Feedback Strategies: Navigating Language

How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk - This article gives four steps to help make criticism sound constructive, which can be really difficult. I am not the most eloquent with words, so giving criticism is difficult for me. You have to choose the right words to find the line between harsh and encouraging, which I struggle with. The tips in this article are really helpful because they give a straightforward approach to providing constructive feedback. One of the tips I appreciated was that you should ask if the person even wants feedback. If they asked for feedback in the first place, your words are going to sound a lot less condescending to start with. 

What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow? - I love what this article is hoping to accomplish. We really need to make sure we are speaking to kids kindly and correctly, especially when they are so sensitive to words. My favorite tip from this article was harnessing the power of "yet." This is not only a great tool for kids--it works for anyone. We should encourage others and ourselves to recognize that we aren't going to be perfect at something on the first go. We are constantly learning, and just because we haven't gotten it yet doesn't mean we never will.

Learn from your mistakes image from Growth Mindset Memes blog

When it comes to feedback, we need to first and foremost be kind to each other. Recognizing that other people can be extremely sensitive and defensive is important. We should learn how to properly navigate language to make sure we are providing constructive criticism that won't cause harm. Though it can be difficult, it's a lifelong skill that can be extremely useful to have. I personally definitely need to work on my feedback-giving skills, as I tend to end up sounding harsher than intended. I hope this semester I can work on that so that I can actually help people improve their writing.