I have a few people in my life who I know I can count on to be honest with me and offer criticism when it is needed. I truly value the criticism when it is there, because it is constructive, and it only serves to help me become better at whatever it is I am doing. These are the people who I also know I can trust to tell me when I am making a mistake or who will tell me the truth, even when I don’t want to hear it. I have come to value these things, because I know there are times I have blind spots. Or I am so focused on one thing and I am missing other things that are important to me. I know if one of these people says something to me, I should hear them out. Because chances are, they have a good point.
Now there is a huge difference between constructive criticism and criticism. Constructive criticism aims to help the person receiving it ways to improve. It is focused on that one specific thing, and not an overall assessment of who they are. It’s not a judgment about another person’s personal attributes or abilities. It’s an objective statement about the specific issue or facts. And it is typically about a behavior or objective fact, not a personality trait.
I used to belong to a creative writing group where we critiqued each other’s work. I had started writing a story that I thought was really good. I was super proud of it and thought it was a good story. When one of the other member’s offered me some honest critique and feedback and it wasn’t very complimentary, it kind of stung. But then I thought about what he had said and realized that he was right. And I was so grateful for him giving me his honest opinion and offering ideas on how I could improve. Ultimately, that constructive criticism made me a better writer and made my story more compelling.
Are you accepting of constructive criticism? Are you willing to give people constructive criticism?
