Feedback Strategies

(Positive Feedback: Image Source)

I appreciate Maria Popova's article, "Presence, Not Praise: How To Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement." It is reminiscent of the TED talks about growth mindset we watched earlier in this class. I think it's important to praise what is needed and not what is expected. Not every little thing should be praised, especially if a particular task is easy and manageable. Praise should be given in order to encourage improvement, not hinder it.


Jenn Gibb's "How to Craft Constructive Feedback" reiterated what classes I've been in in the past and am currently attending already put into practice. I feel the peers I work with are good at observing, describing and suggesting in informative and helpful ways that better my writing and the writing of my classmates.

I always try to further plot or delve deeper into characters when I'm giving someone feedback. I also use gentle language and I'm calm in demeanor so I don't come off as intimidating or rude. I know how important it is to feel safe when you're in such a vulnerable position so I like to create that safe space for others.

Thoughts on Feedback

(What I Like to Keep in Mind When Getting Feedback: Google Images)

I read William Treseder's "Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career and Amy Morin's 6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success.

Treseder's article mentions that negative feedback makes him feel personally attacked even when that was not the intent of the feedback. I, too, used to feel this way but, over the course of a couple writing classes, I've learned to love feedback as long as it's given in a constructive way. I've also learned that I don't have to use every suggestion given to me, that makes it easier to disregard the negative comments or personal interjections that I don't like. I used to be a perfectionist and would hate to have any mistakes in my paper, but if there are no mistakes then how do you grow? I've since let go of perfection.

I thought all of Morin's tips were both helpful and healthy. I know I could benefit from implementing all of these tips into my daily life. I'm generally a pretty positive person but I know that I sometimes doubt myself and second guess my choices. This hinders me as a writer so I'll need to focus more on going with my gut and remembering that I've made good decisions in the past.

In my Creative Writing class that I had a couple semesters ago, I had a really good experience with feedback. For the first time ever, my peers weren't critiquing my grammar and all the other boring, technical stuff, they were genuinely interested in my story. They wanted to help develop my plot and characters in a way that would let them live up to their full potential.

I've also had positive feedback from softball players and coaches throughout my career. I know I'm not a perfect person or player so I always found feedback, from those who knew what they were talking about, extremely helpful and beneficial as a player.