Feedback and constructive

criticism
1

Chapter overview
In this topic, we explore the importance of feedback and constructive criticism, what they mean,
and what good practice in these areas looks like. We also reflect on our own experiences of giving
and receiving feedback as a means of understanding where to focus our development efforts.
We consider the term ‘feedback’ as inclusive of positive commentary on what we do well,
constructive criticism, and feedforward. When understanding what feedback is, it is important to
bear in mind what we are trying to achieve by giving or gaining feedback. This is essentially
understanding what to do more of, what to do less of, or what to do differently.
Research and industry insights would suggest that feedback is one of the most important
developmental tools for professionals. Therefore, the habits of seeking out and acting on feedback
are important to cultivate for personal effectiveness. Feedback is particularly important to
improve performance, confidence, motivation, and emotional intelligence.
The essential readings signposted to in this topic explore providing and reacting to feedback in
more depth. Associated learning content also includes guidance on understanding which aspects
of challenging conversations you find more difficult, and an introduction to transactional
analysis.
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Learning outcomes
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
• Appreciate the role of feedback and constructive criticism within the context of professional
development
• Utilise and provide constructive criticism within a supportive collegiate context
1

Chapter summary
In this topic, we explore what is meant by the term ‘feedback’. This includes positive commentary
on what we do well, alongside constructive criticism, which is information on where we need to
improve and how. More recently, feedback has been redefined to include the concept of
feedforward, which is concerned with providing feedback recipients with opportunities to learn
from putting their feedback into practice.
It is important to be mindful of the purpose of providing feedback in order to understand it fully,
which is essentially to assist people in knowing how they need to modify their actions – by doing
more or less of things, or by adjusting how they do things.
Gaining feedback has been shown to be an important habit to build for career success and has
particular benefits to performance, as well as confidence, motivation, and emotional intelligence.
There are a number of barriers which can be present in giving and receiving feedback which can
result in reduced effectiveness. These include the timing of feedback, how credible the sender is
perceived to be, and whether feedback is sufficiently specific to aid learning.
 Receiving feedback and using it productively to improve is also a skill which must be developed.
Key aspects of this include listening and making the most of the feedback as a learning
opportunity, being positive, being open-minded, and being proactive.
Review of the literature surrounding current thinking would suggest that the five important pillars
in providing feedback are:
• Goal-orientation
• Balance
• Specificity
• Credibility
• Timeliness
Key takeaways
• Feedback includes positive commentary on what we do well, criticism which is constructive for
our development, and feedforward which is the opportunity to learn by applying our
feedback.
• Providing feedback to others comes with a number of challenges, but effectiveness can be
improved by ensuring that we keep the learner’s goals and learning in mind and remember to
provide a balance of positive and constructive feedback.
• Seeking and responding to feedback in a developmental way is an important skill to learn for
career success and must be actively cultivated.
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Context section
What is feedback?
While the concept of feedback is widely used in learning and development, management, and
performance, there is limited agreement regarding an absolute definition of the term
(Ramaprasad, 1983).
In a social context, feedback is defined by the American Psychological Association (APA) as:

“A direct report of the effect of one’s behaviour or speech on other people” (APA, 2020).
For the purposes of this topic, we will consider feedback as including both positive comment on
what we do well, and constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is defined as:

“Instructor and student feedback which incorporates (1) the identification of the problem
(whether linguistic, content, demeanour or a combination thereof; (2) an examination of
acceptable alternative approaches to the targeted area of difficulty; and (3) an analysis of
why the error was made” (Schweda Nicholson, 1993, p60).
In order to understand feedback, we must consider its purpose, which can be correction,
reinforcement, forensic diagnosis, benchmarking, or longitudinal development (Price, Handley,
Millar & O’donovan, 2010). Feedback can therefore be simply understood as a means to
encourage the receiver to repeat the behaviour, reduce the behaviour, or amend aspects of the
behaviour.
Feedforward is a more recently recognised phrase which relates to ‘closing the feedback loop’ and
acting on the feedback received as part of ongoing learning (Hattie & Timperlery, 2007).
Why is feedback important for personal effectiveness?
Feedback is one of the most important learning tools available to an individual and serves to
provide information, highlighting the gap between current performance/progress and desired
performance/goals (Hattie & Timperlery, 2007). Often, feedback will illustrate information about
how we are perceived by others, which is not immediately obvious to us otherwise.
On top of improvements in performance, gaining feedback has been found to improve confidence
and motivation (Mamoon-Al-Bashir, Kabir & Rahman, 2016) as well as emotional intelligence
(Burgess-Wilkerson, Benson & Frankforter, 2010).
Feedback is not always positive, but we can learn a lot from constructive criticism, and it is
therefore important to develop the habits and skills associated with seeking and acting on

