How to Best Handle Unfavorable Committee Feedback

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
(Epictetus, Ancient Greek philosopher)

It is always reassuring and encouraging to receive positive and supportive feedback. It confirms that what you are doing is good and worthwhile. However, we are all sometimes faced with some more critical comments, and occasional constructive criticism is part of the process of getting better. In fact, feedback can be viewed as helpful — information that can make us into better people and improve our behaviors, attitudes, relationships and work. At least, that is one way to look at it.

When you are doing research, receiving feedback is a part of the process. It can be uplifting or devastating, but it’s rarely easy or straightforward. In academia, feedback is not always given in the most sensitive or thoughtful way, so you often need to be prepared to lick your wounds and develop thicker skin while going through the process of writing a thesis or dissertation.

When receiving feedback from your committee regarding your proposal or your draft, don’t expect to be patted on the shoulder and mollycoddled. Some critical comments and unfavorable feedback are likely to come your way at some stage. Get ready to build some resilience and learn to utilize feedback in a positive manner.

Some Strategies to Handle Unfavorable Feedback

It’s important to try and handle any feedback gracefully and, most importantly, constructively.

• Always be grateful for the comments you receive and let people know you appreciate the time they spent reviewing your work.
• Don’t try to address the comments immediately. It is best to take your time and respond when you feel ready. Tell your committee you will get back to them after you give it proper thought.
• Sometimes it can be a good idea to take some time off before you sit down to work through feedback. It can be helpful to give yourself time for any negativity you might be feeling to settle.
• You generally need to address every single comment. Take each one seriously and be thorough, but also humbly question assertions that you believe might deter from what you are trying to accomplish. Feedback is guidance, and like all guidance it is up to you to accept (or not accept).
• Receiving negative feedback might be overwhelming, especially if academic life is already burning you out. Make sure you keep some balance in your life. Take time to exercise and relax so that your health and well-being don’t start to suffer. Keep some fun and play in your life while you work away on your Ph.D.

Suggestions for Avoiding Negative Feedback

There are things you can do to improve your chances of the Ph.D. reviewing process going (relatively) smoothly. One of them is to be proactive and have a good working relationship with your committee members, especially the chair. Consider the following:

• Have regular contact with your committee chair and give him or her drafts of your chapters as you go along.
• Other members of the committee should receive some updates from you before the final submission, too. Don’t just send the final product over. Instead, give committee members the chance to read through your key chapters beforehand.
• Spend some time at the department. Familiarity is always helpful.

Achieving a Ph.D. is not easy. If it were, everyone would have one. The goal is not only to make you into a scholar, but also to help you grow and develop on a personal level.  Moreover, it’s more promising in life to receive feedback (good or bad) than to be met with silence and disinterest. Feedback reassures you that your ideas provoked a reaction; your work engaged and activated the reader in some way. When received in a healthy way, both positive and critical feedback will ultimately make your end product better.