Reading (15 mins)
Readings in Stellar Feedback
- Liz Lerman: The Critical Response Process and Interview
- Whole Systems Healing
The independent reading for this week focused on how to give feedback in a thoughtful, generative way. Let’s review the key parts of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process:
THE CORE STEPS
- Statements of Meaning: Responders state what was meaningful, evocative, interesting, exciting, striking in the work they have just witnessed.
- Artist as Questioner: The artist asks questions about the work. After each question, the responders answer. Responders may express opinions if they are in direct response to the question asked and do not contain suggestions for changes.
- Neutral Questions: Responders ask neutral questions about the work. The artist responds. Questions are neutral when they do not have an opinion couched in them. For example, if you are discussing the lighting of a scene, “Why was it so dark?” is not a neutral question. “What ideas guided your choices about lighting?” is.
- Opinion Time: Responders state opinions, subject to permission from the artist. The usual form is “I have an opinion about __, would you like to hear it?” The artist has the option to say no.
Take a few minutes to discuss your thoughts about these rules. What’s confusing? What feels useful? Take a few minutes to come up with examples of different types of questions and save some of your thoughts in the facilitator guide.