By Nahla Davies, a software developer and tech writer. Before devoting her work full-time to…
Video Tip: Revisiting Non-Specific Praise
Kim and Russ recently shared some advice about making your praise helpful by being specific about what was good and why. They talked about how providing details can help people understand what to do more of, and how it also helps your sincerity show through naturally.
Did you notice in that video tip when Kim gave Russ some non-specific praise, despite the topic at hand? (Hint: it happens in the first ten seconds – watch the video again). Russ moved along to his next point quickly, but after this video, both Kim and Russ kept thinking about that one line of non-specific praise. They decided to have a quick conversation to talk through it. Kim wanted to make her praise more specific and helpful, and she learned that her lack of specificity had made Russ think her comment was insincere.
Watch their conversation to see feedback on feedback in action, and to learn why being specific with feedback is so important.