Giving and receiving feedback has always been an important part of being human. From the day we were born, our parents have been giving us feedback on how to behave, what to do and what not to do. When we were young and we overstepped the line, our parents would scold or beat us. That was how we learnt to differentiate between right and wrong. As we grew older, we started to give feedback instead of just receiving them. The value of the feedback given usually increases with experience. For example, a tutor teaching language classes would give more valuable feedback than a student taking the class.
In the effective communications class, I got a chance to give and receive feedback. The feedback received from everyone was of significant value whether they were from a teacher or a student. If the feedback was good and it aligned with what I believed in, then it would reinforce my knowledge. If it was bad, then I would reflect on it and think of ways to improve myself. There were no bad feelings when bad feedback was given to anyone as the class genuinely wanted to help each other to improve. I understood that receiving bad feedback was a good thing, because that is the type of feedback that would help me improve.
Even though negative feedback can be really helpful, it must really come from the giver's heart. We must want to help others improve before we can give good negative feedback. This was especially evident when Brad gave feedback, as the sincerity can be felt through his words. Learning from Brad, we went off to give feedback to each other. When we checked through our peers' work and spotted mistakes, it reinforced the lessons taught to us and definitely aided us in our learning. Giving feedback is also a good life skill to have as one would want to know how to give a negative comment without hurting the recipient's feelings. Thankfully, the class has been very nice and all the feedback received and given were taken objectively.
To end off, I felt that this effective communications class is so effective because of the constant receiving of feedback. Here are two important lessons regarding feedback from this module that I have learnt. Firstly, receiving negative feedback is the best thing that can happen. It means that you will know where you went wrong and how you can improve yourself. Just like how a diamond with more cuts sparkles more, receiving more negative feedback allows one to shine brighter. Secondly, one must be sincere in order to give good feedback. Flattery is for fools and it does nothing to improve the recipient.
Hi Xue Yuan,
ReplyDeleteWe both share the same thoughts about providing and receiving feedback. I like how you used the analogy of cutting the diamond. More genuine feedback would definitely help oneself improve if he/she has the right attitude to accept them.
Another thing I liked about your post was how you linked the phases of life and made your introduction into a story.
I hope all of our can continue our constructive feedback for our future project!
Cheers
Nate
This is a fluent, intelligent discussion of the value of feedback, Xue Yuan. Your ideas are well organized, and you elaborate clearly on your views.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I like the fact that you feel strongly about the value of constructive criticism. One thing that makes that possible in a class such as ours, I suppose, is that everyone offers advice with camaraderie and courtesy and in the spirit of positive change. You also mention "objectively." But in some circumstances that may not be the case.
My only concern in this post is that you don't, technically speaking, follow fully the prescribed structure for a "critical" reflection (as we had discussed it in class). Remember the diagram that starts with "What happened," proceeds to "How do you feel about it," then moves to "What did you learn about yourself and others" and lands on "How will you use it to inform your future?"
In short, while your post is very comprehensive, Xue Yuan, there seems to be an excess of accolades and a shortage of the "critical" part. How did the feedback that you gave and received make you feel, when you were giving and receiving? Was there any problem with such feedback? Is it awkward to critique the work of your classmates? Would you ever do the feedback thing beyond eff comm class?
These issues truly interest me.
In any case, I appreciate all your dedication to SIE2016 this term. Your fine effort and the inspired classroom attitude of you and your group mates have helped make T5 a great group!
I wish you the best in your learning journey here at SIT and beyond!