Criticism

Criticism is important to relay direction and guidance from an expert to a novice, or from someone would feels they are an expert to someone who is believed to be a novice. I can offer criticism well to others only for subject areas that I have a considerable amount of knowledge to draw from.

Criticism only works when there is a measure of understanding between the two parties. I am highly reluctant to receive criticism, especially if it is harsh, from a stranger than someone who knows me at least somewhat. On the receiving end the person needs to accept that the critic:

(1) is knowledgeable in the subject of work
If my cousin who works in construction says that my interview suit is too flashy, I may brush the comment off. If a corporate executive suggests that my pink tie dominates the interview suit, I will probably take that criticism to heart and change my tie.

(2) is familiar with the environment, background, and circumstances the criticized person
If I am criticized for turning in an assignment late by my professor, I may tell myself that they are in the dark on how busy a student’s life can be. If my roommate recommends that I should use a day-planner to better manage my time for homework, I will probably consider doing it.

(3) is motivated exclusively by wanting to improve the person
If a salesman suggests that I can improve my life by buying a product, I immediately shut out the drone of his voice. If my mom suggests the same idea, however, I know that she wants the best for me and she must sincerely believe that product ABC will help me sleep better at night.

One main way I believe I am effective at giving criticism is making my comments both specific and general. There is an essential balance in good criticism between making specific statements and making general suggestions. Be too specific, and the other person may not come away with a gauge of their achievement on the task. But be too general, and it becomes near impossible for the other person to make corrections in the right areas or improve specific techniques. Because I tend to think in a deliberate and logical manner, I prefer to lean towards specific criticisms. When receiving criticism, it is hard for me to bear the correction of someone who expresses an overall sense that my work needs to improve by moving in one direction or another. I am much more accepting and am able to apply myself to utilizing others’ criticisms when they direct me to correct X by improving Y which comes from practicing Z. When I give criticism in an area of my own expertise, I try to be specific as possible so as to provide the other person with a high level of clarity. However, a measure of generality is needed to make sure criticism has a maximum effect. This is an interpretation of the popular saying, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The specific can be limited in how helpful it is if context is not built, and students can easily forget nuggets of information not attached to a broader system of understanding.

In light of a mentoring program, it is important that the mentors are mature enough to understand that helping others to learn is not ultimately about memorizing facts, or techniques, or methods, or protocols, or formats, or heuristics. When you commit to helping others learn, you commit to making sure that the mentee receives the ability to generalize to situations that come from diverse areas of study, areas of study that may only exist in the future, and perhaps even life outside study.