"Feedback" written on a chalkboard. (Max Pixel)
This week we were asked to read a couple articles and reflect on the process of giving feedback to others. The first article I read was "Try Feedforward instead of Feedback" by Marshall Goldsmith. The article argues that future-focused advice is easier to give and receive than criticism of past performance. I definitely think that there's a role for both consideration of past experience and for thinking about the future. I tend to give feedback as "next time, you might try to..." which is somewhere in the middle of the two styles described in this article.
Next, I read "Presence, Not Praise: How To Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement" by Maria Popova. Dr. Dweck (growth mindset!) was a familiar name mentioned in this article, and again parenting is treated as the process of "cultivating" traits in children as though kids are crops. That pet peeve aside, there is something to be said for presence as its described in the article. Not just with kids, but with everyone we engage with, I feel that it's more meaningful to be genuinely engaged than to mindlessly bestow praise. In reflection, I think I can do more to show genuine interest in cases where I might usually leave it at, "oh, that's really cool".
No comments:
Post a Comment