Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: The importance of meaningful feedback

My husband just came in to read a bit of consumer feedback on a product he was researching. The book received rave reviews but the reviewer gave the author three out of five stars because “the box was dented.”

We’ve all seen this kind of feedback. Excellent restaurants downgraded because they happened to be closed by the time the reviewer showed up. Great books getting one or two stars because they arrived a day late. A fabulous resort blastedbecause “they hassled me for smoking on the patio outside our room.” (This last one being the very review that convinced us to book our vacation there. A very good call, by the way, but that’s another blog post…)

As someone who spends a good bit of time on the road, I have come to depend on consumer feedback, especially when I have a good bit of flexibility about where I’m likely to stay or eat or shop, and I have discovered some incredible places for all three based on comments someone has taken the time to make. But consumer feedback, and the easy access to places to share one’s personal opinion or experience also has a gladiator-like, thumbs-down, shadow side. (Read more…)

Meet me in Singapore!

A special invitation to my friends on the other side of the globe (or those who just want an excuse to go there). I will be doing trainings June 25-28, with open enrollment on Tuesday (for “The I-Can Classroom“) and on Friday (for “Dealing with Difficult Students“). A special request to my friends in S’pore to please pass this information on. Call Joseph Loy at +65 6363 0330 for details or to enroll, or email me for more information. Many thanks.

About this site:

This site launched at the beginning of December 2012 with a new look and a lot of new features. I have since added a good bit of content as well— material that was on the old version of the site as well as some brand new stuff.

Although the appearance and structure of this new site has changed, my intentions have not. The point of my work has always been to inspire positive and practical ways to connect with one another in caring, emotionally safe environments. With an emphasis on adult-child relationships, nearly all of the material on culture and community, learning, teaching and parenting, motivation and behavior, and self-care can be applied to adult relationships as well.

Featured links:

• Click here to see what’s new in this site update. This is a recent blog post that details some of the new features on this site as well as a bit of the final details involved in getting it launched.

• We now have 23 free podcasts on various topics relevant to educators and parents and have three more in the can, which I hope to post in the next few weeks. Click here for the full listing by topic of the podcasts on the site so far. Be sure to click on the  Program Notes above the photo. They’ve all been updated with new graphics and new links.

• Click here for information “Dealing with Difficult Students,” this month’s featured presentation.

• Click here for free downloads of our “Pads” on the Back™ Templates with 8 different ways to acknowledge the people you value and appreciate in your life. We now have 44 templates available in 42 different languages!

• Oh, and if you don’t know who I am yet, click here for my bio, here to see where I have spoken, or here to see a short video.

Or just click on one of the links in the navigation bar and find an article, handout, blog, podcast, presentation, or product you can use. There is plenty more to come in the coming weeks, as I look forward to continuing to convert pages from the old site and add new content here as well.

Please support this site

The content on this site is free. You are welcome to download, copy, distribute, or use the material with proper attribution in any way you feel will be helpful. (Click here for legal and karmic stuff related to using these resources.)

Your support will help us continue to maintain the site, add new content, hire translators and tech support consultants, and keep the site ad-free. Any support is much appreciated. Click here for more information or to donate.

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