Learning how to receive feedback is equally important as giving feedback. There are a few dos and don’ts that we should follow when someone is giving feedback. The first and foremost thing, when someone gives us feedback take it as an opportunity to grow. Generally, people don’t give feedback but if someone is giving you feedback it means that person wants to see a better version of yourselves. In this article, we are going to discuss the art of receiving feedback.

You can follow the below dos and don’ts so that you receive the feedback constructively and can learn from them.

  1. Avoid using why question, instead you can rephrase your question in the below way
    “Tell me more about…”
    “Walk me through…”
    “What factors lead to…”
  2. Practice for ‘Active Listening’ – If you won’t be active listing then you won’t be able to understand the whole point of feedback and what went wrong so put away distractions and focus on the person.
  3. Show you’re listening – Make sure the person who is giving feedback felt heard.
  4. Don’t be defensive – Be gracious in accepting the feedback and remember to thank them!
  5. Summarize what’s been said –
    So what I’ve heard is…
    Just to summarize so I can check I’ve understood…
  6. Have Empathy – Folks are probably going to mess this up!

You can read about how to give feedback here.