giving valuable feedback

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, an 18 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

this publication is a place for me to reflect on productivity, health and tech, and drop unique opportunities in the space right to your inbox daily. if you’re new here, sign up to tune in! 💌 

btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: giving valuable feedback 🗣️ 

feedback is a two way street. you can only expect good, constructive feedback if you also dish it out.

i am still actively practicing the skill of providing valuable feedback, but here are some general do’s and don’ts that i’ve realized for myself.

✅ do’s

• say something you liked about the piece of work. if it’s evident they put effort into it, acknowledge that! even if it’s something small, compliments still make people feel validated, but obviously, don’t lie. there’s probably something positive about the work.

• state the specific areas of improvement with reasoning behind why. if you’re telling someone to change something, it’s even more helpful for you to explain why so that they can apply that rationale to other work they do. simply telling someone to change something isn’t valuable in the long-run. 🏃 

• give general advice for improvement! now that you’ve given feedback on specific parts, general advice is also valuable for working on a similar piece in the future. comment on the tone of writing, quality, any flaws for the piece overall, editing style etc.

❌ dont’s

• don’t be mean. there’s a very clear difference between giving genuine feedback and insulting someone. you don’t know the backstory behind how much time and effort they may have put into something, or the courage it may have taken to reach out and ask for feedback. bashing someone rudely is never valuable feedback — it’s just telling a person that they shouldn’t try again. that’s the worst thing you can do to someone. 💔 

• don’t tell someone to change something major without explanation.

• don’t make people wait. if you already agreed to help someone and give them feedback, don’t wait a week to respond after they send you their work. it might be time-sensitive, and by then the feedback may not even be applicable anymore.

giving feedback is also a way to solidify your own learnings and take inspiration from the creativity in other people’s work. if people see you giving others feedback, they’ll be more inclined to genuinely return the favour.

daily opportunity + resource drops 🔍️