David Maister recently urged his blog’s readers to get good at getting feedback. Yesterday, Seth Godin suggested how to give feedback.

David on getting it:

Remember that people NEVER tell you the truth on formal occasions…If you’re ever going to develop the skill of getting feedback (and it is a skill) then you need to find ways to make it informal. Get out of the office to have this conversation.

Seth on giving it:

No one cares about your opinion…What I want instead of your opinion is your analysis…Analysis is a lot harder than opinion because everyone is entitled to his or her own taste (regardless of how skewed it might be). A faulty analysis, however, is easy to dismantle. But even though it’s scary to contribute your analysis to a colleague’s proposal, it’s still absolutely necessary.

If you have something nice to say, please say it…It’s easy to interpret the absence of positive feedback as the absence of any sort of approval or enthusiasm.

Feedback. Give it. Get it. Repeat.