It is my humble view that a well structured course is needed on how to give and receive advice because the concept of advice is not well understood by many people. There are several quotes about advice, some funny and some serious. Advice is often described as a free commodity not wanted by anyone. One quote I like about advice is: There are two kinds of fools, those who give advice and those who ignore it. Though this statement looks frivolous on the face of it, I think there is a profound meaning behind it.
We need to ask and answer a few questions on advice before we could dwell on how to give and receive advice. First of all, do we need advice. To answer this question, you just have to think of the occasions when you have used the advice given by others. I am sure that everyone has used advice given by others at least on a few occasions. You might have done it unconsciously but there is no gainsaying the fact that you have used advice. Advice is nothing but borrowed wisdom. A major part off our wisdom is borrowed in the sense that most of what we know is based on what we have heard, seen, experienced or read. Thus, there is no doubt that we do need advice.
The problem with advice is that it is resented if it is offered in its pure form that too when it is not solicited. The quote I mentioned earlier terming those giving advice as fools probably refers to unsolicited advice. Unsolicited advice is almost always rejected instantly because the person who receives it perceives it as a form of condescension. 'As if I don't know' is likely to be the spontaneous, unconscious response to unsolicited advice. But rejecting advice is foolish because you may be rejecting something valuable.
If you want your advice to be useful to the other person, disguise it. Clothe it in such a way that the receiver will not perceive it as an advice. For example, instead of giving a plain advice, you can narrate your experience. If you can convey that how foolish you were in acting or not acting in a particular way, the receiver will get the message. He or she will make a mental note to avoid the same mistake. There are other subtle ways giving advice to make it effective and acceptable.