Feedback Strategies
I read two articles that discuss ways to give feedback, and I thought they were really helpful.
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Preschoolers and Praise: What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow?
While children are still very little, it's a wonderful time to encourage growth-thinking. When they feel they can't do something, you can tell them they can't yet. When they're doing something worthy of praise, praise the details or their train of thought instead of using empty words like "good job." If they're upset or doing something we don't want, instead of harsh and sharp language, ask what kinds of things they're feeling and what caused those feelings, or make the preferred action sound a lot better than whatever they were doing. I liked this article a lot and it reminds me of what I try to do (on a much smaller scale) with my kittens.
How to Give Bad Feedback Without Being a Jerk
I respect this article. Honesty is a big thing I hold myself to, and this article was suggesting ways to be honest but still being kind and sincere. The main conclusion was to tell people exactly what your plan is for talking to them and asking if that's okay. If it is, then you go through with what your plan was, being honest the whole time. If people know what to expect and aren't anxiously waiting for hard-hitting news, they're more open and malleable to feedback.
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When people prepare to give me feedback, it usually goes one of three ways:
1 - Feedback I didn't ask for, so I'm annoyed that they are giving an unwanted opinion.
2 - Tough feedback covered in light, positive-icing, so I feel saddened by the negative cake.
3 - One-hundred-percent positive feedback. This one I think goes more with the first article about little kids. While the feedback is meant to be good, it's almost always some version of "that's really good!" Like, that's great to hear, but what did you like about it? Surface-level praise isn't as nice to hear as it is to give.
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