People Don’t Like Feedback And Advice

People don’t like feedback.

People don’t like advice.

These were the leading statements of a post I came across on IG and the argument was, “Even if people came to you and say, “Tell me what to do? And then you tell them. They are not going to do it”.

The supporting argument was that “people don’t like to feel like their sense of self-efficacy is lowered. And when you give feedback or advice, sometimes, that’s what it feels like to them.”

The speaker shared what she has learned about feedback and said, “It’s all about how you say it.” Then, she elaborated her point on and on and on, but this is what I think:

Though it’s realistic to say people don’t like feedback or advice, the assertion is quite broad.

There’s something called Confirmation Bias, where individuals tend to favor information that confirms their existing beliefs or values. When you share feedback or advice with people caught in the web of confirmation bias, and what you share doesn’t align with their beliefs or doesn’t validate their thoughts, your feedback or advice will certainly get rejected or ignored.

Even in the face of such rejection, one would be ill-advised to conclude that people don’t like feedback or people don’t like advice. Then, you stop giving it all together.

I have not known a growth-minded, humble, and adaptable person who wants to succeed and wouldn’t like feedback and advice.

Whether the feedback or advice is accepted and acted on or not is a function of:

* The personal reasoning of the recipient.
* The presentation of the feedback/advice.
* The credibility and feasibility of the feedback/advice.
* The capacity of the recipient to act on the feedback/advice based on the context it was requested.
* The timing of the feedback/advice.

This list is not exhaustive, as the points are products of my limited knowledge and experience.

The lady who shared the post, which has led to my epistle, only considered the aspect of presentation and missed these other points which I think are useful in arriving at a conclusion whether people like or don’t like feedback and advice.

As it depends on the giver of feedback or advice, we have in our control the ability to package our “offering” in a more appealing, timely, thoughtful, and logical manner, if it must stand a chance of acceptance.

Below is a link to the video to learn what the lady advised on presenting your feedback and advice for a chance of acceptance:

Video: Presenting Feedback for Acceptance

People don’t like feedback.

People don’t like advice.

Well, I could very well say people don’t like unsolicited feedback and advice. This is the difference for me.

Do you believe people don’t like feedback and advice from your experience? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

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