Providing Quality Feedback

Individuals with large and varied life experience often have a very good intuitive understanding of a wide range of topics and subject matters. They have evolved their understanding of the world around them and can often provide an opinion on a subject after only a baseline understanding. Where they often fall short is their ability to provide clear and actionable feedback. As a layman may rightfully point out that a bridge sways too much, a structural engineer can offer advice to add additional damping to the structure, which will minimise or eliminate sway altogether. There is a stark difference in both the quality and actionable insight of the feedback. 

There is something wrong with this, but I'm not sure what

In the workplace, although you may intuitively understand something, you must be able to articulate yourself appropriately. If you esteem yourself an expert, your reasoning, logic and opinion must be explained with the appropriate terminology to your peers and audience, otherwise it is useless. If you have been asked to comment and find yourself unable to provide actionable feedback, it may be better to keep your opinion to yourself. Otherwise you are wasting your time, and theirs. Don’t just add noise, add an expert opinion. 

Clearly identify yourself with an expert badge

When providing feedback, look to demonstrate an understanding of subject-specific principles and concepts, and connect those to an improvement that can be made. The most powerful experts are able to combine their deep understanding of subject matter with the relevant terminology, principles and concepts to clearly articulate their arguments to peers, colleagues and the wider public. Discuss the logic that lead to your actionable insight.

Beware the self-claimed expert on the internet

I have noticed a strange paradox where the more sensory the observation, the greater the decline in quality of feedback, and the more weight an individual thinks their feedback holds. This is especially apparent in the visual space. Individuals place great value on what they think they know looks good or bad. What they fail to articulate (and what shows their naivety) is why. What design principles can you call upon to explain why one website looks worse than another? Can you cite psychological behavioural theories to improve the conversion rate of one marketing campaign versus another? Of course not, but then if you can’t, why are you providing feedback? And if you are being asked consistently to provide feedback on these things, you should probably take some time to understand the theories and concepts you intuitively understand already.