The Importance of Feedback

Hello. I apologize about not posting for a while. I have been busy with putting on an event for applicants to the College where I work. Luckily, it is done and I have somewhat more sane days. The experience of running a program, however, serves as the inspiration for this post.

In creating anything and putting it out there for people to look at, you make yourself vulnerable. Vulnerability isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is hard to judge one's work without letting others get a chance to peruse it. We often have an internal gauge of how we are doing and we should listen to that gauge very intently. However, we also need to hear about our work from others. Specifically, what did we do that worked well. What didn't work so well? What is another way we could have approached the situation?

I have solicited feedback on the event I put on for the College from the students attendees, the faculty and staff who worked the event, as well as students who represented the College. Not all of the feedback has been glowingly positive. I don't expect that it would. People have different ways of doing things. One of the great things about feedback is that you can get an idea of how other people view the situation or problem you have been wrestling with. In doing so, you can see how you might approach a problem or situation differently with this new perspective. One of the most important aspects of feedback is our willingness to listen to it and learn from it.

As you spend your college careers writing papers and working on projects, you will get a lot of feedback. When you do, keep in mind that it is usually in your best interests. You can tell the feedback that isn't constructive, but the majority of it is good. It is all with the intention of helping you become a better person, writer, scholar, and student. Don't fear feedback, embrace it. You will be a much better student (and person) for it.