Why do so many of us find it so hard to give honest, constructive feedback?.
Nobody's perfect
First of all, I think it's important to point this out - even if it feels rather obvious.
Even if someone is more proficient than you at a specific skill, they are not perfect. For this reason, I think it always makes sense to point out things that could be improved upon.
It is important to not be condescending, though. This is especially important if the person you are giving feedback is less experienced than you.
However, this post is not about giving feedback. Rather, it's about receiving it.
Asking for feedback
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of people find it hard to give feedback. The fastest way to receive more feedback is simply to encourage people to give it. For example, you could start every call/meeting/presentation with a note about how you would appreciate any feedback.
This is especially powerful if you emphasize how you are aware that you're not perfect but really want to improve.
It's the same as receiving App Store reviews (coincidentally, I recently wrote an article about how to improve your app store rating). The easiest way to receive more ratings and reviews is to ask for more.
Reacting to feedback
The most important part of receiving feedback is how you react to it.
First, how you react to it in the short term. Imagine someone just told you that your third slide contained way too much text and was really confusing.
You might feel an urge to start arguing and protect your work - "4 bullet points is definitely not too much text". These kinds of kneejerk reactions to feedback should be avoided. They set the precedent that giving you feedback is a way to start an argument. Again, this espcially applies if you are more experienced than the feedback-giver.
What you decide to do with the feedback in the long term is entirely up to you. If you don't agree with the feedback, you don't need to adhere to it.
However, it is important to remember that the feedback was meant as a genuine tip to help you improve.
I have been trying to be explicit about giving more feedback for a few years now. I hope you will join - and together, we can all improve.