Feedback and constructive criticism 2

feedback. Research has found seeking feedback from others to be a personal habit that is a
significant predictor of career success (Cheramie, 2013).

3 Feedback and constructive criticism

 1 Barriers to effective feedback
There are a number of variables which can impact the effective delivery of, or response to,
feedback. The most common of these are discussed in this section.

1.1 Timing
Feedback is one of the most important learning tools available to an individual and serves to
provide information, highlighting the gap between current performance/progress and desired
performance/goals (Hattie & Timperlery, 2007). Often, feedback will illustrate information about
how we are perceived by others, which is not immediately obvious to us otherwise.
On top of improvements in performance, gaining feedback has been found to improve confidence
and motivation (Mamoon-Al-Bashir, Kabir & Rahman, 2016) as well as emotional intelligence
(Burgess-Wilkerson, Benson & Frankforter, 2010).
Feedback is not always positive, but we can learn a lot from constructive criticism, and it is
therefore important to develop the habits and skills associated with seeking and acting on
feedback. Research has found seeking feedback from others to be a personal habit that is a
significant predictor of career success (Cheramie, 2013).

1.2 Credibility of the source

When receiving feedback, individuals have been found to be more likely to reject feedback,
particularly constructive feedback, based on how credible they perceive the sender to be, or how
robust they perceive the process to be (Ramani, Könings, Ginsburg et al., 2019).
For example, many individuals value feedback more if it comes from a source who is more senior
to or experienced than them, and are more likely to reject feedback which comes from somebody
more junior. Research would suggest that when individuals perceive the sender to be highly
credible, they are also less likely to attribute the feedback to a mere tendency towards negativity
on the part of the sender and to reject it (Leung, Su & Morris, 2001).

1.3 Specificity
It is important for feedback to be specific. In general, increased specificity in feedback has been
found to lead to increased performance (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2001). This is because receivers need to
be able to identify the actions they need to take, so receivers need feedback they are able to act
on – to do more or do less. However, it should be noted that caution is advised when providing
specific feedback, as there is a possibility that very specific feedback could undermine learners’
abilities to learn and problem-solve independently (Goodman & Wood, 2004). It is therefore
important to be mindful of the task and to build in opportunities to apply and problem-solve
independently where appropriate.

1.4 The skill of seeking and receiving feedback

Feedback can be very useful for professional development and personal effectiveness. However,
this is as much dependent on the receiver seeking to learn from feedback as it is on the sender
providing feedback well. Receivers can, at times, react in negative ways to constructive feedback,
such as defensiveness, denial, anger, blaming, and rationalisation (Hardavella et al., 2017).
The figure below outlines a list of tips for receiving feedback and for developing this skill.

Feedback and constructive criticism 4

 Figure 1.1: Tips for receiving feedback
(Hardavella et al., 2017)

2 What makes effective feedback?

Review of current research and industry insights highlight the following five dimensions as
important in providing effective feedback (Gibson, 2000; Kreitner & Kinicki, 2001; Leung, Su &
Morris, 2001; Hattie & Timperlery, 2007; Pearson, 2016; Fischer and Wagner, 2018; Henderson et
al., 2019; Ramani, Könings, Ginsburg et al., 2019).

