7 Handy Ways to Accept Constructive Criticism
People often face criticism at the workplace or from a friend. Nobody likes to be criticized. It makes you feel inferior and insulted. But constructive criticism is given with the intention to help you and not show you down or damage a professional or personal relationship.
Hence, it is essential that you learn to identify constructive criticism and know the ways of accepting it positively:
1. Don’t Take It Personally
Who likes to be criticized? The answer is – no one. But the key to accepting constructive criticism is to not take it personally. Constructive criticism is not an insult, nor does it reflect the person that you are. It is just another person’s observations of certain aspects of your approach in the business context.
2. Don’t Respond Immediately
One major mistake most people make is take any criticism on their ego and react immediately. This happens when you take it as an insult and it hurts our pride. The best way to respond for most is to become defensive. Who doesn’t want to be appreciated? However, it’s best not to respond immediately as it will give you time to reflect over it more calmly.
3. Write It Down
It helps when you jot down what is it about the criticism that is bothering you. Doing so will help you see it in a more positive light and reel in your hurt feelings. It gives you the necessary time to understand exactly what the critique said and why and how you want to take the criticism.
4. Ask for Specifics
When your objective is to accept criticism constructively, it is important that you understand it. Understand exactly what is being said to you and in what context. If at any point, you do not understand or are confused about what is being said to you, ask respectfully for specifics. It is important that you listen respectfully while accepting criticism constructively.
5. Ask for Help
Many a times when we want to act on the criticism and correct our shortcomings, we need help. If that is precisely your objective, don’t shy away from seeking help. You could turn to a friend, colleague, or team leader and seek inputs from them as to how exactly should you go about working on the feedback you have received. This will help you gain another perspective and might just make your task easier and boost your spirit.
6. Share Your Progress
Once criticism is accepted gracefully, it is important to follow up on it and take the responsibility of doing the needful. It is easy to pretend to have accepted criticism, but it takes a lot to actually be able to work on it and share the progress with the person.
7. Smile
While you are going through the journey of having taken criticism in your stride and working on the feedback, it is important that you do so with a smile on your face. It is important for you to tell yourself that working on the feedback is for your betterment. The smile will help keep you going.
