It is really important for every single manager, leader or business owner to offer constructive criticism. Unfortunately, in most cases, the criticism that is offered is not at all constructive. It just creates chaos. German Trujillo Manrique showcases the fact that most people need to improve when they talk to colleagues at work, bosses and team members. If you want to improve, start with the tips below to offer better constructive criticism.
Do Not Take Things Personally
You need to be sure that you never take things too personal at work. This is a huge mistake that most people make. You need to separate work from personal life. Constructive criticism is all about not taking things personal.
In most cases people take things personal because of the fact that they feel personally attacked. Remember that when you discuss work, this is the only thing you should take into account as feedback and criticism are offered. If you talk about personal things, even if what you mention does not seem important for you, there is a really good chance that the other person will take things personal.
No Questions Asked
Contrary to popular belief, offering constructive criticism is not all about holding a monologue. In fact, when you do this, you most likely just offer some sort of feedback. What is very important is to allow the other person to ask questions, just like you should ask questions in order to properly understand what the other person says. Criticism is all about communication and you cannot have communication without questions.
Whenever you make suggestions and comments, it is a certainty that the other person will have questions. However, in most cases that person just nods and agrees with what you say. Break the silence and ask for questions whenever they appear. This helps build a good working environment, which is what you want the most at the end of the day.
Not Listening Is Very Counterproductive
The best managers and leaders in the world first listen, then offer feedback. Constructive criticism is all about what you say and how you say it. In order to know what to say, you need to listen to what the others are saying. This goes both ways, when offering criticism and when receiving it.
Keep in mind that most people actually miss the constructive part of constructive criticism. This means that you might start your statement by saying something really good but at the end of the day, the criticism is the one that stands out. Because of this, be sure that you put more emphasis on the constructive part. This is something that will help you so much more than you imagine.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, constructive criticism is all about how you talk and how much you listen. Communication is the true foundation of this. With this in mind, one of the best things you can do is to learn how to communicate in a more effective way. If you do this, constructive criticism will become much simpler for you.