How-To: Constructive Feedback
How-To: Constructive Feedback
Have you ever finished a draft of an essay you have spent hours writing and found out
that your work will be looked over by your classmates and you begin to freak out? Or in reverse, has someone who has spent hours writing an essay asked you to look over their “masterpiece” only to notice areas of improvement and don’t know how to tell them?
In these situations, you will find yourself needing to work on your constructive feedback skills, but how do you even start?
Constructive feedback is aimed at finding a positive outcome by giving the person receiving feedback solutions to any problems they encounter.
NOTE: This is different from criticism, since criticism is usually focused solely on looking at the problem and often doesn’t offer any helpful solutions. Feedback, on the other hand, recognizes the problem without zooming in on it and tries to resolve it.
Now that you have a definition and maybe a vague understanding, how do you even begin to give feedback to other people’s writing?
The Feedback Sandwich
The Feedback Sandwich is a strategy used in many communication spaces. This is how it works:
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You begin giving your feedback with a positive comment. This could either be thanking the person receiving feedback for sharing their work with you or praising a strong point you noticed in their writing.
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After this, you locate a problem you found in their writing. You identify something that is weak and could be stronger or something that doesn’t really work in the piece they’re writing. Don’t make the problem bigger than it is, keep in mind that there might be several problems and the person receiving feedback may get overwhelmed.
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Once you have identified the weak spots, it’s time to offer solutions! What good is it saying that there should be changes without offering any guidance on how to do it? This is the “meat” of your feedback and should be where you offer the most help to the person receiving feedback. Make sure what you are suggesting is manageable and will make their writing stronger, rather than making it fit your personal preferences, remember that feedback is for the other person, not for you.
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Finally, once you are done with offering solutions, make sure to end with a positive note that will leave your peer motivated and affirmed. This could be praising them for all the hard work they have put into so far and thanking them again for sharing their writing.
Things to keep in mind!
When giving feedback make sure to follow these tips to give the most effective feedback to your peer and keep things professional and positive:
• Make sure to be respectful!
o The person sharing their writing with you is probably nervous and has their defenses up. Delivering your feedback in a respectful and calm tone will be better received than being condescending or rude.
• Be specific!
o There is nothing more confusing for a writer than vague feedback. If a
writer receives a comment like, “Your paper is all over the place,” they won’t have actual solutions to fixing their essay. Instead, you may want to say something like, “Your essay can be confusing at moments because it seems to jump between time periods. One way you could fix this is by stating events in chronological order.” This comment is more specific and gives a concrete example of how to fix the problem.
Receiving Feedback
You now know what to do when you give feedback to others, but…what do you do when you’re in the hot seat?!
First of all, REMEMBER: There is nothing bad about receiving feedback! We always must learn how to be better, and feedback can help us see what to improve. We all need to constantly keep learning and there is no shame in that!
When receiving feedback make sure to keep several things in mind that will help you make the most of the feedback you are receiving:
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Don’t get defensive
o Remember people are not criticizing you, they are offering feedback on what youwrote. Try giving them the benefit of the doubt and assume that what they are
saying is meant to be helpful and not condemning.
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Ask clarifying questions
o Don’t let yourself leave being confused, instead, make sure to ask questions and understand completely what you will need to work on.
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Don’t interrupt
o Allow the person who is offering feedback to finish their thoughts before youjump in and explain why you wrote something the way you did.
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You have the choice
o This is something important: You have the choice to either accept or reject the feedback you receive. It is not set in stone and your writing continues to be yours. So, if you don’t like a suggestion someone said, you don’t have to take it!
To conclude
We all will need to give and receive feedback at some point and there is nothing shameful about it. After all, we are constantly learning and growing as human beings and it’s important that we find solutions to any problems we may encounter!
*If you want to learn more about this or any other topic, you may stop by at the University Writing Center and attend our academic coaching sessions!