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Constructive criticism is not only information about what we are doing wrong or not doing well enough. From it you can draw conclusions and take note of them for your own benefit. This is a very valuable external resource, if you know how to use it.
How is constructive criticism different from non-constructive? The main difference is that it points out shortcomings, but does not humiliate a person. In addition, the critic clearly justifies his position, shows us our reflection without distortion, not only points out mistakes, but also shows development zones. And not just all growth zones in a row — why would someone indicate where you should grow? As a rule, the shortcomings that the critic points out are something that also offends his interests. For example, a teacher criticizes a negligent student because it is his responsibility to teach his subject, and without the student’s diligence, he will not complete his task.
Without criticism, a person would imagine himself a celestial. He would act on the basis that there are no restrictions, norms and standards for him, that everything is allowed to him. Oddly enough, constructive criticism expands our picture of the world. You have your own idea of the subject. The Criticist pushes the boundaries of your ideas with their own high expectations. He also demonstrates his faith in you: he is convinced that you are able to show yourself even more powerfully, which is why he expects more from you.
“You can’t do that!”, “You did everything wrong”, “You are acting stupidly” are examples of non-constructive criticism.
“This logo will not work because the corporate colors are not accurately conveyed”, “You have stylistic errors in the first and third paragraphs, but the rest of the text is not bad”, “In our environment, it is not customary to do this, you may face public condemnation, I advise you to follow the rules” are examples of constructive criticism.
- Immunity from rudeness: how to respond to rudeness
Practicing useful skills
How to respond to criticism and draw constructive conclusions for yourself? Let me tell you about this with my own example. I wrote some educational text for scripting courses. And she received constructive criticism from the creative director (master). So, the main steps.
- Note that criticism is constructive.
- Remember and write it down as accurately as possible: “You didn’t get a script, but a story. The script does not contain the author’s reasoning and description of the hero’s thoughts. The script has direct speech, actions and descriptions of the visual series — pictures.
- Read carefully and clarify for yourself:
- What the critic thinks you’re doing wrong: «I’m describing the character’s thoughts and my reasoning.»
- What are his expectations, what does “the right way” mean to him? If you don’t understand what the critic thinks is right, you need to ask again for clarification: “The leader expects me to write a script in which there will be only direct speech, actions and descriptions of the visual series — pictures.”
- Highlight what information is new to you, which of the proposed improvements you agree with (what these improvements are), what improvements can be made right now, and for which you still need to collect resources (what resources): “I did not know that the script should consist only of direct speech, actions and descriptions of the picture. All this information is new to me. And I agree with all the proposed improvements. I will start writing scripts taking into account all the wishes of the creative director, but perhaps I will not be very good at it yet, I need to get my hands on it, the resource that I need to gain is practical experience.
- Assess how helpful the criticism was. What exactly can you improve thanks to it, how important and fundamental are these improvements: “This criticism is very useful. I’m studying screenwriting, and without these comments, I would continue to write stories, not screenplays.
- Feel how you accept the proposed improvements, and feel gratitude — warmth in the chest, an inner smile.
There are people who are very sensitive to criticism, even constructive. They are closed from any comments, deny their imperfections and, thus, deprive themselves of the opportunity to improve due to new knowledge that other people add to them. If you are sensitive to criticism, you need to build confidence and love for yourself, and work with a therapist on parent-child trauma.