I’m writing a Get-it-Done Guy episode on criticism. I’d love to include some listener examples of criticism you’ve received in your own voice. It needs to be pretty short, and suitable for family listening. Real examples are preferred. For instance, “You just don’t know what you’re doing.” “Your suit looks great, if you’re color-blind and have no taste.” etc.
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Are your examples really criticism? They seem more like insults to me. Criticism should be reasoned and based on criteria or a sound judgment. The problem is criticism is now only considered to be a negative term and it should not be. An example of a critical statement would be, “even based on the scope of the paper, the details were lacking,” or “the use of color in this painting is much more vibrant than the previous one.” In both cases judgment and reason are used. The first is an example of pointing out the inadequacies of a written piece and the latter it is pointing out a positive attribute in a work compared to another. Both are criticism but not the insulting kind you discuss. Also, notice each focus on the object being considered, not the person who makes the object unlike the lowest common denominator “criticisms” that you use as examples. I encourage you to challenge your definition of “criticism” and actually take it back to the original use where it is not just name-calling.
Hi, John. You’ve it the nail on the head. Some criticism is actually a piece of feedback that’s critical in the sense of “judgment” or “informed interpretation.” Other criticism is pure insult.
The ideal examples here would be criticism that was intended to give feedback but which felt, emotionally, like an insult. (Either because of the wording or voice tone or whatever.)
I work as an editor for a journal.
Once I proposed to my boss that I conduct and publish an interview of an up-and-coming artist. “Great idea,” my boss said who’d published lots of interviews in the journal previously. “I’ll do the interview. Give me your questions and I’ll ask them for you.”
When I asked him why I just couldn’t do the interview, he said, “Is this about your career ambitions or something?”
Does this count as criticism, or just a boot to the neck?
To RedPanda,
Your bosses comment was neither criticism or insult but intimidation.
Anyone who has no ambition to advance isn’t worth hiring. Any boss who barricades employee advancement isn’t worth working for. Anyone who uses intimidation (in this case insinuating something good is really bad) is insecure.
Nothing wrong with career advancement. Go for it and proudly tell him that is your intention.