Impact feedback is a special kind of feedback which shows the author how the text is experienced by readers. It's given in a criticism-free, advice-free manner. Unlike “classical” feedback offering evaluation or advice on what to improve, impact feedback just shows the "movies" happening inside the reader's mind letting the receiver decide what to do. It means you don't have to be an expert in writing or grammar to give quality feedback of this kind.
Why Use Impact Feedback?
- New authors: to get a picture of how your new readers perceive your posts on this platform, to build friendships, to get quality comments and possibly upvotes, to connect to a community of people interested in good writing, to find your style and voice.
- Established authors: to better connect to your audience, to test new formats, styles and approaches, to build a loyal following.
How It Works
Impact Feedback Group uses the Isle of Write Community chat to notify its members about posted feedback and feedback requests. If you aren’t yet a member, join it to meet intelligent, respectful people interested in good writing.
While any post is eligible to receive feedback (a draft or a post of any age on any platform), the best option is a new post before payout with preference given to literary work no shorter than 100 words.
3 Simple Steps To Give and Receive Impact Feedback
This group is open to all Isle of Write community members. It means that no registration is needed except being a member of the community. To become a member, join the Isle of Write Discord chat server and introduce yourself.
- Visit Impact Feedback Group members’ blogs listed in this table, choose a fresh post and give feedback on it in a comment using the guidelines below. Remember to share what you feel, see and think when reading the post instead of evaluating (even positively), criticising, or giving advice. Try to write a more detailed comment that would create real value.
- Put a link to your comment in Impact Feedback channel.
- Now you’re free to put there your feedback request (i.e. a link to your post).
If group members leave at least 2 feedback comments on your post, notify me about it in the channel and you will become listed as a group member.
Existing long-time members of Isle of Write can join the group without the initial feedback procedure, just drop me a line and I’ll include you in the table.
Impact Feedback Guidelines
When using the Impact Feedback approach, you describe what you’ve been feeling and thinking when reading the text, avoiding critique, evaluation, or advice.
Here are some creative ways of giving feedback from a very inspiring book, Writing Without Teachers by Peter Elbow. You can use any of them or combine them.
- Note which words or sentences you’ve experienced as full of energy, true, powerful.
- Summarise what you’ve read: quickly recap what you see as the text’s main points; then summarise them into a single sentence and then, into a single word.
- Describe the feelings and thoughts you’ve had like a story: what you felt or thought first, what next, and so on.
- Use metaphors if it’s difficult for you to explain your perceptions directly: if the text were weather, what type of weather? What animal or plant? What color, geometric figure, landscape, musical instrument, etc.?
What is the Impact Feedback Group?
Long story short, this is a feedback for feedback group. And I find this definition much more valuable than upvote for upvote, because by giving quality feedback, you produce a real-world value while growing your reputation.
Writing is central to a content platform like Steemit. Most value here is produced with text content. The more users join the platform, the higher stakes in creating quality content worth rewarding.
Impact Feedback is a group helping people become better writers. Its goal is to help its members produce better text and to better evaluate their own work. To do so, members share their perceptions of a text, i.e., the feelings and thoughts they experience when reading the text, helping the author know how the work is coming across. Please be polite and treat group members with full attention, respect, and empathy.
Impact Feedback Group Goals
- Support quality posts and quality comments.
- Support new authors.
- Grow the Isle of Write community.
You can apply or ask questions on the Isle of Write’s Impact Feedback Channel; or, if you’re shy or aren’t yet familiar with Discord, apply at the Impact Feedback website.
Further Reading
The Isle of Write is a paradise community of writers and other creatives, a relaxed place to both give and receive help, advice, feedback, and inspiration, learn new things or just kick back and chill with other writers and creative types. Check out the community Discord server with channels ranging from writing workshops to crypto to thematic link sharing.
