The Gift of Feedback

Many of us struggle both with the giving and receiving of feedback, so a big ‘thank you’ to Josie Sutcliffe for this post. Josie is one of our trainers for the online Foundation Course (starting at the end of September) and will be leading the session on effective feedback skills. 

We can learn to both give and receive feedback in ways that are enabling, that do not wound but instead energise. Is now the time for you to begin your exploration into the freedoms feedback brings?

When someone says to you, “I want to give you some feedback”, what do you think – I mean your first uncensored thought…?  What do you feel, what do you do?

When someone says to you, “I want to give you a gift”, what do you think – I mean your first uncensored thought…?  What do you feel, what do you do?

I’m willing to bet that the responses would be very different!

I studied Photography and Graphic Design at Art School and then later, Theatre Studies.  In both these areas of the Arts, feedback was considered a gift and vital for the development of your practice as an artist.  How could you progress without enabling, encouraging and effective feedback?  How could you learn that you had made mistakes that might (easily) be rectified?  It seemed implausible as a student to continue into a career without opening yourself up to sometimes challenging feedback or criticism. 

Of course, we soon learn that there are more than mere challenging criticisms that inhabit our worlds of work and life.  ‘Killer feedback’ can be hurtful, wounding, humiliating, shaming and contribute little to someone’s learning, although it seems unfortunately it is still alive and well and commonly used in business/professional situations. 

Of all the skills that coaches can possess, giving and receiving feedback is perhaps the most sophisticated and difficult.  Many of my clients are already fearful of receiving feedback because historically it has caused them pain.  And yet sometimes it may be important to challenge a client’s strongly held beliefs.

Do you see feedback as a potential threat to your sense of yourselves as valuable human beings?

We can learn to both give and receive feedback in ways that are enabling, that do not wound but instead energise the Wise Goose Foundations will help you to begin your exploration into the freedoms feedback brings.