I just read a very nice article on handling criticism by Johnny B. Truant on Copyblogger. It’s got some good points and is worth your time to read.
With that in mind, I’d like to suggest a slightly different approach. You don’t need to handle criticism, you need to use criticism. In virtually everything you do, you can’t get better at doing it unless someone else helps you. You can’t get outside your own head enough to every really know if your effort is the best that you can do. For that, you need trusted advisors, reasonably encouraged regular “users” (customers, readers, friends), and even, sometimes, the criticism of strangers.
So don’t worry about handling or deflecting criticism; learn to invite and welcome it. If someone is willing to listen, read, or watch what you do, then you should take advantage of what they have to say about it. In fact, it’s frustrating when you don’t get any response. You don’t want to find yourself tapping your mic and asking “Hello? Is this thing on?”
Yes, some is useless, the traditional “You suck!” or vague “Too many notes.” But you’ll find others that are willing to give you detailed and ultimately useful criticism. To use it, you’ve got listen, think, and respond. You’re critics aren’t always right, but you’ll benefit from hearing what they say AND thinking “why did they respond that way?” And a really good critic, like my editor, Penny, will help you raise your game to entirely new levels.
And as always, I invite your comments!
