“What do you think of these new shoes I’ve just bought?”
“What do you reckon to that goal I scored, eh?”
“Does my bum look big in this?”
– all questions asking for feedback where the last thing you really want is the truth.
But what if the questions on your mind are:
“How did that presentation really come across?”
“What did you think of the latest draft of the chapter I emailed to you last week?”
“Can I have some feedback on how I performed in the interview?”
It’s hard to get others to give you honest feedback unless you consider:
- Why you want feedback
- What kind of feedback you want
- Who could give you feedback
- How to ask for feedback
- How to react to feedback
That’s a bit too much to cover in one blog post, so here’s a handout I’ve written, covering all those topics, plus hints on how to take the first steps in getting more, and more useful, feedback:
If you read it, whether you’re one of our postgrads or anyone else, I’d be interested in any feedback to help improve the advice and make sure it’s relevant. For example:
- Is it clear?
- Does it cover things which are of concern to you?
- Is the tone right?
- Are there any typos?
Just leave a comment if you’ve got any feedback.
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