In essence, feedback is just information. This is the first nature of feedback. There is no such thing as good or bad feedback. It is just information about you at a particular point in time. Sometimes it takes the form of a result you achieved or someone’s point of view of you.

The second nature of feedback is that it represent just a slice of time. Therefore, it doesn’t define who you are. It can contribute to who you are but it doesn’t define you. Therefore, we shouldn’t be slighted by it. Most people that consider feedback as a personal attack or criticism, sadly forgot about the above fact. Now that you know, it is a choice by you to be hurt by it or not.

Once we can have the mindset of feedback is just information about you at a particular moment in time, we can now proceed to ‘listen’ to our feedback intently. We will consider all feedback. This doesn’t mean we have to take or accept all of it.

We still have a choice to choose which ones do we act on and which ones to put aside.

Now, in choosing which to act on and which to put aside, we once again can’t go back to what I like and what I don’t as a criteria. If the feedback hurts me or bathe me in a negative light, I shall put aside. If the feedback speaks well of me and I enjoy it, I shall pick it up. This is where we once again fall into the trap of good and bad feedback; negative and positive.

Again, there is no such thing as good or bad if we truly believe feedback is just information. If we truly believe feedback is just information, that means all feedbacks need to be considered.

If so, after we take in and consider all the feedback, the question that is still unanswered is “How do I decide which one to act on and which ones to put aside?” The answer lies in the third nature of feedback which is “Not all feedbacks are equal.”

The fidelity of a feedback is determined by two factors and these two components have to be present for the feedback to be considered.

The first factor is whether the feedback is qualified or not. In order for a feedback to be qualified, it must come from a source that holds the same context and distinction as the subject of the feedback. For example, if I am a trainer, the feedback of another trainer about my training is more qualified than if the feedback came from a chef. It is important that the feedback is given in consideration of a particular context.

The second factor is the frequency of the feedback. If I am receiving the same feedback from a few different sources that are qualified, then that particular feedback has more fidelity than others that I am not getting any or less frequency. Therefore, seek as may qualified feedback as you can to increase the fidelity of your feedback.

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