Give Specifics, Not Adjectives

"Great job."
"This needs work."

Both feel like feedback.
Neither one helps.

Adjectives are a verdict
with nothing to do next.
Good how? Work on what?
The person walks away
warmed or stung, and no wiser.

Specifics are a map.

Not "great job" —
"the way you broke that down
made it easy to follow."
Not "needs work" —
"the opening buries the main point;
lead with it."

Now they know exactly
what to repeat, what to change.

Praise gets specific
so they can do it again.
Criticism gets specific
so they can actually fix it.

Vague feedback is about you
getting it off your chest.
Specific feedback is about them
getting better.

Drop the adjective.
Point at the thing.

– Asael Shinder