Everybody would have encountered criticism in their lives; in fact no one can escape it. Criticism as such can be either constructive or destructive.
A constructive criticism is a genuine one and can also be called as a feedback. You can always draw good things from such a criticism and they can change your life. Here are some simple steps through which you can make good use of a genuine criticism.
Analyze the criticism
Make a quick analysis on the criticism to see if it is genuine or not. Analyze the person who is offering the criticism. Dig out the history of your relationship with the person who criticizes you.
Identify if it is a genuine criticism. Also do analyze the expertise of the person offering criticism. If he/she is some alien to the point of discussion, then just don’t care about the criticism.
Focus on the matter and not the tone
When someone criticizes you he/she might not be able to do it in the right way. But their criticism might be quite useful to you. In this case, do not take the tone of the person in to picture, just focus on the matter. See what you can do about it.
Accept
It is sometimes natural for people to get set back and defend when criticized. This will not be helpful if you are really serious about making use of the criticism. You should make way for the criticism by accepting it.
Otherwise there is no chance that you will learn things and change them in a constructive manner. Do not also depend too much on your expertise. There are still so many things for you to learn, so be receptive.
Listen
Listen carefully to every point that is being made. Do not be impatient and respond before the person who is criticizing you has completed.
Make note of everything that is being said. It will be great if you could think and respond after you have completely listened to. You gain a good respect from the person by listening to what he/she is saying.
Be humble and polite
It will be easier for you to get angry and shout at or respond impatiently to the person who is criticizing you. But you will be making no use of the constructive feedback. Rather be polite.
A “thank you” to the person for making such a nice comment or giving such a good feedback will be great. It will lift your self-esteem among others. Also, you encourage the person who has criticized you and also intimate to others that you are open and listening to any future constructive feedback.
Discuss instead of arguing
If you see that the criticizing person has got your point wrong but is giving a genuine comment of what he/she has understood, then try to explain things by starting out a discussion. Start out at a humble tone rather than arguing.
By initiating a discussion you open up chances for others to get involved (instead of you and the person alone) and you get feedback from different perspectives. You might learn many new things.
Criticisms are always needed for us to improve day by day. There is not point in getting angry or taking things personally. If we grow up and take things in a matured manner we could make good use of all the constructive comments from others. So learn from others and improvise.
About Jane
A wonderful article that has dug deep into the mastery of dealing with criticism. Unless there is criticism, our work can never be measured from the view of the world.
Oh yes that’s right. We all need criticism; that’s a great form of feedback.
Hello Jane
It is one of the good quality to listen other carefully and with full intention that will develop your respect in hearts of others.
Indeed Maja. We have to absolutely listen to criticism. That’s how we learn to respect other’s opinion, as you’ve mentioned.
Hey Jane,
A very helpful post!! Many of us have the habit of getting offended when somebody portrays criticism about us, but this is indeed bad. We should rationally analyze the criticism that our closed ones gave us and it can certainly help us to grow. The pointers mentioned are great and helpful, if implemented in the right manner. Thanks for sharing this post.
This is a great thought you have shared here, Jane. Criticism is healthy for improvement and one should always welcome it. Great post.
You’re welcome Fatima.
Hi Jane! It’s always a good idea to criticize constructively without allowing yourself to resort to attacking anyone personally regardless of the situation. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Joy – well said. When we provide feedback we should see that we only concentrate on the problem and not on the person.
Great post Jane. Most of us don’t take criticism in a positive manner. If we take it in a good way, it can really help in shaping up our life..Accepting and listening are the keys according to me.
Well said Abhishek. Thanks for stopping by.
I say, never take criticisms negatively. Most of them are meant to encourage you to go even better. Good luck with your next articles! I find them very enlightening and helpful.
Even if you can’t distinguish the thin red line that separates trash talk and genuine criticism, it is still important to weigh your options and still be your best possible self.
Kelly that’s right. Even if we are offended by the worst type of criticism, it is always good to still analyze it (within ourselves) and pick out the nuggets.
You just can’t ignore that sting of criticisms sometimes. But they are meant for a person to grow even more mature. This is a very enlightening article.
Winston Churchill has compared criticism to pain in the Human body. Just like pain calls our attention to underlying disorders, criticism calls attention to where we are lacking. The only way of avoiding criticism is to “do nothing, say nothing and be nothing!”
Nice post as always Jane!
Most people would get depressed at the slightest criticisms. That shouldn’t be the case. That’s because those are stepping stones for self-improvement. Provided you know how to differentiate genuine criticism from trash talk
Listen opinion is too much important for success in a business…I always Listen all people who criticize my blog post.