Give Feedback

"Assessment of the operation" Does Just mentioning this phrase makes your heart sink ?

Employees and managers around the world fear this ritual and it sets the main problem : we have institutionalized the giving and receiving feedback. We save up our comments and document all things to note about the performance of a person. And then, like a big cat ready to pounce, the manager brings an unfortunate employee in the office and the value of the "constructive criticism" from year to year he or she comes.

Undoubtedly, the process is seen as bewildering and fear it causes. And this is exactly the wrong emotional environment in which to discuss performance, introduce proposals for improvement, and discuss future goals. This is a shame, because giving and receiving feedback is the most important part of communication which can perform with members of his team.

When done in the right way and with the right intentions, communication feedback is the avenue to performance greatness. Employees need to know what they are doing well and not so well. To really listen to their thoughts and suggestions on how to improve, however, that feedback must be delivered carefully and often.

Giving effective feedback is a skill. And like all skills, it takes practice to build your confidence and improve. The following is a collection of tips that you can start to implement today, " giving feedback ".

Tip :
We talked in general about the feedback between a manager / supervisor and the employee. However, feedback can, and should, give up, down and sideways. The same principles apply.

Giving Feedback Effectively

Rule number one: try to be a positive process and Experience

Before giving feedback be sure to remember why you're doing. The purpose is to provide feedback to improve the situation or performance. You will not achieve that by being tough, critical or offensive.

That does not mean you should always be positive. There is a role for negativity and even anger if someone is not paying enough attention to what you're saying. However, this should be used sparingly. You'll most often get a lot more people when your approach is positive and focused on improvement. ( Use tools like the feedback matrix and the Losada ratio to help you get the right balance. )

Be on time

The closer to the event to address the issue, the better. Comment This is not surprising someone so the sooner you do, the person expected it.

Think of it this way : It is much easier to provide feedback about a job only an hour that was not done properly which is to provide feedback on a whole year of failed jobs an hour.

Tip:

The exception to this is if the situation in question is highly emotional. In this case, wait until everyone has calmed down before participating in the feedback. You can not take the risk of letting get nervous and the risk of saying something you will regret later.

Have it regular

Feedback is a process that requires constant attention. When something to say, say it. So people know where they stand all the time and there are few surprises. Moreover, the problems do not get out of hand. This is not a once a year or at an event once every three months. While this may be time to formal and informal feedback, the simple feedback should be given much more often than this - maybe every week or even every day, depending on the situation.

With frequent informal feedback of this type, said nothing during formal feedback sessions should be unexpected, surprising or particularly difficult.

Prepare your feedback

You do not want to read a script, but you do need to understand that going to say. This helps you stay on track and stick to the issues.

Be specific

Tell the person exactly what they need to improve. This ensures that they adhere to the facts and there is less room for ambiguity. If you tell someone who acted unprofessional, what does that mean exactly? Were too strong, too friendly, too casual, too they flip or too underdressed ?

Remember to stick to what you know firsthand : You will soon find yourself on shaky ground if you start giving feedback based on the opinions of others.

Tip:

Try not to exaggerate to make a point. Avoid words like "never ", " all " and "always", because the person will get defensive. Always discuss the outcomes of the behavior and do not get personal or seek to blame.

Criticize in private

While public recognition is appreciated, public scrutiny is not.

Establish a safe place to talk in which he was not interrupted or overheard.

Use statements of "I"

Give feedback on your perspective. This way you avoid labeling the person.

Say : "I was angry and hurt when criticized my report in front of my boss " instead of " You were insensitive yesterday. "

Narrow Your Focus

A feedback session should discuss no more than two questions. Any more than that and you risk the person feel attacked and demoralized.

You should also follow the behaviors that the person can actually change or influence.

Talking too Positive

A good rule is to start with something positive. This helps to put people at ease. It also allows them to "see " what success looks like and this helps them to take appropriate measures next time.

While not required, but can also help give a positive end feedback session also answer. Otherwise, people can end up feeling discouraged and worthless.

Tip:

Many people may tend to overdo it and end up sandwiching the constructive feedback between positive too. Then the message becomes takeaway : " Gee, I 'm doing fine " instead of "I am good at communicating with customers, but I have to bring my interpersonal skills with my colleagues to the same level. "

Provide specific suggestions

Make sure you both know what to do to improve the situation. The main message should be that you care and want to help the person to grow and develop. Set goals and make plans to monitor and evaluate progress. Use the SMART acronym and define the specific steps and milestones, or the GROW model to motivate people to deliver the change you want.

Tip:

You may not agree on everything, so it's a good idea to ask the person to give their point of view. Use phrases like, " What is your reaction to this" or " ? Is this a fair representation of what happened," Listen carefully to what he or she has to say and try to make him or her to provide some suggestions for improvement. This will have the opportunity to own the solution and are much more likely to follow through with it. To avoid sounding like I was preaching, stay away from words like " good", "bad", "should", "need", etc.

Tracing

The whole purpose of feedback is to improve performance. You have to measure whether or not what is happening and then make adjustments on the fly. Be sure to document your conversations and discuss what is working and what needs to change.

Tip:

It is also important to actively seek the opinion of your boss, colleagues and clients. See our article on Getting Feedback for more information on this.

Key Points

Feedback is a two way street. You need to know how to effectively and at the same time model of how to receive constructive manner.

When you make a conscious choice to give and receive feedback on a regular basis to show that feedback is a powerful means of personal development. Done correctly, the feedback does not have to be agonizing, demoralizing, or daunting and the more practice you get the better you will become at it. It may never be your favorite means of communication with employees, co-workers or bosses, but has the potential to make your workplace a more productive and harmonious place to be.