Criticism vs. Feedback

There’s a quote I heard that I’ve been contemplating that says how people should, “Praise in public & critique in private.” I’ve got a few thoughts now on this point of view and one of the things that informed me in my mulling and musing about it is an even older saying that tells us that “our words should pass through 3 gates before we ever write them or speak them out loud.”

Before we open our big fat mouths (ha!) and utter a word, we should ask ourselves:

Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?

When we’re dealing with one-to-one communication with human beings, it would behoove us to have our first thought be, “What is the most loving or kind way I can handle this?”

And then proceeding by sometimes speaking about their strengths first, before talking about where growth needs to happen.

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we are taking a look at the differences between criticism versus feedback and how we can be working this on either side of that fence. Whether that be externally with those around us or how we internally speak to ourselves.

Whomever we are speaking to, we must first understand that our words matter.

An approach of curiosity and love instead of judgement allows us to ask the kind of questions that open the doors of thought, inspiration and insight. Rather than eliciting a response of attack, defend or prove.

This isn’t always the easiest road to travel because sometimes our input means that others (and even ourselves) have to take a look at painful spots we’d rather not deal with and prefer to ignore.

Having a level of tenderness in our approach helps to, at the very least, make the process bearable and something we can face more willingly.

Being mindful and intentional in our communication will help us to create a more loving, kind world where people can feel supported, seen and know that they matter.

KK's Key Takeaways

Gateless Instructor (2:04)
Your Words Should Pass (4:05)
Passive Aggressive (12:03)
We Need More Tenderness (21:00)
Is It Loving? (27:25)
We Are Always Learning (32:23)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

KK is a certified Spiritual Mentor, a student of A Course in Miracles for 28+ years and a longtime practitioner of Passage Meditation. She’s also a certified teacher & facilitator of the Gateless Writing Method and is currently working on a memoir.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

Her signature Yoga & Writing Workshops, Fearless Flow™ Retreats & 1:1 Mentoring Programs utilize her transformational Your Story to Your Glory™ process and have helped hundreds of people to let go of their old stories of victimization and suffering, so they can choose Love over fear and live a new kick-ass story from a place of power, forgiveness, freedom and Spirit.

A sought-after expert, guest teacher and Spiritual Thought Leader for Live Events, Podcasts, Coaching Programs and Shows, Karen has been invited to speak and teach on various platforms across the country including the Omega Institute in NY.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com