Monthly youth leaders column

'I can take any amount of criticism, so long as it is unqualified praise', somebody once said. But how do we handle the awkward and embarrassing feedback to a talk or youth group session.

There is the danger that they will take things the wrong way or be upset by ill-chosen words. Constructive criticisms can be mistaken for damning nails in the coffin. But it is essential if youth work is going to grow. So how should we handle it?

In a relationship

One of the most important things to note is that reviewing builds on a relationship that is already established. The depth of the relationship affects the way that the review is received. Deeper things can be said if the relationship is strong. The relationship provides the safety net for the more critical comments. The trap to avoid is a review that comes blasting in with little background to the friendship. Feelings that are already fragile can become devastating.

Building up

We have all met people who have nothing positive to say and seem to relish attacking other people. They are not good people to be doing reviews. Reviewing with people is about moving them on and inspiring them to reach even greater heights. Sometimes this will mean pointing out problems, but the context is trying to eliminate problems in order to get better. We want to encourage and nurture people in giving talks or leading a small group for the first time. We want them to get better each time they try. This is what benefits the young people.

About one person

It is not about comparing one with another. We all know people who do everything brilliantly. One of the scary things about some feedback is hearing how we rank compared to others. But, while other people may sometimes provide good examples to copy, it is destructive to put people in a list. The aim is not to produce clones of the 'ideal' Bible teacher or group leader. Our aim is to improve each time we try for the sake of the gospel, not Channel 4's upcoming '100 greatest Bible teachers'.

Moving forward

Most sports receive post match evaluation. This can be by the pundits on the television, or by the fans in the pub propping up the bar. There is usually too much, leading to paralysis by analysis. This is exactly what we don't want in youth work. After the reviewing takes place, if there is no change, the review has not done its job. Moving on is the name of the game. Sometimes this is the responsibility of an individual to develop their own skills. More often it is the whole leadership group which needs to maintain momentum and keep things dynamic. And this is for the sake of the gospel, because we want to do the work entrusted to us more efficiently, and the young people, who like things to be changing and different.

Here are some practical pointers to gentle reviewing:

The burger

A burger works on the principle of a slab of meat between two halves of a bun. So the 'review burger' puts the negative between two positives. The reviewer first of all picks out a good point, then something to work on, but ends with another positive. The overall balance of the review is weighted towards the positive, and the constructive criticism is given in a safe way. Another advantage is that only one thing is mentioned to work on at once, giving a clear goal to the reviewee.

Self-review

Questions are the key to a 'self-review'. The reviewer asks certain questions that lead the reviewee to see for themselves what was good and what needs work. If the same questions are asked at each review, the reviewee will get into the habit of asking themselves, perhaps even before the event. The questions shouldn't leave the reviewee distraught, but should be looking to build rather than deconstruct. What was the main teaching point for the young people to take away? Was that clear from the way the passage was taught? Did the illustrations support the point? Were the illustrations too memorable, so that they will be remembered, not the point? Was there any application and was it appropriate for those who were listening?

SWOT

This is a reviewing method suitable for whole meetings and youth work goals, rather than an individual talk. 'S' stands for strengths, 'W' for weaknesses, 'O' for opportunities and 'T' for threats. A review of this sort may be done with individuals or as a leadership group. By doing something like this regularly, strengths can be built on and weaknesses eliminated. Opportunities can be created and threats to the work dealt with. You may want to change some of the letters and introduce other questions. For example: given no limits to resources, what would be your dreams for the group? Try to finish a wider review like this with some definite goals and the next step that needs to be taken to get there.

Moving on by looking back