Feedback Strategies

While reading 'Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job!' I noticed that the article offered some really great points. Whenever you say 'bless you' when someone sneezes, are you doing it to hear a thank you or just because you wanted to say it? I think a lot of people say it because they are unconsciously looking for positive feedback. I agree that children would be more self-confident in their answers and more willing to step out of their comfort zone if they were given more precise feedback and less of it. The past two jobs I have had required a one-on-one meeting with a manager at various time intervals. During these meetings you would discuss your attendance and performance at work. It was so much easier for the managers to give positive feedback instead of discussing the aspects that could use some improvement. I think if management would share ways of improving the employees would be open to hearing negative feedback and it would create a more comfortable connection with the managers because they know they will be honest with them.

Articles:  Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?
 Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job
Image Information: Accepting Feedback, Web Source: The Speech Room News

Feedback Thoughts

I really liked Nawaz's point about looking for positive feedback. I have never thought to ask what someone liked if they were giving mostly or all negative feedback. She made the statement people are quick to change something about their presentation or speech if their viewer says it was bad, but we do not really appreciate the positives. If there was something the listener/watcher enjoyed, then you should work on emphasizing that next time. Guy Winch said that the reason we feel so hurt when we are rejected is evolutionary and his explanation was very interesting! The other suggestion I really agreed with was that you should not take rejection personal or look for something that you did wrong. I danced in high school and my first year of college and I received loads of feedback through that experience. I always listened to my coaches criticism very comfortably because I knew that they just wanted the team to perform the best we were capable of. Hearing feedback from teammates was not always easy though. I would sometimes get embarrassed if a teammate 'called me out' because I felt like I made a mistake and everyone noticed. I've grown since then and now I take feedback as a way of someone trying to help me improve instead of someone just trying to tell me what I did wrong.

Web Sources: Why Rejection Hurts So Much and What to Do About It
Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head

Image Information: Photos of the Different Forms of Social Media and Thought Bubbles Representing Feedback, Web Source: Max Pixel