How do you provide constructive feedback on a peer's writing project without demotivating them?

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀:: Highlight what stood out in their work, and commend their creativity or ideas that stood out. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: After establishing a positive note, move on to what needs further attention. 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰: 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Instead of simply saying "this could be better," provide clear instructions on how to improve the writing. 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Show your confidence in their ability to improve their work. This reassurance will motivate them to take your constructive criticism and focus on improvement.

When providing constructive positive feedback to peer writers, it's important to begin with specific praise, followed by the constructive criticism, and then end with additional positive remarks and encouragement to keep them motivated. This approach acknowledges their strengths, offers areas for improvement, and reinforces their confidence and motivation to continue growing as writers.

A key point to remember: Specificity provides vivid clarity. When providing feedback, being more specific about analyzing writings are paramount. The reason? - it can easily point & identify sections of the writing where improvement is needed. While being specific it’s important to specify: - The Section/Paragraph of the Writing. - The Part of the writing that needs improvement. - The suggestion/refinement that needs to be done. - And, you as a writer, can also specify some improvements and communicate with the mentor. A Pro-Tip: The comment buttons in the MS-Word/Docs can be used to specify the section of writing as well as the improvement needed. Remember, Specificity brings clarity!

Offering actionable suggestions and opening a safe space for dialogue is how I'd suggest administering feedback. By encouraging questions and creating a collaborative environment, we'd be able to engage in meaningful discussions that lead to deeper understanding and improvement. This approach not only helps to refine the writing but also strengthens the ability to work together effectively.

A lot of it depends upon the choice of words. There is a huge difference between saying "this doesn't work" and saying "this point could use an example". If you feel that some part of the writing needs a complete overhaul, you might suggest an alternative, using encouraging words such as "would you like to consider this instead?" It is all about whether your words are communicating help or criticism.