Summer Book Club explores the power of feedback

Sept. 8, 2025 — DENTON — What makes feedback so hard to hear—and how can we get better at receiving it? That was the big question on the table as about 50 faculty and staff gathered in the Student Recreation Center lobby in August for a community book club featuring Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen.

The lively event gave participants a chance to connect, share experiences and dig into the book’s practical advice.

The discussion explored the three main types of feedback: appreciation, coaching and evaluation, and the triggers that can get in the way of hearing it. Participants shared strategies for staying open to feedback and left with fresh insights on how to offer feedback that is more clear, helpful and encouraging.

Sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences and the Women in STEM Leadership program, funded by the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership, the summer book club blended learning with laughter. It was a simple but powerful lesson: feedback, given and received well, makes us all stronger.