5 Feedback and constructive criticism

Figure 1.2: Dimensions of effective feedback
(Author’s own)

Goal-oriented feedback is provided with purpose, and is useful and relevant for the receiver to
reach their goals, with appropriate feedforward and action planning built in. Where possible,
include an element of self-assessment in this feedback, where the individual can be involved in the
feedback process, rating their own performance, before comparing this to others’ assessments of
their performance. Also provide individuals with opportunity to comment on the situation from
their perspective.
Balanced feedback includes a ratio between positive and constructive feedback which is equal, or
even with a slightly heavier weighting towards positive feedback. It is important to be mindful
that, often, individuals who perform consistently well do not receive praise for their efforts, as
their high performance becomes expected. It is also important to end the conversation on a
positive note and ideally with a way forward in mind.
Specific feedback is designed and evidenced in such a way as to assist the receiver in
understanding what actions they need to take, either to maintain their performance or improve
their performance. It is helpful here to have a few brief examples prepared which both parties can
explore together.
Credible feedback comes from a respected source and is formulated in a fair and robust way.
This means that, where possible, feedback should be objective and not based on personal opinion
or individual bias. It is also important for the person providing the feedback to role model
professional accountability in their delivery.
Timely feedback is an important consideration and has a number of implications for
performance. Feedback should be provided as soon after the event as possible for the best
results. However, it is also important to consider other upcoming situations, as constructive
feedback provided just before another high-stakes situation may reduce the receiver’s
performance in that situation.

Feedback and constructive criticism 6

2.1 A conversational structure for giving feedback
Murch (2016) proposed seven basic elements for providing difficult feedback, which are expanded
on in the essential reading for this topic.
(a) State the issue in a forthright, authentic, and unambiguous way.
(b) Provide examples which are factual to evidence your points and for the other person to
understand the specifics of the feedback.
(c) Share your opinions and/or feelings (with caution), to demonstrate the impact that this
behaviour can have.
(d) Clarify what is at stake as a call to action to make improvements.
(e) Identify your contribution and demonstrate good practice in ownership and accountability.
(f) Indicate your intent to resolve (but do not problem-solve) in order to remove threat and open
up a clear way to move forward productively.
(g) Ask for their perspective to understand the whole picture, and to allow the other person to
give their side of the story.

Exercise: Reflecting on feedback

Use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle template to reflect on your own approach to giving and receiving
feedback.
Use the template below to reflect on two different occasions – one where you received feedback
from somebody else, and one where you gave feedback to somebody else.
Make note of your learning from both situations in the context of your learning during this topic.
For instance, did you fulfil all the elements of Murch’s conversational structure? Were the
conditions appropriate for the feedback to be given or received? Did you react openly or
defensively?
From your reflective practice, identify your own list of areas that you would like to focus on with
regard to giving and receiving feedback.
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle template

What happened and when? Who was involved?

What were my actions? What was the context of
the event? What was the outcome?

Description of event

How did I feel before the process? How did I feel as

the situation unfolded? How did I feel afterwards?
How do I believe the other people involved felt?

Feelings

What worked well? What did not go well? What was

Evaluation my contribution? How did other people contribute?

7 Feedback and constructive criticism

 Why did some things go well? Why did some things
not go well? What knowledge (both of my own and
others) can I use to understand the situation?

Analysis

What did I learn from this experience? How could

this have been better for everyone involved? What
else could I have done? What personal skills could I
develop to secure a better outcome in future?

Conclusion

If I was in the same situation again, what would I

ideally like to do differently? What can I do to
develop the skills and behaviours that I need? If I
was giving somebody else advice on this, what
would I tell them? What can I do to make sure that I
can respond differently next time?

