About a year ago I did a course online, where I had a lovely, elderly teacher.

All was well enough, until we got to the ‘practicum’ stage of the program, where I started practicing the new skill, 

…and she started providing me with feedback on Zoom using the chat function…

TYPING EVERYTHING IN BLOCK CAPITALS,

…AND…

EVEN ADDING FIVE TO TEN EXCLAMATION OR QUESTIONS MARKS AT THE END OF HER SENTENCES!!!!!!!!

Her comments weren’t particularly harsh in themselves, but I must say, seeing everything in block capitals like this while I was trying to engage with the clients in the room was a little, well… JARRING!!!!!!!!?!?! 😀 😀 😉

Small details such as caps or no caps (or if giving feedback in writing font size), and balanced punctuation can make a HUGE difference in how well the recipient can then take our comments on board.

What’s your top tip when giving feedback?

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Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at teaching SKILLS, as opposed to just testing them. 

Check out my courses here:

How to Teach IELTS Listening:

How to Teach IELTS Reading:

How to Teach IELTS Writing:

How to Teach IELTS Speaking: