Feedback Strategies: Why is it so hard to give feedback?

After reading a bit about how to give feedback, I realized I haven't given much good feedback this week. I sort of wish I had done this assignment before doing the blog commenting assignment, but it is too late for that I guess. From here on, I will do better!

Feedback from Max Pixel

First, I read Be a Mirror. In this article, it emphasized that you need to give specific feedback that reflects what is already in whatever you are giving feedback on. You shouldn't comment on things that are missing but rather on things that are present. Also, you need to focus on their process, not their results. This one can be hard because mostly, all we can see is the result. You have to look harder to see the process. The last thing I found important in this article is that you need to be impersonal when it comes to feedback. The thing we are giving feedback on isn't about us, but the person who wrote it.

Second, I read How to Craft Constructive Feedback. This passage is very similar to the other article I read, but it comes with a highly informative graphic about how to construct feedback. Be a witness, be a mirror, be a guide. Observe, describe, suggest. For myself, I find it hard to remember things. Having a visual like this one would really benefit me. I could even turn this into a little mantra so I don't forget, even without the visual.

Honestly, I think giving feedback is going to be tough no matter what. I hate receiving it, so I hate giving it. But I know it is important for this class, so I am going to make a conscious effort to be more constructive from here forward.