Impact of criticism
Monday, June 15, 2015 at 05:23AM 
https://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2015/06/10/7-ways-to-find-extraordinary-connections/
"Expand your current network of relationships with people who make you uncomfortable."
-Leadership Freak
Not long after I first started doing workshops and keynotes on a professional level, a very nice lady whom I had never before met approached me after a talk and said "Doug, please don't take this the wrong way, but did you know that all during your talk you played with the change in your trousers? It was distracting from what was a good message."
I watched the video of the talk and she was right. My hands were moving in my pockets throughout the talk and I looked like someone who not be in education or near children. It was a humiliating, embarrassing realization.
So now, before I give any talk, teach any lesson, do any workshop, I purposely remove all objects from my pants pockets and put them in my suit coat pockets or computer bag. And keep my hands out of the empty pockets.
To have this vivid memory of a single incident after 20 years tells me that the harder and more accurate the criticism, the more important that is. Perhaps we need to seek out those who are willing to be cruel to be kind - and for us to tactfully offer constructive criticism to others when needed.
How do we grow and learn unless we are open to improving through the criticism of others?
Reader Comments (1)
I had a similar experience during my library practicum. My elementary mentor told me after a lesson that she counted 28 times that I said "K". I explained that I probably meant "OK" checking for student comprehension during the lesson. I had videotaped the lesson and sure enough, the "K' was prevalent and I found it really annoying. It's hard to receive criticism, but it is necessary in order to grow and improve. Whenever I catch myself doing this, I laugh now and focus on changing my methods. Thank you for sharing your experience!