A
New York Times article on feedback reported that negative feedback isn’t always
bad and positive feedback isn’t always good. A recent research paper, “Tell Me What I did Wrong: Experts Seek and Respond to
Negative Feedback,” in The Journal of Consumer Research, says that
when people are experts on a subject, or consider themselves experts, they’re
more eager to hear negative feedback, while those who are novices are more
likely to seek positive responses.
One
experiment surveyed students in beginning-level French classes and
advanced-level French literature classes. Participants completed a
questionnaire about choosing an instructor. They were asked if they would
prefer an instructor who emphasized what students were doing well in class and
talked about their strengths, such as when they pronounced new words well, or
an instructor who focused mostly on what mistakes they made and how to fix
those mistakes.
Those
who had just started learning the language wanted the positive feedback, while
those who had been taking the French classes longer were more interested in
hearing about what they did wrong and how to correct it.
Why
is that? One reason is that as people gain expertise, feedback serves a
different purpose. When people are just beginning a venture, they may not have
much confidence, and they need encouragement.
Several
months ago, I referred a girlfriend to my trainer, Tara, to help her heal from
an injury. When I recently asked her how she was feeling, she praised Tara’s
skill, knowledge and ability to really listen. My friend is back to 100% health
thanks to the great care she received from the trainer.
Today’s
gift was to tell Tara what a great job that she did healing my friend. Tara was
so grateful to receive the feedback. It reminded me to tell people what they do
right.
In
Giving Compliments,
Robin
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