Feedback Strategies

Growth Mindset Cat Feedback (Growth Mindset &Feedback Cat)

The first article about feedback I read was Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset, written by Gravity Goldberg.  It gave five good pointers about giving feedback to students learning to read.  However, the are two that I think can be applied to other situations that require giving feedback.  The fourth pointer was, make sure it transfers.  This applies to the person giving the feed.  If feedback is given properly, the person who received it can apply it to other things.  The fifth pointer said to take yourself out of the feedback.  It seems like a no brainer, but it is worth mentioning.  A feedback session is about the person receiving it, not the person giving the feedback.

The second article I read about feedback was How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk, written by Adam Grant.  It was a good article because it supplied simple strategies to give feedback with causing problems between the giver and receiver.  First pointer was to explain why you are giving the feedback, the person will be more open to it.  I find that most issues come from bad communication.  If you are open and direct most people appreciate it.  The third pointer was to ask the person if they want feedback.  Most people will say yes.  It shows that you are taking an active interest in what the are doing.

Feedback Thoughts

The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman (Wikipedia)

The first article I chose was Make Good Art: Neil Gaiman's Advice on the Creative Life, written by Maria Popova.  I must be honest, I chose this article simply because Neil Gaiman is my favorite writer.  The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman is without a doubt my favorite comic book series of all time.  This article does well enough to introduce Gaiman's outlook on things.  However, when it comes to writing his advise is much simpler.  When I was reading a behind the scenes book about The Sandman, Gaiman had an interesting idea.  He said that all stories have already been written.  It is up to the author to do the research, take an old idea and make it sound original.  Feedback does not sound so bad after that.

The second article I read was  Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work, written by John Spencer.  I liked the article.  It was a reminder to trust others.  Also, it reinforced the fact that there is no such thing as perfect, but there is good enough.  Finally, it reminds you to trust yourself.  In the end you know what is best for you.