Blog: How to give constructive criticism
Constructive criticism is a communication delivered with the motive of correcting someone’s behaviour, action or words in a way that would benefit them.
It is focused on the growth of the person and not done with an aim of putting them down or feeling superior to them in some aspect. There is no selfishness involved in constructive criticism. The ability it holds to transform the common goal or outcome to a near perfect one is one of the main benefits of constructive criticism.
What are some of the things to be considered to make your criticism sound constructive and non-accusatory?
Being empathetic and sensitive – Criticism is not the first choice for anyone to hear. Constructive or otherwise, people clearly prefer appreciation and good words coming out from others. That does not take away the importance constructive criticism has. Considering the nature of it, and the obvious dislike most people have for it, it is very important that it comes from a place of empathy and is spoken sensitively. How something is said assumes more importance in most occasions than what is said. So, the tricky tight-rope walk while giving criticism is to balance empathy and sensitivity with specific and clear content
Deliberated choice of words and delivery – As a continuation of the same point, it is better not to be abrupt with a criticism. If the
project done by your junior is good in some ways but lacked something else which was vital, it is better to first state what you like about it and then tell them what could have been done better and how those aspects would have contributed to making the project a perfect one. In the same way, it is also important to end your conversation or communication with positive words. While you should not hide your well-meant and productive criticism, you can do well in landing it softly by not being parsimonious about complements too.
Clarity and specificity – “You could do better!” is a very vague and pointless comment. “Overall the presentation was quite good, it is just that the third slide could have had more statistics and visuals to explain the growth trajectory better. I must say your presentation skills have improved a lot from the last time!” is a clear and specific comment. Such a comment also takes care of my previous point and is a perfect ‘constructive criticism’ example.
Showing a way forward and being solution oriented – Many people are well aware of their problem areas and are very often stuck there because they do not know how to do better. Of course, there are cases when people are quite oblivious to their shortcomings or pain points as well. In such a scenario, it is absolutely counter productive and pointless just to criticize them. Without offering a solution or guiding them on to the right path the criticism is futile. It would just end up as a situation where you are left managing the emotional reactions your criticism would bring forth.
Your criticism should be based on facts and not on hearsay – The complete facts of the situation or occurrence from the perspective of all stakeholders should be understood before criticizing someone. Handling negative criticism based on just hearsay and half-baked truth is not interesting for anyone. The truth and positive intent in your criticism makes it constructive than anything else.
Adapting your style according to the recipient and their reaction – It is easy to gauge how the criticism is being handled by the recipient especially when it is given face to face. You can understand this through their body language and through verbal reactions. This gives you the opportunity to modulate your response – tone it down or take it a notch higher.
Choosing the right time – While an issue should be handled when the relevance of it is still present, care should be taken to time it well. You need to take care that it is not given too early and faced with antipathy. For instance, it is unwise to criticize someone when the recipient is in the middle of an argument or just finishing one. When they are otherwise in an emotionally volatile state it is a bad time as well. Criticizing them even constructively in these kinds of scenarios would be a very bad choice that could backfire completely. Timing is a very vital aspect of giving criticism if you expect a desired outcome
Focus on the problem or subject and not the person – This is an often-seen problem generally in a lot of communication which delivers negative feedback. People tend to make it about the person receiving the criticism rather than about the subject or issue at hand. The chances of it being received badly is higher when you make it about the person. It is the cardinal rule of communication that the person should never be criticized, but their behavior. “You are always late!” is branding or labeling the person to be a latecomer. But when you say “Because you were late, we missed the most important opening scene of the movie. Try to be on time next time please!” expresses your discontent and disappointment in clear terms. You are putting across your unconditional displeasure while conveying that you expect a change in behavior. It is direct and specific as well. The distinction is that you are making it an irrefutable criticism which cannot be argued upon by the other person.
As the new year approaches, it is always time to sit back and take stock about how you can improve yourself to face the challenges that the year is sure to bring. Improving behavioral skills is one of the practical ways to improve your confidence. If you are looking for some help in preparing yourself or your team through professional development programs, or you want to read through more self-improvement articles, do write to us at harish@harishrao.world to know how we can help you with it. We can also help you understand the importance of the power of positive self-talk and the importance of self-analysis. Our behavior improvement plans would take you a long way in teaching you how to convey positive criticism at work place. We would love to work with you on this or any other business coaching needs you may have!