CH11 - Receiving Criticism: Stepping away to evaluate criticism

[5ft Diva]

Step four in the quick checklist for receiving criticism is to excuse yourself from any immediate response and set a time and place to respond.

Do any of you have any good approaches to doing this - especially when it's on the spot kind of criticism? I find that I retreat but it's not because I'm evaluating what was said, it's because I'm afraid of what I'll say if I say something right then. Responding to criticism is nothing more than taking up your own space; this is something I struggle with.

[Erudite]

I really liked the idea that you need to write it down. Saying, "I'm writing this down," is a way to give yourself a little time and make the criticizer slow down. You can also give yourself the space think about solutions and strategies AND if you have to write it down, you also have to breath and not respond right away. I've been doing that a little more and it helps me not take things personally, but evaluate them as a means to improve my relationships with others.

2 cents...

[5ft Diva]

2 cents well spent.