“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.” Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln reminds us of where to be before giving criticism, but good intentions are often not enough. Equally important is conveying criticism in the most effective way possible. Here, in part two of our series on criticism, we’ll hear what the bloggers have to say.

Despite the Best Intentions

Sandra Kumskov notes in “Giving Constructive Criticism” that no matter how well-meant the advice, poor communication skills may result in the receiver not getting the message. She goes on to offer five pieces of advice for giving criticism, the first of which is to “sandwich” it – deliver positive feedback before and after the criticism, to help the receiver better stomach the critique.

Along the lines of what not to do, this article at US News by Alison Green of Ask a Manager offers seven mistakes bosses make when giving criticism. One is trying to be super tactful, causing the message to be lost. Another is not having clear standards and holding people accountable to them, while a third is not clearly communicating what will happen if the problems are not fixed.

What Makes Criticism Constructive?

We’ve all heard the phrase, but how do we ensure that when we give criticism, we are going to build someone up and not tear them down?

In “Giving criticism – the good, the bad, and the ugly!” at the Closet Entrepreneur, the author explains the benefits – for both giver and receiver – of giving constructive criticism, and highlights the importance of offering feedback that is both valid and unbiased. The author also gives three examples of how to and how not to give criticism.

Dr. Barton Goldsmith at Bankers Online has had such lousy experiences with others giving him criticism that these days he declines the offer to receive feedback. In ten Tips for Delivering (Constructive) Criticism he starts by suggesting that the criticiser first make sure that there is no anger or resentment motivating the criticism. Another suggestion is to use humor to help the receiver open up to what you have to say; still another is to take care with when and where you choose to pass the news.

A Maverick View on Giving Criticism

While most bloggers include the sandwich approach among their list of ingredients for criticism, Art Petty at Management Excellence begs to differ in “Why I Hate the ‘Sandwich’ Technique for Delivering Feedback.”

Petty argues that many managers suffer from fears of offending, not being liked, losing their workers and so on, and therefore use this technique as a security blanket when facing tough issues on the table. He offers five reasons for why he believes the technique to be bad practice, one of which is its potential to confuse the receiver by watering down the message.

Finally, check out Tracy Goodwin’s short video for tips on giving criticism here at “You Tube’s Expert Village.” Goodwin offers bite-sized pieces of advice on everything from what tone of voice to use to how to get the receiver’s cooperation.

If you enjoyed the article "Dealing with Criticism – Be Constructive! (Part II: Giving Criticism) " - why don't you read more about the Whakate Way.