Not All Feedback is the Same – How to Evaluate it
When we are given feedback or advice, often it can be difficult to determine the value of it. We can be left to wonder if we should take the advice and if it has benefit for us. However, there are a few criteria we can use to help.
One of the first things to ask yourself is how long has the person giving the feedback known us. As a general rule, the longer someone has known us the better the advice is probably going to be as they know our situation.
That is not to say that someone that has just met us does not have a valid point. This is particularly the case with a technical skill. If, for example, you are doing an exercise wrong or using a tool poorly, an experienced person will be able to help you correct that without having to know you at all.
At the same time, if you are working as a bartender and you make a mistake with a drink and the client complains and says that you don’t know what you are doing, that does not mean they are correct. Particularly if you are a capable bartender and have just made a mistake, their feedback about your abilities is totally wrong and based on one short interaction. So, how long they know you can matter.
Another consideration is do they care about you or do they just like to give their opinion. Once again, just because they do not have a personal attachment to you does not mean they are wrong, but it bears thinking about.
If they do care about you, that is a good indicator that they probably have a good reason for their feedback, and you should consider it.
Naturally, after you have determined the first two points, another one of your criteria should be do they know what they are talking about. Do they have particular knowledge of the area they are advising you in? In the case of a professional, like a doctor or lawyer, that is easier to determine. If you are not sure, then ask yourself is it reasonable that they would know about the subject or has some else told you that they know.
To help you determine this ask yourself would you trade places with them? Even if you are not sure of their advice, often thinking about their situation based on the advice they are giving you can be a good indicator of the value of the information.
If they are giving you parenting advice and their family life is good, that is probably a good indicator. If they are giving you investing advice and they have no money, then that is probably a good indicator not to take their advice.
Coupled with this, ask yourself, what great things have they done that you should take their advice or that they should be giving out advice at all? If they give you exercise advice and they are in great shape and look and feel the way you want to, then you should probably take their advice. If they give you business advice, but they have never owned or run a business, you may wish to take a pass on listening to them.
If you use these five criteria when evaluating feedback from someone, it will help you better determine the value of that feedback and increase your knowledge at the same time if the feedback is good.