Does Praise balance out Criticism?

We often defend lashing out on our team members or people close to us by saying that we offer objective criticism and promote open and honest communication (OOH).

So why do our relationships stink?

Well, it's a story of passion and emotions.

Humans react more strongly towards negative emotions than positive emotions.

When we see a person do something good, we smile and share praise in words, mostly privately.

But when we criticize or complain, we do it passionately! We pour our emotions into it! This happens automatically!

As a result, the praise doesn't feel as good as criticism hurts. So, no, you don't have OOH.

How do you solve it?

The idea is to take passion out of critical feedback and move it to when you praise.

Let's talk about criticism first.

When we criticize or complain, we often see ourselves as victims and want the other party to "feel" our pain.

But the message is often lost on the receiving party and they feel attacked. Naturally, they try to defend rather than to understand.

Solution: Second Daft Approach.

Take the poison out. If you write down what you want to convey as an email, WhatsApp message or a note, it'd help take your emotional poison out. You'll instantly feel lighter.

Now, just pick the logical pointers from the text and communicate. It'll be received better. :)

Do the same thing with praise. Write down the thoughts and try to use as many words as possible! Give yourself a word limit of 200 words.

The receiver will be sweeped of their feet.

Takeaway: Praise deeply, criticize dispassionately. :)

Hope this helps!