The Purpose of Writing Feedback : Home

The Purpose of Writing Feedback

As a student, you consistently receive feedback, so it is useful to consider the purpose of feedback. When we ask others for feedback, we have a purpose in mind. Our purpose might be to fulfill an instructor's request for outside feedback. We might also seek feedback to hear what others take from our work. 

For writers, feedback serves a specific and important purpose. When we write, we know what we mean and, inevitably, we think that we have captured our meaning in our work, or we think that we have done our best and can only move on. Seeking feedback is important because it allow us a view into what we have communicated instead of what we think. 

The gap between what we think we said and what we said can vary, and to be effective communicators, we must measure that gap and narrow it to ensure that we have achieved our goals. For example, if we write a budget proposal that must be approved by a supervisor, we know that we need to communicate the need for the money and that means we must communicate how the expenditure will support the success of the team, department, and/or company. When we draft our proposal, we may have ideas about what is most important to communicate. Sharing our work with others provides us useful insight into what we have said and the gaps that we have left.

When you ask someone for feedback, consider your purpose.

• Are you asking for feedback to hear affirmation of your talents?
• Are you asking for feedback to ensure that your message is clearly articulated?
• Are you asking for feedback because the circumstances require it?

Knowing what you want and expect can help you develop and maintain reasonable expectations for receiving feedback. If you expect your work to be returned to you with only compliments, consider how much work you have committed to the project. For example, if you spent fifteen minutes dashing off a draft, is that draft going to be perfect? Why or why not? Try to match your efforts with the efforts of your reviewer. In other words, if you expect your reviewer to take their time and consider your points, take your time with the draft and consider the points that you want to make in that draft.

Similarly, expect the reviewer to provide feedback from their perspective rather than yours. Reviewers (including writing consultants and instructors) read from their own experiences and have their expectations. If you fail to meet their expectations, consider what that means. Does that mean that there has been a misunderstanding? If so, consider the feedback provided to you and how you can apply it to clarify your meaning.

Keep in mind that feedback isn’t a personal experience. It’s a reader sharing what they read with the writer. If the reader hasn’t understood your message, consider why.

• Ask yourself what you can do, in terms of your writing, to clarify your message.
• Ask yourself what kind of reader you are writing for and what you expect them to know and understand.
• Ask yourself if you have communicated the necessary information for the reader to understand you.

Overall, keep in mind that it is the writer’s job, not the reader’s, to communicate the message. Don’t rely on a reader to understand you. Strive to communicate your ideas.

These helpful tips were provided by Katherine Olson - Program Director, General Education and Interdisciplinary Professional Studies.