Customer Reviews

Criticism Management: How to More Effectively Give, Receive, and Seek Criticism in Our Lives

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This book is a great resource for personal development, and is especially valuable to those who are seeking to advance professionally. It gives guidance on how one should accept criticism and avoid becoming defensive when receiving feedback. The book suggests one steps back and views criticism from a 3rd person perspective, focusing on the content of the criticism and not loosing sight of the message through misguided emotion. It also provides guidance and suggestions as to how managers can effectively present criticism to those they supervise. Great read.

This text was recommended to me by someone who received a copy in a Leadership seminar. Since that time, I have recommended it to many others. Garner offers great insights into how we can more effectively deal with criticism in all aspects of our lives. He offers a completely new way to think about criticism---not only in the criticism we might receive from others, but in how we give criticism. Dr. Garner explains the origin of the term and helps us to realize that the sniping that we have come to associate with criticism should not be the focus.
When giving criticism Garner suggests that we consider exactly what we want to accomplish---is it to intentionally hurt or to help someone to GRIPE (Grow, Recover, Improve, Prosper or Excel). He suggests that when managers and supervisors offer criticism, they should do it with the mindset of offering criticism to our children. He correctly points out that our goal with children is to help them become better, improve, etc., not to psychologically berate them. As he points out the goal is to have a win-win relationship (we don't want a "I win, you lose" relationship with our children. This was a powerful message for me and for many others. He has great techniques for dealing with criticism, for offering criticism (even for those who don't have to listen to you), and even on ways to better solicit criticism in advance.
This book is great for those of us who regularly provide criticism and feedback to others. Leaders, managers, supervisors, and anyone who deals with criticism should place this on their "MUST HAVE" list for their personal and professional development library.

As a college professor who teaches communication courses in the Business Administration area, I appreciated reviewing Dr. Garner's very clear and concise book on how to better address criticism. We know empirical research clearly indicates that communication issues are extraordinarily important for leaders and managers; and communications involving emotionally-charged criticism is all the more problematic. Dr. Garner does an outstanding job of highlighting this issue and offers practical tips and advice on how to reconsider what we "think" we know about criticism. The considerations that he offers and the cognitive tools he suggests should be read, reviewed, and practiced by everyone in a leadership or management position.

Criticism Management provides an easy to follow approach to handling the complicated problem of dealing with criticism that we receive and the touchy issue of providing criticism to others. The author demonstrates that the origin of the word 'criticism' had a much less pejorative meaning then is associated with the term today. Using this as a springboard, Dr. Garner redefines criticism in a way that allows us to see it as a means to help others improve (what he calls moving from sniping to GRIPE--grow, recover, improve, prosper, and excel). He focuses on the process that we should use when we consider giving criticism to others--demonstrating that there is a lot of thought and consideration that should occur even before we open our mouth! He deals not only with how we can better give criticism to others in a way that will be more acceptable but also how to better assess the criticism that we receive. Using his LAURA method, he takes a step-by-step approach to assessing the critical comments of others. The ABC's (he also has a D) of Criticism response provides options for handling or responding to the criticism once we have properly assessed it. This is a very helpful book that is well-written and should be of benefit to most everyone--not just those in management positions. He provides useful information in general communications techniques and I found the information to be applicable to interactions with my own family.

UPDATE: THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT (I THINK). CHECK OUT THE UPDATED BOOK FROM DR. GARNER: CONSTRUCTING EFFECTIVE CRITICISM---IT IS GREAT!

After reading this book, I knew that I had to get a copy of it to my boss. In fact, I used one of the techniques in the book to suggest that she read it! Dr. Garner offers some great tips, advice, and strategies for dealing with criticism from the boss, from co-workers, from strangers, or from your family. He takes the reader through a step-by-step process of assessing the criticism we receive in our life. Of equal importance is the way he suggests we provide criticism to others. I will admit that I was raised under the 'if it dosen't hurt it's not criticism' way of thinking. However, Dr. Garner makes a strong case that criticism is something that can be used to enhance your interactions with others---if you do it correctly. Of course, correctly involves a lot of consideration about what and how you will say something---long before you open your mouth. This book really made me think. It offers clear information on how we can address one of the more troubling things we deal with every day. I highly recommend this book and have suggested it for others!