We are all told to set goals for ourselves. One acronym that you will probably hear while setting goals is SMART. What are SMART goals?
What are SMART goals?
SMART stands for:
Specific: I want to be the best student in class is a great goal. But what does best mean? A specific goal is: I want to get the highest marks in English in my class.
Measurable: A good goal is one that we can measure. Have we done it? Not done it? In the example above, is it possible to measure if we have got highest marks in class? In most cases, where marks of all students are shared, yes, we can measure.
Achievable: It has to be something that we can do. If you are a budding sportsperson, a lofty goal is to represent India in the Olympics. A more achievable goal is to participate in the district or zonal finals.
Realistic: Realistic is close to achievable. In fact, realistic would be something that is achievable.
Time-Bound: This is the best part of goals. We have to get them within a specified time. For example, I want to get the highest marks in English in my class in the next cycle/unit test.
SMART Feedback
Sometimes, we love something that our friend has done. We think its super smart, or very innovative. Likewise, sometimes, we don’t like something they say or do.
A good friendship is based on communication. An important part of that communication is feedback – telling each other how we *felt* about their actions and words.
The big difference between smart goals and smart feedback is that SMART goals start with knowing ourselves very well, and SMART feedback starts with knowing how we feel about other people’s words and actions very well. Once we know how we feel, SMART is the best way to communicate feedback.
SMART feedback is a concept that we, the Editor aunties, created specially for our TCP readers. In this post, we share it with you, dear readers. You can use it to give us feedback, but you can also use this thought process to give feedback to anyone else – teachers, friends, even parents!!!
If you want to give feedback, make it SMART:
S: Specific. I liked __ and did not like____ . Please change this to _____, which I like more.
M: Measured: Weigh your words and use them well. Do not go overboard. Neither effusive in praise nor caustic in criticism.
A: Actionable: “This paper was not interesting”. Is not the same as “Please add a cartoon.” ‘Please add a cartoon’ is actionable – it is something we can actually do!
R: Realistic. “I want an 8-page paper” Vs “Can you please add a special edition on every festival instead of changing the whole paper?”
T: Timely: Because the sooner you tell us, the sooner we act. The sooner after a fight you air things with a friend, the longer you will remain friends. There is little point in letting thoughts fester in the brain or heart.
Question for you
Can you think of a time when you gave feedback to a friend, and how you would word it SMARTly? Do share with us!