Illustration via Pixabay.
Criticism is hard to take and to give! This is a follow-on post from a previous post: Criticism is not (always) insult where I wrote about a business’ active resistance to constructive criticism from customers.
A constructive criticism has these key aspects:
- Acknowledges their strengths and successes. Eg: you have done well in these related areas.
- Clarifies the foundation for the criticism. Eg: I am an unhappy long-term customer.
- Details the criticism. Focus on behaviours and facts. Eg: You took this action on this date which resulted in this outcome.
- Outlines the factual implications for the recipient as well as the customer. Eg: The outcome you created may breach these laws.
- Describes the impact on customers. Eg: I felt let down when you did this. My productivity and work has been affected in these ways.
- Requests reasonable restitution. Eg: You can make this better by giving me a refund.
- Suggests reasonable improvements and alternate approaches. Eg: You should have notified me of this change at least two months ago and provided a more-capable option.
- Collaborative and helpful where appropriate. Eg: I can send you the research I have. Or I can give you feedback on your proposed alternate.
A constructive criticism is:
- Not personal. Don’t make personal or ad-hominem attacks. Eg: you are stupid and worthless.
- Not presumptuous. We don’t know their intentions and thoughts. Eg: You want me to fail and are deliberately causing problems for my work. You think I am too stupid to notice.
- Not condemning. Alienating them will achieve precisely nothing. Eg: Your business will fail and you will go bankrupt.
- Not adversarial. Engaging in name-calling, aggression/passive aggression, dismissive and patronising behaviours will all alienate the recipient. Eg: Congratulations, idiot, you clearly know everything and is desperate to show the world.
- Not filled with irrelevant distractions. Extraneous narrative detail and excessive emotions detract from the core message. Eg: My spouse left me because of your business; I cry everyday because of you.
Here are the steps I use when I write critiques:
- Draft a few honest unfiltered messages to begin. These are never, ever, to be sent out. Write these outside of your email program, just to be on the safe side.
- Wait a few hours or days (or even weeks if necessary.) Until you are able to review what you had written calmly.
- Edit your drafts. Take out any irrational and overly emotional aspects, add in genuine positive praise and sincere acknowledgements, and, where appropriate, suggest constructive actions. See list above.
- Imagine what it would be like if you were the recipient of your criticism. Are the facts correct? Are there any unwarranted claims? Do your positive comments read as genuine (or passive aggressive)? Are your requests and suggestions reasonable?
- Wait a while longer if needed. Edit again. Is what you have written suitable for public release, with your name on the bottom?
- Send.
Regardless of our best intentions, our critique can still be received negatively. The recipient can choose to perceive the message as an attack, respond defensively, and go on to attack us. There is no guarantee that our criticism will be received or that it will change anything.
Read related posts in this series:
- JotterPad customer experience fail
- Criticism is not (always) insult
- Composing constructive criticism [this post]
