Trish and I had a funny interaction last night. She drafted a message, then asked me, “What do you think of this?”

Me: “Looks good.” (I meant it.)

She promptly edited it and then asked me about version 2.

Me: “Looks good.” (I still meant it.)

She then edited it further and showed me version 3.

Me: (Totally amused by this point) “I am not sure what you are looking for from me. If I say it looks bad, will you send it?”

We had a little laugh, then eventually she arrived at something that made her happy and off it went.

It got me wondering today; maybe she was not asking me if it was ok, she was asking me how she could improve it. When I offered no suggestions, she looked again for herself.

When you ask someone for feedback, are you clear on what sort of response you want?

When someone asks you for feedback, do you know what they’re expecting?