Feedback Tips Weekly (Archived)

A colorful abstract paining shows people at a circular table working on a puzzle together.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) Here’s a great and ancient story from Book 35 in Pliny the Elder’s The Natural History, considered the largest work to have survived the Roman empire. A Greek painter named Appelles of Kos would display his paintings publicly while hiding behind them so … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” That quote, often attributed to writer Charles Bukowski, touches on a cognitive bias known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. The bias presents … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) “I received feedback a decade ago that I’m just now learning how to implement in my life.” This comment came from a participant in my feedback training, and it’s a great example of how feedback can be like compost. Like organic materials, there … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) Trauma of various types has caused me a tremendous amount of suffering over the years, and I’m far from alone in that. Over 70% of respondents in a 24-country survey from the World Mental Health Survey Consortium, a survey across 24 countries, reported … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) As students of feedback communication, we know we bring our cognitive biases into feedback relationships. Recency bias is one of those biases, perhaps the most common. Let’s discuss what recency bias is, how it can impact giving and receiving feedback, and what we … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) Whether you are giving feedback or receiving feedback, there’s a good chance you may be diminishing your effectiveness by bringing negativity bias into the relationship. Let’s discuss what negativity bias is, how it can impact our feedback relationships, and how we can create … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) How do you listen to others? No, I don’t mean how do you perceive how you listen. I mean, actually, how do you listen to them? How do you know this to be true? These are a few questions we were asked to … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) “Show don’t tell” is common advice in creative writing workshops. The idea is to show descriptions in such a way that helps the reader see or otherwise experience them. The examples here are infinite, but consider the differences between these two passages: “The … Read more

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cameron Conaway (@cameronconaway) The first time I was asked to provide feedback training, the request was to help newly hired employees learn the basics of receiving feedback. The second time I was asked, the request was to help managers improve how they give feedback. As additional … Read more