The best way to learn something new is by teaching it to others. If you’re passionate about a particular subject matter, why not try your hand at becoming an expert in this area? Critique writing is a task assigned to MBA students as part of their corporate training. The purpose of this task is to have the students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life scenarios. A good critique requires the writer to identify key areas of strength and weakness, as well as provide suggestions for improvement.
But what exactly is critique writing, and how does one go about doing it well? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Critique Writing, And How Is It Different From Other Forms Of Business Writing?
Writing a critique is similar to writing a business report in that you’re describing an objective viewpoint on something. However, one important difference is that a critique examines a subject deeply, and often suggests solutions to the problems it identifies. While a business report, for example, may simply describe the problems associated with an industry, a critique aims to provide recommendations for how these problems can be addressed.
An additional important difference is that a business report is generally designed to convince the reader of the writer’s expertise. A critique, however, is intended to convince the reader that the writer’s opinion may be worthwhile and should be considered.
Despite these key differences, there still some similarities between a critique and a business report. For instance, both require the writer to take a step back and examine the subject matter from a fresh set of eyes. A good business writer, for example, may need to research the industries and sectors in which their company specializes to provide an authoritative overview of the state of the industry. In this way, the writer ensures that their opinion is not only well-informed but also uniquely their own.
The 5 Steps To Effective Critique Writing
To ensure that your critique is both valuable and effective, it must adhere to a specific structure. For this reason, the 5 Step Analysis guides you through the process of writing a valuable critique, helping you to organize your thoughts, analyze the problem, and develop effective recommendations. Although every step in the analysis may not be necessary for all types of critiques, using these guidelines will help you to write a more useful report.
Step one is to define the problem. This is where you introduce the topic of your study and state the purpose of your report. To define the problem, you must first identify the parties involved and the roles they play in the given situation. These are called the context of the problem.
After you’ve introduced the problem, you can develop questions to guide your investigation. You must seek answers to these questions, which are called the dimensions of the problem.
Step two is to analyze the problem. Once you’ve collected and organized your data, you can begin to draw conclusions, or make suggestions as to the best possible solution. In this step, you examine all the key areas of strength and weakness, weighing up the pros and cons of various options. You state your conclusions and recommendations in the form of a proposition or solution.
Step three is to select the appropriate learning mode. If you’ve determined that the most effective way to learn a new skill is by teaching it to others, then you must follow suit. From this point forward, you’ll be in the process of “teaching to evaluate,” and your new skill is going to be critiquing. Thus, you must find a way to effectively teach the skill of critiquing to inexperienced students. Several options present themselves here, including redlining, which we’ll discuss in a moment. However, before we get into that, let’s discuss how to write a critique in the first place.
How To Write A Critique
To begin with, you must ensure that you have everything you need to do your critique. This means gathering all the necessary documents, data, and references to form a balanced opinion. As a general rule, you must try to avoid being biased in anyway when writing your critique. Naturally, this comes with experience, but even then, you must remain objective, and avoid allowing previous relationships with the subject matter to influence your opinion.
After you have all the necessary material, you can begin writing your critique. The first step is to make sure that all your materials are clearly organized. This will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your evaluation. With a clear organizational scheme, you can begin to draft an effective critique that is easily accessible to both you and the reader. In addition, you can use the scheme to add structure to your content, helping you to develop your argument effectively. Clearly explaining the context of the problem, the various dimensions of the problem, and the solution is a good way to begin this vital step.
Redlining
Sometimes, it isn’t easy to find the information you need in order to form an opinion or suggestion. In such cases, you can use what’s called “redlining.” Redlining is the process of identifying key areas of strength and weakness in a particular area, and then demonstrating how these strengths and weaknesses can be effectively used to improve the area in question. When used effectively, redlining helps to develop an in-depth understanding of a subject matter, as well as provide a clear set of recommendations for how it can be improved.
For example, let’s say that you’re an expert in the area of accounting, and you’ve been asked to give your opinion on the systems and procedures used by a company in order to keep track of their financial information. In this case, you would begin by identifying the key areas of accounting that this company needs to improve upon. For instance, they may lack a centralized database for tracking the financial information. Or, their system for recording capital expenditures could be more efficient.
From this point forward, you would begin to demonstrate how your expertise can be effectively used to improve the finances within this company. To do this, you need to break down the specific systems and procedures used by this company, identifying where they work well and where they could be enhanced or replaced. In this way, you will be able to suggest new systems and procedures for this particular industry, effectively improving their operations and increasing their overall productivity.
Procedures
Another important consideration in the process of writing a critique is the procedures used to collect and analyze the material. It is vital that you identify all the key steps, ensuring that each one is clearly explained. If you’re not sure where to begin, then it may be a good idea to ask a friend or colleague who is familiar with the company’s procedures. In this way, you can ensure that your critique is based on the most up-to-date information, and that all the key steps have been taken into account. In addition, if you’ve developed effective recommendations, then these procedures will form the basis of a clear plan for how the company can achieve its goals.
For instance, if you’ve been tasked with writing a critique on the marketing strategy of a particular company, then you would begin by analyzing the key materials used in their marketing plan, including a survey of consumer opinion, market analysis, and competitive intelligence.
From here, you can make suggestions as to how this company can improve their marketing strategy. To do this, you must first examine the different types of marketing materials used, and the purposes for which these materials are intended. Once you’ve determined the key strengths and weaknesses of their current strategy, you can lay out a plan for how this strategy can be improved.
Organization
Finally, as we’ve established, clear organization is vital in order to write an effective critique. Without it, even the most valuable content can become useless information. To that end, you must ensure that all the necessary information is easily accessible, and that each piece of content contributes to the overall understanding of the topic. To cite an example from the previous section, if the raw data is scattered throughout different documents, then it can be difficult to piece together, and difficult to explain the context of the problem. However, if this data is contained in a single document, then the writer can clearly explain the situation, and the reader can follow along, easily accessing the information they need.
The Usefulness Of A Critique
Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to evaluate the usefulness of your study. In order to do this, you must look at the four criteria below, and determine how well you’ve done according to these standards. For each criterion, you will receive a mark from 0 to 10, where 0 is low and 10 is high. The sum of these four criteria will determine the final grade for your critique.
The purpose of this part is to have you evaluate your own work. Naturally, the best grade you can get is a perfect 100. However, even moderate scores in all four categories will make your report valuable and contribute to the learning experience of both you and the company you’re evaluating.