Criticism processing protocol

Criticism arrives loud and fast; the reaction is usually unhelpful. This is a time-bounded review you do once, 24+ hours after the criticism landed. Find the signal, discard the noise, decide what to do.

Related micro-course

When to use this

You've received criticism that you can't stop thinking about 24+ hours later.
Before a feedback or appraisal conversation you're nervous about.
When you keep getting the same criticism from different people.

How to complete it

Separate the criticism into three buckets: probably accurate, probably inaccurate, can't yet tell. Most criticism is mixed.
Work on the ‘probably accurate’ bucket first. That's the highest-leverage learning.
Plan one concrete behaviour change for the next 30 days and write the success criterion.

Common mistakes

Treating the criticism as 100% true or 100% false.
Responding before you've processed.
Letting the delivery (tone, person, setting) discount the content entirely.

Criticism processing protocol

Vinthony Academy · vinthony.com

1. The criticism, verbatim.

Quote it. Don't paraphrase yet.

2. Source — who said it, in what context?

3. Steel-man it. What is the most charitable, accurate reading?

4. Signal — what's true that you can use?

5. Noise — what's about them, not you?

6. One action you'll take based on the signal.

7. One thing you won't change.

Important. Not every piece of criticism deserves a reaction.