The Art of Constructive Criticism

The desire to offer our opinions on nearly everything we encounter seems to be woven into human nature. Our criticisms are so frequent, we often don't even realize we're doing it. Commenting on the latest song playing on the radio, a new fashion trend,or even an article on Mibba are all forms of criticism. This inherent criticizing is one of humanity's more powerful tools, for without criticism we would have no mechanism to push for improvements. However, the key to critical success is criticizing correctly and constructively.

Criticism that is anything but constructive is completely useless, and wastes the time of both the critic and the person being criticized. Comments that aren't constructive sound unintelligent, and don't offer the person being criticized any tips for improving. In order for criticism to be productive, there are a few tips that should be kept in mind when criticizing:

1. Be Specific!

Vague comments cannot help an author improve, and have a tendency to sound more insulting than specific comments For example, a common comment that appears on Mibba articles is "This article was poorly written." What was poorly written? Was it the word choice? Sentence structure? The organization of topics? "Poorly written" could mean many different things, and on its own sounds rude. In order to criticize constructively, be specific. Offer specific examples from what you're criticizing, lines from an article or a stanza from a poem for example. Thoroughly explain what you think is wrong, or right. Being specific applies to positive comments as well.

2. Watch Your Tone

No one likes a snotty critic, and it's very easy to take on a sarcastic or condescending tone when offering criticism. If you're making corrections, don't refer to someone as "sweetheart" or "dear." Even if you mean well, that sounds incredibly condescending. Watch your choice of words as well, and avoid insulting terms. The tone you set could be the difference between your criticism being taken seriously or completely ignored.

3. Keep Opinions in Check

The purpose of criticism is not always to assert your opinion over everything, particularly if you're criticizing opinionated writing. Instead, focus on the actual quality of writing. Did the author have valid information? Were sources cited? Was the logic of the author easy to follow? Focus on those things instead of the actual opinion. This isn't to say you shouldn't express your opinion, simply don't let that dictate your criticism.

Constructive criticism is an art, unfortunately it seems many people refuse to take the time to criticize in a productive way. However, by keeping those three simple things in mind, the criticism you offer will always be constructive and have the potential to help someone improve.