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A Different Perspective on Feedback

I am, hopefully, not the only one who is constantly apprehensive about opening a document that has feedback from my supervisor. Given the long hours of hard work put into producing a well-structured argument or a rationally formulated piece of writing, perhaps our anxiety is justifiable. It is, however, a bother that the source of our anxiety when it comes to dealing with feedback is somewhat unknown. The long hours spent producing any piece of writing surely cannot be the only factor at play here, and this has led me to do some introspection in the hope of identifying the basis of this uneasiness we experience as soon as we get that email which opens with “…see my comments on the document attached…”. In my experience, it is the way we perceive feedback/supervisor’s comments that opens a gateway to all these “negative” thoughts and feelings.  Often, we feel personally attacked, sometimes a sense of not belonging may set in, and we may even find ourselves questioning our abilities.

But hey, feedback is just that, feedback! While I was reading up on the literal meaning of the term feedback, one definition that stood out for me was by Charles Proteus Steinmetz who described feedback in reference to electricity, stating that, “When a cable grounds, the current at its end reverses; that is, flows into the cable (”feeding back”) instead of coming out of it”. And I think this is the cure I’ve been searching for when it comes to dealing with supervisor comments.

So here are a few tips on approaching feedback/supervisor’s comments:

Do not take it personally: Comments from your supervisor have nothing to do with questioning your abilities but have everything to do with growing you and pushing you to your level best. The best way to look at it is that you are having a conversation with your supervisor or rather telling them a story and, as they listen, they identify gaps in the story and the comments are basically them asking you to fill those gaps.

Every exceptional performer needs a coach: All outstanding performers have coaches, and you can view any piece of writing as a performance. Just as much as a ballerina needs a mirror for immediate visual feedback, our supervisor’s comments ensure that our work is void of errors and inaccuracies which guarantees a final piece that is absolute perfection.

GPS your way out of confusion: Academic writing can be quite overwhelming, and often we just need that little nudge to point us in the right direction. I see the feedback from our supervisors as that voice on your GPS that tells you to turn left or right, or sometimes reroute, to get you to your destination.

On that note, let us soldier on, even in these unprecedented times & remember to keep your chin up!

Keep safe.

Nontobeko

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