How to Convert Low-Quality Feedback into High-Quality Feedback and Accelerate Your Personal Growth

As human beings we are all born ‘externally referenced’. This means that we need an external authority to tell us what things are, what to do with them, what their importance is, etc.   As we learn, grow and develop many people take the authority inside and begin to trust themselves about what things are, their value, what to do, etc. 

This is foundational to leadership.  A leader takes the authority inside and others become ‘externally referent’ to the leader.   But effective leadership is not about being totally internally referenced. The most effective leaders are ‘internally’ reference with an external check. They trust their inner authority, but are constantly checking outside with others for other perspectives.  In other words, effective leaders are consistently seeking outside feedback.

How much do you trust your internal authority? 

How much do you seek out external feedback?

How effective are you at sorting through feedback that is valuable and feedback that isn’t?

While feedback is valuable, not all feedback is of the same quality. There is such a thing as high quality feedback as well as low quality feedback.  Do you know how to tell the difference?

The most foundational difference is in the distinction is that high quality feedback is ‘sensory-based’ as opposed to ‘evaluative’.

Here are some examples of ‘evaluative’ feedback:

“It was great”, “I didn’t like it”, or “It was too fluffy”, “Fantastic!”, Your smile is ugly”, “That is beautiful”.

If you take those words and try to make a movie in your mind directly from those words, can you?  Of course you can’t!  

There is only ‘evaluation’ but without the sensory-based referents that they are evaluating.  You have someone’s perception, but without the evidence which they are basing that perception on.

Just because feedback is ‘low quality’ doesn’t mean you should immediately dismiss it or throw it in the garbage.  Even low quality can be milked for value under the proper conditions. But in order to do this you will have to have not taken it personally: https://perceptionacademy.com/how-well-do-you-take-feedback/

The way to convert ‘evaluative’ feedback into high quality feedback is to ask questions to ‘ground’ it.  If the feedback is in written form this would involve following up with the person to ask these questions.  If the feedback is anonymous pulling value out of it is impossible! Consider this the next time you are delivering anonymous feedback.

So what kind of questions could we ask?

“What specifically did you think was great?”, “What did you see or hear that you didn’t like?”, “What specifically did I say that was ‘fluffy’?”, “What about it do you find beautiful?”, “What specifically do you find ‘ugly’ about my smile?”.

These questions will help to convert people’s subjective perceptions back down to sensory-based facts. Once you have the sensory-based facts you will be able to use your ‘internal authority’ to determine if you would like to accept their feedback or not.

“You’re smile is ugly” becomes “You have spinach in your teeth”, and now you can actually do something about it!   “Your car is ugly” becomes “The yellow color of your car is ugly” and you can choose to agree or disagree.

We are more together than we are apart, and the perceptions of ‘everybody plus you’ is more valuable than ‘just you’ so stay open to feedback.   No matter how ‘fluffy’/judgmental somebody’s feedback is on first glance you can pull value out of it and use it to fuel your personal growth and self-actualization.

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