Whether criticism is in the form of a comment, look, sigh or even a spell of silence, it is a means to evaluate the pros and cons of the action or work of an individual or a thing from another person’s viewpoint. Negative criticism is disappointing and frustrating to the extent of an individual not putting his best effort in future. There is a dip in one’s enthusiasm and confidence levels to a great extent. If taken in good spirit, it helps the person correct his or her mistakes, learn new things and move ahead in life.

1. Take Criticism Positively!
Who likes to be criticized? By and large, people do not like to be criticized as it is damaging to their self-
esteem.
Whether criticism is in the form of a comment, look, sigh or even a spell of silence, it is a means to
evaluate the pros and cons of the action or work of an individual or a thing from another person’s
viewpoint. One can have a negative viewpoint towards an individual’s work, or to an individual or to
inanimate or animate objects. Criticism takes several forms, such as: husband condemning wife’s cooking,
a teacher criticizes his student for incomplete homework, a film critic disapproving of a new film or an
employer criticizing his employee for doing a shoddy job.
Negative criticism is disappointing and frustrating to the extent of an individual not putting his best effort
in future. There is a dip in one’s enthusiasm and confidence levels to a great extent. If taken in good
spirit, it helps the person correct his or her mistakes, learn new things and move ahead in life.
Here are some ways how you can take criticism positively:
When someone criticizes you, one’s first reaction is always to be defensive or rant. Instead, delay your
immediate reaction to the action and contemplate on what was said. Count till 10 and figure out how to
react.
If you receive an e-mail criticizing your work, reply after you have cooled down. If the criticism is verbose,
walk away from the person saying, “We will discuss this later.” Having negative thoughts and views lead
to resentment between the criticizer and criticized.
Instead of reacting harshly, view and understand the value of criticism. Take it as a recommendation or
suggestion and increase your chance for improvement. Think of what was said, strengthen and improve
your faults and emerge as a winner next time around. The next time adds to your knowledge and
experience, lets you set a benchmark for yourself and rise high in the opinion of people. Learn to
differentiate between constructive and non-constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is an effective
learning tool.
Have confidence in yourself. If your work is not up to the mark, your boss could pass a comment. Instead
of taking it personally, ask how you can correct your mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Successful people make
more mistakes as they believe in the motto, ‘Keep trying until you succeed’, unlike unproductive people
who quit after a failure or two.
When criticized, it is best to remain cool and calm, instead of reacting with anger and ranting. Rise above
the situation without responding in a child-like manner with barbs and accusations. A poised demeanor
will portray you in a different light. You will see a vast change in people’s attitude towards you and your
self-confidence will increase as you are not seen to stoop to another person’s level.
Criticism is a good way to improve. Strive for the best possible changes to banish negative criticism in
your personal and professional lives. Avoid repeating mistakes that provoke people to criticize you.
Recognize your mistakes, correct them and try not to repeat them next time.
Many people have the habit of criticizing. If they do not matter to you, it is best to ignore them and
continue doing the work.
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2. At the end of it, thank the critic, despite the critic being rude, harsh or abusive, irrespective of whether
the person accepts it or not. Most unexpected at the time of criticism, thanking is the way of winning over
the person.
Do share your thoughts on the same.
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Telephone: 0091–40–27803080 & Fax: 0091–40–27716308
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