RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8
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So far I've tried not to give any advice, mainly because I am an expert in nothing. But reading some of the critique threads and thinking upon how to take the words that may seem at first blush to be harsh has changed my mind. I am an expert: I am expert at being criticized. And I know how to take it, so allow me to share.
1. Never Post Angry: No matter what you think you read, no matter how angry you are, no matter how unfair you think the criticism is, never post angry. It doesn't help, it doesn't aid you in any way and it makes you enemies that you don't need.
2. Don't Take It Personally: They're not critiquing you, they're critiquing something you wrote. The best criticism I ever got came from a Political Science professor in a class I took a few years back. He was rumored to be a sharp guy, very excellent teacher. So I took his Politics & Literature class and turned in my first paper, thinking I was pretty hot. He returned the paper two days later with the large letter F and If this is the best you can do, don't waste my time. Blink. Blink. I had NEVER gotten anything less than passing on a paper. I could write like a pro, right? I was smart. I was clever. I was... lazy. He was absolutely right; I half-arsed it and it wasn't worthy. I squared my shoulders, nutted up and tackled the next paper with renewed vigor and determination. I got an A and aced the class. And I thanked the professor. He reminded me of what I could achieve if I tried, so I tried and hard. These criticisms are reminding you of what you're capable of and attempting to point out where your writing and design is weakest. It's not that you're a bad person, it's that what you wrote needs work. And if you want to improve, then you're going to have to work at it. This isn't a game anymore, it's what you do.
3. Don't Attempt To Explain Yourself: At least, not until you've thought about the criticism for at least a day. Yes, you know why you chose the method you chose. Yes, you thought it came across like you thought it did. No it didn't. If it did, you wouldn't have the criticism in front of you. But think about it before you respond. Yes, you did it that way. But it doesn't mean it was a good idea. It may have been, but you should approach it as "This is why I chose that particular option" instead of "This is why I'm right." Believe me, I'm done the latter way too often and it never ends well.
4. Smile: Whenever you get criticism, be it constructive or not, the first thing you should do is smile. It won't make anything better, but it keeps you in the habit.
5. Thicken Thy Skin: There will come a time when you get criticism that doesn't seem helpful, that just seems ugly. And it will bother you. You'll want to respond, to react to the criticism. If you're like me, you'll have the impulse to strike out. Suppress it. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that it's part and parcel of the game. You'll get compliments and you'll get complaints. There will be good days and bad. In the end, as long as you've done something you can be proud of, then the only thing that matters is that you stepped up, you took the swing and you can be proud of the result.
In the end, you'll always be your worst critic. Steel yourself, keep at it and never accidentally insult the Mormons. (True story. I did this. Unintentionally. Yep. Lot of criticism that day.)
Kudos, bouquets, etc. Marvelous job on this, James.
I've been a member of Toastmaster International for about six years. I think the most difficult thing that people struggle with is accepting constructive criticism. I would say the second most difficult thing people struggle with is giving criticism that points out areas that need improvement without being overly negative and tearing the other person down.
In many ways I find that giving good criticism is just as tough as taking it. It's easy to be a jerk, intentionally or not, but trying to be genuinely helpful can be tough
In many ways I find that giving good criticism is just as tough as taking it. It's easy to be a jerk, intentionally or not, but trying to be genuinely helpful can be tough
Agreed -- I find that I do best when I don't reply to criticism -- if asked I might share what I have learned from the process and criticism, but the criticism itself shouldn't be commented on in general (unless the form it comes in helps teach you something).
I try not to think about what the criticism states -- that road leads to madness (for me), instead focusing on what it tells me and where it points as opposed to where I thought I needed to go helps me.
Director of Brand Strategy
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Bear in mind that much of the criticism being posted on the "Judges Please Critique My Item" thread wasn't necessarily intended to be constructive. It was meant to help four judges sift through hundreds of wondrous items to determine which were the best 32 items. Being able to take constructive criticism is certainly important, but knowing when to ask for feedback that may be harsher than a direct response is another valuable lesson.
*listed* :) wise words.
This is an excellent and well written post James. I agree 100%.
But you should have *nitpick, nitpick, nitpick*…
I went and read some of the Round 2 submissions from previous years. Even the winners get a bunch of harsh criticism. It appears that the ones who take it to heart are the ones that advance in the following rounds.
Bear in mind that much of the criticism being posted on the "Judges Please Critique My Item" thread wasn't necessarily intended to be constructive. It was meant to help four judges sift through hundreds of wondrous items to determine which were the best 32 items. Being able to take constructive criticism is certainly important, but knowing when to ask for feedback that may be harsher than a direct response is another valuable lesson.
This is a great point, and is probably one of the best reasons why we don't just post judges comments unedited. I don't know its ever been said quite as plainly and eloquently as Mark just said it--our comments (or judges comments, since I wasn't a judge this year) are not there to help you, they are there to help us sort your items into piles. As a result, the comments and notes the judges leave are not done with the intent of helping the entrant positively.
The best criticism I ever got came from a Political Science professor in a class I took a few years back. He was rumored to be a sharp guy, very excellent teacher. So I took his Politics & Literature class and turned in my first paper, thinking I was pretty hot. He returned the paper two days later with the large letter F and If this is the best you can do, don't waste my time. Blink. Blink. I had NEVER gotten anything less than passing on a paper. I could write like a pro, right? I was smart. I was clever. I was... lazy. He was absolutely right; I half-arsed it and it wasn't worthy. I squared my shoulders, nutted up and tackled the next paper with renewed vigor and determination.
I had a similar english prof in college. I had always aced writing assignments. I turned my first paper in to him and he wrote "C, this was a first draft and you know it." He was right, it was. It told me quickly that my old lazy game that got me an A+ in high school wasnt going to cut it at the next level. Great advice. I learned from it. Glad you had a similar experience and did, too.
