The two types of feedback you must look out for!

Every performance, be it academic, professional or personal has one thing in common - feedback. Primarily categorised into two - positive or constructive feedback, these ultimately comment on our performance. And how we accept this feedback is what determines our growth in the near future.  

The early years of our life play a pivotal role in shaping us as a person. This is the part of life where we cultivate interests, engage in different activities, and determine what we want to do in life. One of the important factors in moulding our personalities is the feedback we receive from the people around us. The responses our teachers, mentors, peers, and family gives to the work we do, subconsciously define the type of person we would end up becoming.

Needless to say, the feedback we receive is quite important in terms of our level of performance, productivity, and motivation, to achieve our goals. However, it should be noted that the type of feedback we seek should not be obligatory or formal in nature, like the ones we receive on our report cards. Rather, we should learn to look out for the type of feedback which we receive as a part of our day-to-day work. Such feedback is received in-person, usually right after the behaviour occurs. 

However, the task of seeking feedback does not stop here. We must understand that there are two types of feedback we can work upon, and which one we should keep an eye out for.  

The two types of feedback

The exchange of information through feedback is quite necessary in order to improve ourselves and grow as a person. Because it is of utmost importance, we must always remember that there are only two types of feedback we can receive— positive and constructive. We need to understand and internalise that there is no such thing as “negative feedback”, else we’d most likely get demotivated, and ruin all progress we’ve made thus far. 

From the two types of feedback, the first one is positive in nature. Positive feedback is the most effective way to motivate a person and make them more productive. It is quite similar to the concept of operant conditioning provided by psychologist B.F. Skinner, who emphasises on providing positive reinforcement in order to strengthen the desired behaviour. 

There are many instances of positive reinforcement that happen in our day-to-day lives. For example, when children are rewarded for completing their homework on time, they are more likely to repeat this behaviour again in the future, thus strengthening the behaviour of completing their homework. Similarly, if we do a certain task and receive feedback that appreciates our method of doing the work, we are more likely to repeat that method again in the future. 

The second of the two types of feedback we receive is constructive in nature. While the intent of positive feedback is to reinforce behaviour that we want more of, the intent of constructive feedback is the opposite. It is used to reduce the frequency of, or even eliminate the behaviour that’s less wanted. 

Constructive feedback provides encouragement, support, corrective measures and direction to the person receiving it. Such feedback is in no way accusatory, subjective, or judgemental in its tone. A simple example of such feedback is when our teachers give us tips on how to score better. They help us in pointing out our weak areas which need to be worked upon, in order to improve ourselves. 

The two types of feedback— positive and constructive, are crucial for keeping us motivated in our journey of self-improvement. Working upon them gives us a sense of purpose in our work, and fuels our growth further towards achieving our goals.

Feedback to look out for

Before we move any further, it is important to stress that the two types of feedback mentioned above are equally important. Neither is superior to the other. However, the opportunities to receive them come across differently. 

From the two types of feedback, receiving constructive criticism has become normalised. It is something everyone experiences in the work they do or the way they behave. The reason why constructive feedback is common is that everything we do has a scope for improvement.

It is, however, difficult to procure positive feedback. From the two typess of feedback we receive, the positive one often goes unnoticed. This can happen for two reasons. One reason why it's difficult to look out for positive feedback is that we rarely receive it. After all, why would someone give us special attention for the work we are designed to do? We've stopped appreciating one another for the things they do correctly and started fixing their problems by providing constructive feedback. 

Another reason as to why it is tough to look out for positive feedback relates to our mindset and what we attract. Unfortunately, we live in a world where most people tend to focus on the mistakes we make and not our achievements. We’d rather stress upon that one subject we were unable to score in, instead of celebrating the achievement of the paper we scored good marks in. 

This has caused us to tune out any positive feedback we receive over a period of time. Thus, it is why it is important for us to readjust our frequencies and keep an eye out for any positive feedback we can attract.

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