Learning to Offer Constructive Criticism

When offering criticism, remain: 

• Mindful of your emotional state. If you’re feeling upset about something (even if it’s related), try and check your temper or tone. You’ll feel better about yourself if your criticism offers a solution to the other party. 
• Cognizant of what your goal is for sharing criticism: Is your hope to help the other person improve something, or to notice how their actions or choices may be affecting others unknowingly?
• Aware of your relationship with the person you’re criticizing: Being emotionally closer to someone shouldn’t be an opportunity to knock them down a few pegs. Family members, partners, and close friends are often the people with whom we speak the most harshly—but we can’t expect constructive criticism from them if we aren’t also giving it ourselves. 

Being able to tell the difference between constructive criticism and destructive criticism can begin by: 

• Doing a self-check-in before responding: If you automatically react defensively, you won’t be able to tell if the comment was destructive or constructive criticism.