opinions of the other, especially if you are pointing out something that can be improved. You have to choose wise and positive words that can have a direct influence on the creator. It is never helpful to start pointing out the negative sides because it will be bad. 

Even if it is constructive, your opinion will not be taken seriously because of the negative things you had pointed out. The question arises of how to give and take constructive criticism. It is very easy as many helpful mediums can tell you how to give and take constructive criticism. It would help if you also learned the basic ethics and ways to go for constructive criticism. 

Complete guide on how to give and take constructive criticism:

Constructive criticism about any task can boost the quality of it for the next time. It can be very helpful, and the listener will welcome your ideas. However, you should know how to give and take constructive criticism.

 You have to keep a few things in mind before actually giving suggestions and pointing out the places for improvement in someone's work. Let's look at some of the things that you have to consider before going for or constructive criticism. It will also give you an idea of how to give and take constructive criticism without any obstacles. 

Always start with the positive side.

You always have to start from the positive side of the work. First of all, you have to acknowledge all the positive and good things about the work someone has done. It requires proper appreciation and acknowledgment from your side. 

  • You should discuss everything in detail and tell the person how good it is and the hard work. 
  • It will induce a sense of happiness and acknowledgment in the person who has created the specific thing. 
  • He will start listening to you keenly, and we'll know that you have seen all of his work and are appreciating it openly.

It is one of the main and important steps that you should not miss. Constructive criticism should always start with positive and good points of the work. 


Point out the room for improvement 

After you are done explaining the positive and brighter side of the work, you have to point out the room for improvement. It is very important to keep your tone lighter and Keep your words soft so that the other person welcomes your ideas.

  • It would help if you gently pointed out the places where improvement can be made. 
  • Tell the person that the work would be even better and exceptional if these points were improved. 
  • This way, he will know that you are saying that only because you want to improve his work. It can work best for getting improvement and quality in work. 

Your tone and words matter a lot which is why you have to choose them very carefully. The person must not feel degraded, and you should also keep his self-respect in mind. You can increase a person's creativity and boost his confidence by properly guiding him and providing him away. 

Offer positive advice and solutions. 

It is very important to offer positive advice and solutions after you have pointed out the places that need improvement. It would help if you gave your suggestions in a really good way so that they could be welcomed. It would help if you also took the opinion of the person and should appreciate it by providing a slight improvement in it. 

  • This way, you will be able to push the person to do better and induce confidence in him.
  • Your suggestion and advice should be very polite and should come from a broader perspective. 
  • You should also explain your suggestions and ideas to the person so that he can get a better understanding of them. 

It is one of the best ways if you are looking for how to give and take constructive criticism. You can induce the changes of your requirement in the person's work without even hurting his ego. 

Communicate well

The way you talk and communicate with other people says a lot about your constructive criticism. If you want to make the person, feel good about your opinion and suggestions, you must communicate very well and effectively. You have to choose such words that are very promising to the listener.

  • It would help if you always were very polite and gentle with whatever you said. It is going to work like magic whenever you are trying to give constructive criticism. 
  • If you start doing so, people will also do the same to you and be respectful. Words can be your friend, and foe it is upon you to choose the sides. 

Try to make it sound like a conversation where both the participants are involved, and everyone has their own point of view.

Use the feedback medium.

In Most of the places, you must have seen the feedback forum. You can drop your feedback and suggestions by using the feedback medium. This will also help you in dropping your opinion in the best possible way. You should provide your feedback publicly, but first, you have to appreciate the good things very openly and in detail. This is one of the best methods to make your feedback actually countable and acknowledged by the reader. You should also look for the suggestion and comment section, which is often given by the person who has created the content or any kind of work.

  • If it is mentioned in the text that no suggestions and opinions are welcomed, it is better not to talk about it. 
  • However, it is very rare, and you will get the option of suggestions and opinions every now and then. It is in your hand to make your feedback constructive or destructive. 

Destructive feedback will bring you to know well, and the person you are giving it to will also get upset with you. Positive criticism is one of the major ways that can actually benefit many people at a time. 

Focus on the situation and not the person

You have to give reference to the situation while providing any kind of constructive criticism. If you start making personal attacks, it will only lead towards destructive criticism, which will bring no good and will not be welcomed. 

You have to sound very decent while providing suggestions and opinions and should also keep the other person's self-respect and integrity in mind. This is one of the major steps if you want to Keep the criticism positive and impacting. If you keep the other person's feelings and mind and then state your opinion, it can be very beneficial. 

Listen keenly

You have to listen very carefully in order to understand the other person's point of view. It should not be only for responding. If you start listening to the other person, you both will develop a mutual understanding and will find ways to improve the work. 

Listening is one of the major things when it comes to communication as it leads towards understanding, and you will get a lot of confusion resolved. When you listen to understand and not just respond, it actually brings out the good not only in the people who are communicating but also within the work that you are seeking to improve. 

Connect feedback to your role and not be yourself

You should start connecting the feedback to the role that you are playing within an organization or even as an audience. It should not be about you personally, but it should be about the entire platform and the position that you are in. 

It will provide neutralism within your opinion and suggestions. If you really want to know how to give and take constructive criticism, you have to keep this point in my mind. This is going to make the other person feel good about your opinion or suggestion, and it will be warmly welcomed. It is important to save yourself from embarrassment among the public and also the person you are providing criticism too. 

Conclusion

Constructive criticism is one of the very positive things that can actually improve the quality of the work. However, you have to know how to give and take constructive criticism, which is explained in detail in the given text. 

There are many other things that you have to keep in mind whenever you are trying to provide constructive criticism. Before dropping your opinion or suggestion, you have to reconsider it. Your tone and body language matter a lot, and you have to be very careful about that too. Constructive criticism can bring out the good in the work. You only need to know how to do it effectively.

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