Providing Feedback | Art & Creative Direction
Feedback has always been hard. I usually take it very personally. Especially from people that I love and respect. It feels like a kick in the stomach.
Personal or Professional
When someone gives me feedback on design I invite it in with care and reverence. But when someone critiques me as a designer I take it personal. I hate the saying “It’s not personal.” Well then, you obviously don’t know me and my passion for design. I live design 80-100 hours a week (there’s only 168 hours in a week.)
Recently in trying to be constructive and sensitive I was told I have to retrain myself to deliver it in a compliment sandwich. I had never heard of that and had it explained:
You first compliment someone on something they did well
Inject your creatively worded feedback
Wrap that shit sandwich up in one more compliment to lessen the blow.
Shocked! Now we are culturally compelled to invent a shit sandwich to deliver feedback. This isn’t Subway/Your Favorite Sandwich provider. I don’t want to invent shit. Tact is one thing, but invention is another and I refuse to be a sandwich artist.
These are the things that I want to reinforce when I provide feedback and receive it from my peers and loved ones.
BE SPECIFIC, BE REGULAR, PLUS
There is a whole article on the idea of plussing. Look for it.
Article Reference: http://99u.com/articles/37415/stop-serving-the-compliment-sandwich
