Feedback Strategies

I related a lot to the article "The Trouble with “Amazing”: Giving Praise that Matters."  I'm someone who likes to know specifically why or how I did something I did something good or "amazing," otherwise, while I do appreciate the thought behind the compliment, the compliment itself often doesn't mean that much to me.  This may be one reason why I tend to focus more on the negative feedback then the positive, because I'm more used to people being specific on what I need to fix than on what I did really well.  However, I know that I'm guilty of the "amazing" or "awesome" comments sometimes, too.  Like Jennifer said, "...it’s a lazy reflex, a way to give attention without putting in any effort. And sometimes it’s the best I can do."  But if we try to put as much thought and effort behind our positive feedback as we do negative, people may not be as scared or anxious to hear the negative feedback, being more confident in something they know they're doing right.

Source: The Trouble with "Amazing"

I could also relate a lot to the article "Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?"  I get super nervous when I think about having to give people feedback on what they can improve.  I also agree that too often we think of negative feedback as necessary and positive feedback as optional.  Being one of the captains of my pom squad, and understanding how it feels to receive real positive and constructive feedback, I want my teammates to know by my feedback how much I value them and want them to be the best that they can be.  Like Zenger and Folkman said, "Once people know you are their advocate, it should also make giving criticism less stressful and more effective."

Source:  Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?

Feedback is a Gift by Laura Gibbs. Source: Padlet