You might think that the hardest thing about feedback is receiving it, but the ability to give good feedback is also quite an art.
To provide useful input, adopt the mindset of “benevolent critique.” Your words don’t help if you leave someone feeling crushed by your statements. But benevolent critique is not just a mindset; this assignment provides practical ways to embody the idea.
If you become skilled at giving feedback on creative work, your friends and colleagues will start to seek you out for it. It’s a rare and valued ability, and if you set up conditions in which benevolent critique can thrive, it’s also one way to help bring more creative approaches to your environment.
How does it work?
For this assignment you’ll need two friends or colleagues and something to share that each of you would like feedback on. Because this is really about practice, that piece of work doesn’t have to be something you’re too invested in. Don’t let the lack of what you think might be a critique-worthy piece of creative work stop you from trying this out. Write a haiku, make a sketch, or bring a draft vacation itinerary that you want input on.
Give a copy of the downloadable Principles for Giving and Receiving Feedback with everyone, and take a few moments to let your partners digest these before you begin.
The activity
Each member of your trio will play a specific role: the presenter, the critic, or the observer. You will then rotate these roles so that everyone gets lots of practice in each posture. You will conduct two feedback sessions, and each session will have a slightly different focus.
Session 1. Focus on separating the person from the work. The first person takes two minutes to present their work. Then the second person takes two minutes to critique the first person’s work. And the third person takes two minutes to share what they noticed about the dynamic between the presenter and the critic.
Rotate the roles so each person is in a new role, and repeat the process.
Rotate the roles one final time and repeat the process so everyone has presented, critiqued, and observed.
Pause to reflect with your trio.
How did that session feel?
How did the different roles feel?
Did you learn anything new about your skills in giving and receiving feedback?
Any other insights?
Session 2. Focus on the goal of the work. What elements of the work are related to its objective? Do those elements meet the objective? Why or why not?
Use the same timing of two minutes per role, and rotate the roles for three rounds as before.
Again, pause to reflect and discuss the questions above with your trio.
Giving and receiving feedback is highly influenced by the culture you’re in. In different cultures, individuals feel more or less empowered to offer opinions or give greater deference to those perceived as experts. Pay attention to those dynamics in your context, and adapt this assignment in any way you think is most appropriate to your circumstances.
Credits
Originally published in Creative Acts for Curious People by Sarah Stein Greenberg
The "How To Give Feedback" activity was developed by Andrea Small, with inspiration from Aaron Irizarry, Karen Cheng, and John Moore Williams
LICENSE: CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL