How to Give Constructive Criticism without the Sting.

By OCI

How many times have you been asked if you like something and you say “looks great!” when you’re really thinking “BURN IT!?” I think it’s happened to everyone. It’s not easy to tell someone that you don’t love everything about their work.

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when the inevitable question “How does this look?” comes up:

1. All feedback is meant to help the overall project. So think of yourself as a helper rather than the bearer of bad news.

2. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. At some point we’ve all had our work critiqued. What would make it easier to hear the criticism? I always start with a positive comment that leads into the constructive criticism. Some suggestions are:

I like your idea, but what about…
These colors look great, but…
This is a great starting point, but have you tried….

3. Be honest. There’s nothing more frustrating than putting a lot of time into a project and then finding out that you went down the wrong path because someone wasn’t comfortable telling you that they didn’t like the concept in the first place.

4. Give specifics. Say why you don’t care for something and why you don’t think it will work for this project. Just saying that you don’t like something without giving a reason is only going to make the person feel like you’re attacking their work.

5. Just leave it. Say what you need to say and then move on. Trust the person to do their job – there’s no need to be a nag!

Following these tips the next time you hear “How does this look?” will help to ensure that the project you critique will be a better product for the client.

How do you hand out constructive criticism?