Stop Asking for Honest Opinions if You Don't Want to Hear Them
A while back I went to see a show my friend was performing in. I'm going to be honest with you when I say that the show was horrible. I can count on two fingers the number of shows I've left during intermission due to their quality and had my friend not been in it, this would have been the third.
After the show, we went out for coffee. I knew the question was coming but I was really hoping it wasn't. Finally, after our first cups she said,
"So what did you think?"
I took a deep breath.
"Do you want me to be brutally honest?" I asked.
"Absolutely. I can take it," she replied.
So I began telling her my dislike for the show. I prefaced it by saying I didn't think it was her fault or fellow performers for that matter. But I did tell her how the dialog didn't make sense, the direction seemed confused and the various tech issues kept hindering the performance.
When I was done, she didn't look happy that I said all that. I asked her what was wrong,
"I didn't expect you to be that honest."
Tell me if you've been in that same situation. Where someone demands an honest opinion of their performance and if your response if anything less than a glowing review, they get pissed at you.
It makes me ask, if you don't want an honest opinion, why ask for one?