I hate feedback Sent on 11 July 2022 by Michael Forrest

I worry that somebody will point out a fundamental personal limitation that I can never fix.

I worry that their opinions will undermine my own creative clarity.

Or I worry that I’ve spent so much time and money that I just want my project to be over so I can move onto the next thing, and if I get feedback it will just go on and on and on and on…

Feedback is important.

A little feedback from an expert can save us from a lot of wasted effort and expense. If you’ve ever had a nurturing experience with a teacher or mentor, you know how indispensable the right kind of feedback can be.

A nudge in the right direction can turn an amateur into a professional.

Criticism is not good feedback

Criticism never feels good. If an expert tears apart your work without suggesting any way to improve, while it might make good television, it’s generally terrible for the person receiving it.

Criticism shuts down creativity.

It undermines confidence.

Instead of feeling like you can build on firm foundations, you feel like you have to throw everything away and start again.

What about “constructive” criticism?

Sorry, I just don’t like it. It feels like the emphasis is still too much on the criticism.

What do you suggest?

I think the best thing we can do for anybody is to suggest a next step for their creative journey.

An action they can take.

Their next priority.

Something to cut through the noise and indecision and help somebody move forward decisively, with confidence.

That’s what #FixMyVideo is all about

I built squares.tv/fixmyvideo with this philosophy in mind.

I wanted to create a platform where you can share a video clip and get the best kind of feedback from experts in video and content creation. I’m hand-picking mentors for their technical expertise and content savvy. But equally, I’m picking them for their empathy and kindness.

But until you share your video, it’s an unproven concept!

I would love if you could share a quick YouTube or Twitch video and ask for feedback.

Share a video now and get feedback

Meanwhile, here’s a note on my own Feedback**

I’ve been surveying users inside my camera app for a couple of years and one question I ask is this:

“Would you recommend Shoot to others?”.

Recently I started adding the results of this question to my weekly reports.

The “satisfaction” score is the percentage of people who said “yes”. In grey are the “maybes” (with the “nos” in red).

If you have any feedback for me that would help me turn more of those “maybes” into “yesses” then please reply to this email and let me know.

What should my next step be on Shoot? What would turn you from a “maybe” to a “yes”?

Take care, and have a great weekend!

Michael Forrest

Director | Good To Hear

squares.tv