Appreciations

Appreciations are based on the idea that you, as the recipient, are likely to emphasize those components of your work that people appreciate most (and thus de-emphasize the other components that do not get appreciated). Can this backdoor to improvement be as effective as direct constructive criticism? In practice, groups of people go around and share their appreciations of a particular piece of work. In the storytelling realm, the audience will take turns sharing appreciations at the conclusion of a story. The same practice applies in other creative realms.

Of course, there are those who would be extremely frustrated by the "softness" of this method. Most productive creatives eagerly seek harsh and frank feedback, and cite the criticism as a powerful source of productivity, improvement, and achievement.