Action plan

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Essential reading

Folkman, J. R. and Zenger, J. H., 2006. The Power of Feedback: 35 Principles for Turning
Feedback from Others into Personal and Professional Change. New Jersey: Wiley. Available at:
https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-power-
of/9781118040850/folk_9781118040850_oeb_c01_r1.html (sign-in via OpenAthens required) [Date
accessed: 24 February 2023]
Read: Chapter 1 - Reacting to Feedback
Murch, G., 2016. Fixing Feedback. New Jersey: Wiley. Available via:
https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/fixing-feedback/9780730327462/c05.xhtml (sign-in via
OpenAthens required) [Date accessed: 24 February 2023]
Read: Chapter 5 - Having the Conversation

9 Feedback and constructive criticism

References

American Psychological Association (APA), 2020. APA Dictionary of Psychology. [online] Available
at: https://dictionary.apa.org/social-feedback [Date accessed: 24 February 2023]
Burgess-Wilkerson, B., Benson, K. and Frankforter, S., 2010. Does Feedback Increase Students’
Emotional Intelligence? Advances in Business Research, 1(1), p133-141.
Cheramie, R., 2013. An Examination of Feedback-Seeking Behaviors, The Feedback Source and
Career Success. Career Development International, 8(7(, p712-731.
Fischer, M. and Wagner, V., 2018. Effects of Timing and Reference Frame of Feedback: Evidence
from a Field Experiment. IZA – Institute of Labor Economics Discussion Paper. [online] Available at:
http://ftp.iza.org/dp11970.pdf [Date accessed: 24 February 2023]
Gibbs, G., 1988. Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Oxford
Brookes Further Education Unit.
Gibson, F. P., 2000. Feedback Delays: How Can Decision Makers Learn Not to Buy a New Car
Every Time the Garage is Empty? Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 83(1),
p141-166.
Hattie, J. and Timperlery, H., 2007. The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1),
p81-112.
Hardavella, G., Aamli-Gaagnat, A., Saad, N., Rousalova, I. and Sreter, K. B., 2017. How to Give
and Receive �Feedback Effectively. Breathe, 13(4), p327–333.
Henderson, M., Phillips, M. Ryan, T., Boud, D., Dawson, P., Molloy, E. and Mahoney, P., 2019.
Conditions that Enable Effective Feedback. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(7),
p1401-1416.
The Higher Education Academy., 2012. Feedback toolkit: 10 feedback resources for your students.
[online pdf] Available at: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-
document-manager/documents/hea/private/resources/10_feedback_resources_for_your_student
s2_1568036613.pdf [Date accessed: 24 February 2023]
Kreitner, R. and Kinicki, A., 2001. Organizational behaviour. 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Leung, K., Su, S. and Morris, M. W., 2001. When is Criticism not Constructive? The Roles of
Fairness Perceptions and Dispositional Attributions in Employee Acceptance of Critical
Supervisory Feedback. Human Relations, 54, p1155–1187.
Mamoon-Al-Bashir, Kabir, R. and Rahman, I., 2016. The Value and Effectiveness of Feedback in
Improving Students’ Learning and Professionalizing Teaching in Higher Education. Journal of
Education and Practice, 7(16), p38-41.
Murch, G., 2016. Fixing Feedback. New Jersey: Wiley.
Pearson, 2016. Providing Educational Feedback White Paper. Pearson [online] Available at:
https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/us/en/pearson-
ed/downloads/Feedback.pdf [Date accessed: 24 February 2023]
Price, M., Handley, K., Millar, J. and O’donovan, B., 2010. Feedback: All That Effort, but What is
the Effect? Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(3), p277-289.
Ramaprasad, A., 1983. On the Definition of Feedback. Behavioral Science, 28, p4-13.
Ramani, S., Könings, K. D., Ginsburg, S. et al., 2019. Feedback Redefined: Principles and Practice.
Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34, p744–749.
Schweda Nicholson, N., 1993. The Constructive Criticism Model. The Interpreters’ Newsletter, 5,
p60-67.

Feedback and constructive criticism 10

Further study guidance

Further reading
Further study is recommended to develop the skills that learners identified as areas for
development during their reflective practice on giving and receiving feedback.
Resources for support include a comprehensive feedback toolkit produced by The Higher
Education Academy:
The Higher Education Academy. 2012. Feedback toolkit: 10 feedback resources for your students.
[online pdf] Available at: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-
document-manager/documents/hea/private/resources/10_feedback_resources_for_your_student
s2_1568036613.pdf [Date accessed: 24 February 2023]

11 Feedback and constructive criticism