Having been a member of Toastmasters for many years, after each speech, we receive feedback. There’s a typical formula saying what the evaluator liked and where you could improve your speech.
It’s straightforward to say that if you get positive feedback, do more of that. If you get negative feedback, turn it into something constructive even if it wasn’t phrased in that manner. As human beings, we can be given 99% glowing feedback and 1% negative and what do we do? Focus on the negative. We almost can’t help ourselves as our brains are wired to look at what can be a threat.
Some of my biggest growth spurts have been after receiving constructive feedback as I use this to improve my talks. It’s not always easy taking it in at first but once you can see it as a gift, you will appreciate the time the person took to tell you their opinion.
We also have to remember that it is only an opinion. We can read the feedback and then decide if we want to make any changes or not. That is our choice.
So if you are hesitant to ask for feedback, I would say “Ask” as you will always learn. Even if it may feel a bit uncomfortable.