Giving Constructive Criticism to People

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By: LeeDavidhcz
A fellow coworker wanders into your office one morning, and begs you to critique their project. “Rip it to shreds!” they say! So you, being the honest person that you are, go on and do just that. You leave your coworker stunned and heartbroken - they didn’t realize their project was so bad that it required a 10 minute speech on how terrible it was!

Asking for feedback in a specific way is vital to receiving useful feedback. But what about giving feedback? How do you give constructive criticism to somebody? There are three easy steps, all of which will be elaborated further on:

1. First, find the good in the project, and point it out.
2. Next, point out specific problem spots and how they can be fixed.
3. Last, if applicable and needed, offer to help them remedy those problems.

First Rule: Point out the good!

If Sally the 4th grader went to Jim and asked Jim to critique her science fair project, and Jim gave her an absolutely scathing review, how would little Sally feel? Would Sally ever go to Jim for advice again? Would Sally even fix what Jim commented on?

The point is simple: if you want to give criticism that will be looked at, regardless of who you’re dealing with, before anything, point out what they did right. When most people are asked to point out what’s wrong with something, they do just that. They point out the wrong! But do you necessarily have to talk about what’s wrong first? Nobody said you couldn’t point out good things right off the bat! By showing the person that they did do things right and some of the project can be salvaged, you build rapport with the other person, and they’re more receptive to the advice you give. Which statement would you rather hear:

1. “The charts need more color, your outline for the presentation seems just a bit sloppy, and you don’t seem as prepared as I thought you would be.”
2. “You did such a nice job organizing everything! Everything is so clear and the outline is so fluid. However, if I were you, I would use blue instead of red for the charts, restructure the outline *just* a little bit to make the ending sound more cohesive, and practice the presentation in front of the mirror for about an hour to make sure I could nail it. Nice job!”

Okay, okay, maybe the examples are slightly exaggerated. My point still stands - show them the good first, then what needs to be fixed. You’ll sound nicer.

Second Rule: Be specific in your criticisms.

Pretend you have a presentation tomorrow at 2:30pm, and you want to get it perfected as much as you can. You ask your coworker how they would fix it up, and they remark “Oh, well, I like it just the way it is! I wouldn’t change anything.” How would you feel? Irritated?

If somebody asks you for criticism and they really need it, don’t be vague! It’s probably the worst time to give some murky critiques to them. Instead, be super specific. Target exact things - don’t mess with the generalities that anybody can point out. Tell them, very specifically and straightforward, what needs to be fixed, in no uncertain terms. When people are given general statements on what can be improved, in reality, nothing gets improved.

If I tell you that I don’t like how your entire presentation is structured, does that really help you any? Would you even switch it up? On the other hand, if I tell you that Sections 1 and 2 need to be switched around, the segue between the last main point and the ending needs to be clarified, and the title should sound more specific to the subject matter, would you take more initiative to fix up the presentation? Clarity makes all the difference.

Third Rule: Offer help if you can.

It’s not your project, and it’s not your problem - does that mean you can’t offer help once in a while? Sure, sometimes you can’t help because your plate is too full, or you don’t have the resources (nor patience) to help out that person. But sometimes it’s nice to really help out another person when they need it, especially if your feedback to them is something they’ll have a hard time fixing on their own - maybe they don’t have the people or resources like you do to fix what you suggested. You don’t have to help out every time - that would turn unbearable - but just to the people who’ll need it. It’d mean the world to them.

Giving criticism isn’t too hard, but by using just a few tricks, you can start giving more worthwhile feedback to people. They’ll be more appreciative!
Read more of my articles Rapport And Body Language | Communicate Better
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