Giving Good Notes: Providing Useful Critique on Creative Pursuits

Description

Whenever we’re asked to give feedback, we run the risk of being unhelpful—either because we offer no meaningful critique or because our criticisms are harsh and demoralizing. Learning to give good “notes” is an art more than a science, but there are some general guidelines that can nudge us in the right direction. We want to help others, and we want to help others maximize their work, and we want that work to effect the maximal number of people positively. Giving good notes is a generous offering of our observations, skill, and instincts. This curriculum will help you learn to evaluate others’ work critically, with a mind towards possible improvement; articulate our instincts and opinions clearly, carefully, and with another’s development in mind; and restrain from giving advice on how to resolve problems; be content with highlighting weak areas.