Constructive Criticism – 10 Tips How To Take Criticism Better

How can you improve your own critical faculties? If you're looking for an answer to this question, you've come to the right place! Being open to criticism means accepting factually formulated and justified criticism in order to develop yourself further. I used to see it a little differently - and hated feedback. Today, I love objective and constructive criticism in all colors and forms - even if it was a rocky road to get there!

In this article, I would like to give you some valuable tips on how to deal better with criticism. After all, a well-developed ability to take criticism is probably one of the most important social skills and positive character traitsto develop personally in the long term. Let's go!

Here you can find a brief overview of the article in advance:

1. Listen carefully
2. Keep your distance and don't take anything personally
3. Pay attention to body language
4. Deal with what has been said
5. Compare self-perception and perception by others
6. Refrain from justifications
7. Place inquiries
8. Postpone the discussion if there is too much emotion
9. Always be open and grateful for criticism
10. Grow from feedback

1. listen carefully

A lack of critical faculties can usually be recognized by the fact that your counterpart does not let you finish or doesn't even listen to you properly and instead is already waiting to defend himself directly.

But listening is really essential in order to learn how to deal with criticism! This is the only way to find out what your critics have to complain about. Let him or her finish speaking and then respond to the individual points raised. You can refute some of them logically and use justified aspects to your advantage.

Tip: Incidentally, listening attentively is also an important means of Convince people. In the linked article you can also learn many tips for better argumentation.

2. Keep your distance and don't take anything personally

We humans love to be liked by others. A critic or a critic on the other hand, recognizes very obvious mistakes and weaknesses, which is why feedback often inevitably elicits a defensive, justifying, or even attacking response from us.

So if you want to improve your critical faculties, you should internalize that critical feedback is rarely really directed at you personally. Rather, it is about situations, facts, or decisions. So consider it by default as Chance of improvement and not as an attack on your person.

3. pay attention to body language

Not only your own, but also that of your counterpart. If we have a person in front of us who crosses their arms in front of their chest, makes derogatory gestures and then gives us a look of disbelief, this is more a sign of a defensive attitude and a poor way of dealing with criticism.

Are the Arms and hands rather open in front of the body and Understanding gestures like nodding, this tends to indicate that the other person can accept criticism and understands you. Either way, body language helps you to better understand the other person's intentions.

4. Deal with what has been said

There is a reason you are being criticized - and it is an exciting opportunity to find out! However, anyone who does not respond to the critic's words at all, but instead directly expresses inappropriate counter-criticism, reveals a poor critical faculty and plenty of potential for improvement.

"To show resentment at a reproach is to acknowledge that one may have deserved it."

Publius Cornelius Tacitus (more under Criticism quotes)

Instead of getting angry about it, you should Use justified and constructive criticism for your personal development. What if the criticism is unjustified? Then it is advisable to explain your criticized actions and present the advantages in order to find a solution and unity.

5. Compare self-perception and perception by others

If someone criticizes you for something, it can of course also be a single opinion that hardly anyone would share. But many people have a different self-perception (how do i see myself?) depends very much on the external perception (how do others see me?), so that the greater this difference, the more often critical disputes and differences of opinion arise.

In order to improve your critical faculties, you should therefore always consider how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. soberly, openly and honestly with each other. Is the criticism justified? Then learn from it. And if it is unjustified, justify your actions logically again so that a solution to the conflict can be found.

Tip: In my opinion, seeing criticism as something great has really done my personal development a world of good. In a separate post, I will also introduce you to some Books that have changed my life for the better. Feel free to take a look!

6. Refrain from justifications

When criticism comes our way, spontaneous justifications are a typical reaction. Many strike with empty phrases or Whataboutism and also simply blame others - whether other people or circumstances. But in order to seriously evaluate what has been said and to be able to respond appropriately, our brain simply needs some time to rest.

Therefore, you should let the criticism sink in first, instead of directly counterattacking with justifications. Take a breath and then respond with some distance. If the criticism is justified, then accept it and learn from it for the future. And if it is not, then, as always, justify your actions soberly and logically. In principle, however, you should be open to any words from your critics and be prepared to change (positively) at any time.

7. post inquiries

Anyone who does not even listen to the content of the criticizer obviously has no interest in learning from the criticism. This is a clear sign of non-existent or poor critical faculties. If you want to improve them, you should listen instead and, above all, ask questions if you are not aware of the criticism. what has been said has not yet become completely clear or you need more information for your answer.

On the one hand, this shows your counterpart that you interested in her or his Opinion and also provides you with valuable information for your answer or your learning from the criticism. Through substantive questions Understanding and interest is a clear sign of really good critical faculties and creates opportunities for personal development.

Tip: If you are the critic yourself, you should also praise the other person. This is because praise gives the criticism more weight and increases the likelihood of it getting through and making a difference.

8. Postpone the discussion if there is too much emotion

If one of the two people in the discussion is unable to take criticism, a difference of opinion can quickly degenerate into an emotional argument. If it gets louder or even comes to fisticuffsthis is more a sign of poor critical faculties and a low potential for timely agreement.

In such cases, try to take a deep breath, remove the emotions from the conversation and return to the core of the criticism. If this does not work, it makes sense to postpone the conversation until the next day. With a little distance you can then try to continue it soberly, objectively and purposefully.

9. Always be open and grateful for criticism

Many people find criticism annoying, irritating and nasty. But it actually always represents a Opportunity to make positive changes to your own personality as long as it is constructive. Always be aware that your counterpart knows that criticism is unpleasant for most people - and usually only wants to help you with the feedback.

"He who flatters me is my enemy, he who rebukes me is my teacher."

Chinese proverb

Accepting objective criticism and learning from it is therefore much easier if you see it for what it is: a Suggestion for improvement which shows that you are important to your counterpart. With this attitude, you will improve your critical faculties.

10. Grow from feedback

Criticism points out potential for improvement and therefore challenges. Some of us may shy away from challenges - but they are actually the most exciting thing in our lives and our personal development. By improving your critical faculties, you can ultimately only improve yourself.

The Will to grow from critical words You should openly show your counterpart that you don't want to be a part of the conversation. This makes it clear that you accept their opinion, are adaptable and can handle feedback very well.

Improve critical faculties with really simple means!

Objective criticism is a great thing! How you deal with it shows me as your counterpart whether you are striving for improvement or whether you shy away from conflict and tend to see the faults in others.

A lack of critical faculties will close many doors in your life - Constant openness, honesty and the courage to change your mind, on the other hand, are valuable keys to these doors. So use critical feedback for your development instead of getting angry about it and mistakenly seeing it as an attack on your person!

How would you rate your personal critical faculties? Do you often feel triggered by other opinions and then react angrily or unobjectively? Then I would like to conclude with the Book "From today on, nobody offends me anymore" by Doris Wolf* to your heart. It will teach you strategies for never taking rejection and criticism personally again.

I hope that my tips in this article can help you to improve your critical faculties. Do you have any questions, suggestions or your own experiences of dealing with criticism that you would like to share? Then simply write me a comment.

Keep an open mind,

PS: You want to know, Why we humans find change so difficult? You can find out now in the linked article.