How to Give Criticism

When working in a team, we have to offer and receive feedback all the time. The road to giving and receiving criticism is fraught with pitfals. The person seeking your feedback is in a vulnerable position; your careless and insensitive words can hurt his/her ego, their self-esteem can come plummeting down, and even your well-meaning words can fall on deaf ears — ears that have shut themseves up as if to avoid injury.

How to give feedback that is useful both to the giver and the receiver? Here are some tips:

• Timing is important. Offer your feedback immediately after the completion of the job, not weeks or months later. That's when all the challenges that the job demanded is still fresh in the memory. Secondly, the person receiving the feedback is sure that you're not simply out to pick faults or unleash vendetta on them.
• Get your facts straight. Base your comments on verifiable facts. Else you stand to lose your respect and credibility.
• Show empathy —make certain that the other the person feels your concern and genuine interest in building a bond. An insensitive direct attack can make the receiver defensive. A good, constructive criticism combines both the negatives and still emphasizes the positives.
• Give space to the other person. Allow time for a response, and be a good listener. When you allow a person to explain, it keeps his ego somewhat intact and you’ll come across as a fair and open-minded person, which increases your credibility.
• Be objective. Criticize only the proposed idea or performance, not the individual. For example, it may be better to make comments like "Ashok, some vital details are missing in the reports you are responsible for" that target performance, instead of making judgemental comments like "Ashok, I don't think you're giving this job your best effort". You may specifically point out the effect a particular performance has on others or the organization as a whole. For example, "Ashok, when those reports are late, the company makes important planning decisions based on outdated information."
• Never get personal. Never bring up personality deficits in your appraisal that can affect others' self esteem. Use tender words “It seems to me…,” or “I could be wrong, but…” .
• Be positive in your criticisms. Focus on what can be done, not what’s been done. Refer to specific opportunities for improvement.

When you give criticism tactfully, you will earn enduring respect and ensure great productivity from people around you.

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