Giving Criticism When giving criticism and feedback in any situation it's always good to keep a few things in mind. Most importantly support your claim; if it's a bad roll then explain why. Don't just tell someone they suck or that their kong is wrong, make sure to give feedback. If you're criticizing someone let them know how to fix it. Read more for complete article!
Some people are close-minded and won't grow, so you have to learn to accept that. If they don't want to learn, then give them the feedback anyway and politely step down. It's good to know that at least you tried, but don't turn it into a war. Don't argue about the fact that they won't listen to you. Be the bigger person and walk away. If people state they aren't looking for feedback, then don't give it to them. They aren't going to listen to you either way. But if you see something that is completely obvious then defiantly step up and politely explain the facts.
This can relate to any aspect of your life, not just parkour. Personally I am a 3D artist and just like in parkour, I constantly ask for feedback and what I can improve upon. I would be no where near as good as I am today if I didn't seek out criticism, and just as importantly take it in.
Just in general, make sure to think about it, use your common sense, and remember it's not personal. Stay calm and be smart about your training. Use every chance you can get to learn something new.
Taking Criticism When it comes to taking criticism, the most important things to remember is graciousness and humility. Graciousness because the person giving the criticism took the time to view your video, form a critical opinion on it, and put that opinion ,and hopefully some suggestions, into words. It is not one’s right to have competent critical analysis of one’s progress, in fact in most sports and activities this is a paid service. So firstly be thankful to those who are trying to help.
Humility is the most important trait to have when receiving criticism. If you hold the belief that you have no room for improvement and everyone else is just jealous of your super-human achievements, you’ll progress slower and probably lose a lot of respect in the process. Remember that there are always individuals better that you both overall and in specific areas. Remember also that we are all on the path together and most everyone is interested in helping their fellow movement artist as much as possible.
Sometimes you may feel someone is off-base in their criticism. In this case it is even more important to remain respectful. Keep in mind that this person does not have the full picture, only what they were able to take from what you posted. A courteous explanation is appreciated to help understand why a mistake might have been made in the analysis. On the contrary an endless string of excuses is never acceptable. It takes a certain amount of character to admit your shortcoming, but in doing so you often gain a lot of respect, not to mention aids your improvement process.
So, be thankful to those putting in the time and effort to help you, be humble in your acceptance of the criticism, and try to put the criticism to good use by recognizing your shortcomings and work to make them your strengths.
Users' Comments
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1.
04-28-2008 10:48
The important thing, when giving criticism of any type, is to remember the objective: Getting that person to improve.
It's important to keep this in mind, because if you're not careful about how to deliver the criticism, you may end up completely demoralizing someone and turning them away from any future attempts
Depending on how you criticize, you can build a person up, or tear them down. Most people don't realize this responsability when clicking the "post" button
2.
04-28-2008 14:17
CptBongue, that is great advice, and to me actually applies to any argument or situation - keep the goal in mind and try to do only things that benefit the goal. In the case of criticism - improving whatever situation you feel could be improved.
I think another way to put it that may help people is this - Don't criticize the person, criticize the action you feel is incorrect. Say what you feel is incorrect, and say how you feel it could be corrected. 0- Ideas courtesy of the book "One Minute Manager"
3.
04-28-2008 16:22
Well done! Framing criticism with improvement in mind is easily achieved by simply stating the desired result in your critique: "Nice video. You can get more height on your kong by...," or "Try doing XYZ to get over that rail more smoothly." This way you avoid saying anything directly negative at all, but you still give someone specific and direct feedback for how to improve. On the opposite side of the coin, sometimes people are direct to avoid "candy coating" or making their feedback unclear. You can still be direct even while being tactful, if the focus is on improvement. Excellent post...
4.
04-28-2008 16:23
...Travis and Cloud; and awesome point about improvement, Cpt! I think that's a very important distinction to point out.
5.
04-28-2008 18:14
So many problems would be solved if we just learned to swallow our pride so that we can reach our full potentials. Having an open mind is something I will always do because I never know when I am going to have the opportunity to learn something. Travis and Cloud, you took the words right out of my soul.
6.
05-01-2008 13:46
I got pretty discouraged about working on my roll when a buddy of mine told me that it sucked or that I failed when I thought I was doing okay. However, there wasn't any elaboration afterward so I had no idea what exactly was wrong nor how to fix it. To this day I can do most PK moves and can handle all of the environments I've found myself in, except that I can't do a confident and correct roll.
I guess I should go have one of the guys help with it since it's such an important technique!
But yes, this is a great article and really puts me in a "I'll help you with that" feeling. :D
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