Why is Feedback important?

Feedback is a way to let people know:

·      how effective they are or were in a particular situation

·      what you believed worked

·      or what you thought could be improved

Feedback expands our understanding of how others perceive us.

Whether we agree or not, perceptions are a person’s reality and they believe in them just as you believe in your own point of view.  Neither is right or wrong.

Feedback is a way for us to honestly communicate our points of view.  It is the first step to developing honesty and understanding between two people.  As a result, a person will learn what they do well and what they could improve, an important step to developing “self”.

Types of Feedback

Positive (plus)– A little praise goes a long way in motivation and performance. 

The next time you think something good about someone…tell them!  All too often good deeds go unsung. Positive reinforcement is also likely to encourage some to continue the behavior you were complimenting.

Constructive criticism  (delta)– This is the most important feedback to receive. Constructive criticism will enhance your self-awareness, improve your skills, and enable you to grow.  

How can a person adjust his/her approach if the individual isn’t aware of how their behavior is impacting others?

How to Give and Receive Feedback

 “How we give and receive criticism speaks volumes about our character.”  

~Bruce Weinstein

Giving Feedback

Feedback needs to be:

1.     Specific not General –  General statements such as “You’re meetings aren’t productive.” Or “That was a good report” lack specificity.  Neither statement lets you know what it is that made the meeting seem unproductive or made the report a “good one.” Specifics let you hone in on certain behaviors or actions to work on or repeat.

2.     Descriptive not evaluative – Describe the facts, behavior, or action and avoid evaluative language.  Feedback is a way to share your perception of how the other person affected you or  how the person came across to you. The examples above “good report” or that “was unproductive” are evaluative statements and leave people feeling judged.  It is helpful if we can avoid value-laden words and instead describe the behavior we want to highlight.

3.     Own your feedback – Use “I” statements to give the feedback.  You are letting them know how you perceive the situation.

4.     Feedback Needs to Be Well Timed – The feedback needs to be shared sooner rather than later in most cases. The more time passes the less relevance the feedback may have. On the other hand, if you can share your comments in proximity to the event it is usually better. Waiting till the end of the workshop to share that the facilitator repeatedly cut participants off by interrupting them does little good. Sharing the perception during the session would allow for some mid course corrections.

When You Are Receiving Feedback:

Be open  – Understand this is the other person’s point of view and they’re trying to help.  Listen without interrupting, objecting or explaining.

Actively Listen – Try to understand what the person is saying and why they thought it important to share the information with you.  Ask questions for clarification such as, “can you give me an example of when I did that?”

Accept – Know that the person is sharing a point of view that is real whether you agree or not.  Denial will only discount other’s opinions and prevent you from getting feedback in the future.

Respect – Say “thank you” to the person for taking the risk to share some honest feedback. 

Think about it – Take the time to reflect on what you heard. You can make a thoughtful decision as to whether you want to change a behavior, have another conversation with the person, ask others to share their perceptions or simply let it go.

Behaviors that impede growth:

Defensiveness; Attacking; Denial; Closed to opinions; Rationalization; Patronization; Superficiality

Honest feedback, if given regularly, will create an environment of trust, improved relationships, increase in skills, team work and productivity.