Positive Feedback Strategies

 Although we have been trained to receive negative feedback or criticism, on the flip side there is something known as positive feedback. This is something that people often struggle with or may not even know how to correctly use. Sometimes even if we know what positive feedback is, we use it incorrectly. We try to overcompensate by praising (which is not a bad thing) we forget to give the specific details of what is needed to be fixed. I often find myself having this problem because I get scared that my feedback will be taken in a harsh way. I found two articles that really stood out to me and they were Be a Mirror and How to Provide Great Feedback When You’re Not In Charge. The first article caught my attention simply by the title and I was interested to learn what exactly the article meant by the mirror. After reading the article I really liked how the author mentioned that our positive feedback should be like a mirror in terms that we want the reflect back on what is there but without judgment. I really like that because it's a great way to give feedback without hurting the receiver's feelings. I also liked the five qualities of feedback listed which were to be specific, focus on what the reader is doing rather than missing, focus on the process, make sure the work can transfer, and lastly take yourself out of the feedback. The last one is very important because when having your feelings invested is where you can become unintentionally harshly critical. The second article stood out to me also because of the title because sometimes we feel scared to give back feedback to people of equal or higher authority. I like how the author started off by stating three types of feedback which include appreciation, advice, and evaluation. I like how it was stated that expressing appreciation can help motivate, advice can improve performance, and to evaluate only when it is needed. Overall, both articles were super informative and gave me new insight on how to give good positive feedback and I now feel prepared to do better.

(Positive Feedback Meme by Bryan Orr)