Giving Feedback - Communication Skills - Mind Tools

Before giving feedback, remind yourself why you are doing it. The purpose of giving feedback is to improve the situation or the person's performance. You won't ... MENU JoinMindTools Login SkillAreas Back SkillAreas LeadershipSkills TeamManagement StrategyTools ProblemSolving DecisionMaking ProjectManagement TimeManagement StressManagement CommunicationSkills CreativityTools LearningSkills CareerSkills LearningFormats Back LearningFormats Bite-SizedTraining BookInsights(Audio) CareerCafe ExpertInterviews(Audio) Forums Infographics Learningstreams MindToolsApp MyLearningPlan Quizzes TemplatesandWorksheets Videos ForBusiness Newsletter Blog AboutUs HomeCommunicationSkillsFeedbackGivingFeedback BytheMindToolsContentTeam BytheMindToolsContentTeam (108) 108ratings 9MINREADGivingFeedbackBoostingYourPeople'sConfidenceandAbility   "Performancereview."Doesthemerementionofthiseventmakeyourheartsink? Employeesandmanagerstheworldoverdreadthisritualandthereinlaysthemainproblem:wehaveinstitutionalizedthegivingandreceivingoffeedback.Wesaveupourcommentsanddocumentallthethingswenoteaboutaperson'sperformance.Andthen,likeabigcatreadytopounce,themanagerbringsahaplessemployeeintotheofficeandspringsayear'sworthof"constructivecriticism"ontohimorher. Nowonderwhythisprocessissounnervingandfearprovoking.Thisisexactlythewrongemotionalenvironmentinwhichtodiscussperformance,introducesuggestionsforimprovement,andtalkaboutgoalsforthefuture.Thisisashame,becausegivingandreceivingfeedbackiskeytoengagingyourpeopleandkeepingthemontrack. Whendoneintherightwayandwiththerightintentions,feedbackcanleadtooutstandingperformance.Employeeshavetoknowwhattheyaredoingwellandnotsowell.Forthemtoreallyhearyourthoughtsandsuggestionsonwaystoimprove,though,thatfeedbackhastobedeliveredcarefullyandfrequently. Givingfeedbackisaskill.Andlikeallskills,ittakespracticetogetitright.So,inthisarticleandinthevideo,below,we'llgivesometipsonhowyoucangivefeedbackconstructivelyandeffectively. Clickhere   toviewatranscriptofthisvideo. Tip: Wetalkgenerallyaboutfeedbackbetweenamanager/supervisorandteammember.However,feedbackcan,andshould,begivenup,down,andsideways.Thesameprinciplesapply. GivingFeedbackEffectively CheckYourMotives Beforegivingfeedback,remindyourselfwhyyouaredoingit.Thepurposeofgivingfeedbackistoimprovethesituationortheperson'sperformance.Youwon'taccomplishthatbybeingharsh,criticaloroffensive. You'lllikelygetmuchmorefrompeoplewhenyourapproachispositiveandfocusedonimprovement.That'snottosayfeedbackalwayshastobegood,butitshouldbefairandbalanced.UsetoolsliketheFeedbackMatrix   andtheLosadaRatio   tohelpyougettheexactbalanceright.(NotethatthestatisticsbehindtheLosadaRatioareindoubtbuttheprincipleisnot.) FindingThisArticleUseful? Youcanlearnanother151communicationskills,likethis,byjoiningtheMindToolsClub. JointheMindToolsClub Today! SubscribetoOurNewsletter Receivenewcareerskillseveryweek,plusgetourlatestoffersandafreedownloadablePersonalDevelopmentPlanworkbook. ReadourPrivacyPolicy BeTimely Theclosertotheeventyouaddresstheissue,thebetter.Feedbackisn'taboutsurprisingsomeone,sothesooneryoudoit,themorethepersonwillbeexpectingit.Thinkofitthisway:it'smucheasiertoprovidefeedbackaboutasingle,one-hourjobthathasn'tbeendoneproperlythanitistodosoaboutawholeyearoffailed,one-hourjobs. TakealookatourarticleHowtoDeliverOn-the-SpotFeedback   tohelpyoujudgetherighttime. Tip: Ifthesituationinvolvedishighlyemotional,waituntileveryonehascalmeddownbeforeyouengageinfeedback.Therecipientwillmorelikelyhearwhatyou'resaying,andyou'llavoidsayingsomethingintheheatofthemomentthatyouregretlater. MakeItRegular Feedbackisaprocessthatrequiresconstantattention.Whensomethingneedstobesaid,sayit.Peoplethenknowwheretheystandallthetimeandtherewillbefewsurprises.Also,problemsdon'tgetoutofhand.It'snotaonce-a-yearoraonce-every-three-monthevent.Thoughthismaybethetimingofformalfeedback;informal,simplefeedbackshouldbegivenmuchmoreoftenthanthis–perhapseveryweekoreveneveryday,dependingonthesituation. Withfrequent,informalfeedbacklikethis,nothingsaidduringformalfeedbacksessionsshouldbeunexpected,surprisingorparticularlydifficult. PrepareYourComments Youdon'twanttoreadascript,butyoudoneedtobeclearaboutyouaregoingtosay.Thiswillhelpyoutostayontrackandsticktotheissues. BeSpecific Tellthepersonexactlywhatheneedstoimprove.Thisensuresthatyousticktofactsandthereislessroomforambiguity. Ifyoutellsomeonethatsheactedunprofessionally,whatdoesthatmeanexactly?Wasshetooloud,toofriendly,toocasual,tooflippantortoopoorlydressed? Remembertosticktowhatyouknowfirsthand:you'llquicklyfindyourselfonshakygroundifyoustartgivingfeedbackbasedonotherpeople'sviews. Tip: Trynottoexaggeratetomakeapoint.Avoidwordslike"never","all,"and"always"becausethepersonwilllikelygetdefensive.Alwaysdiscussthedirectimpactofthebehavioranddon'tgetpersonalorseektoblame. CriticizeinPrivate Whilepublicrecognitionisappreciated,publicscrutinyisnot. Establishasafeplacetotalkwhereyouwon'tbeinterruptedoroverheard. Use"I"Statements Givefeedbackfromyourperspective.Thiswayyouavoidlabelingtheperson. Say,"Iwasangryandhurtwhenyoucriticizedmyreportinfrontofmyboss"ratherthan"Youwereinsensitiveyesterday." LimitYourFocus Afeedbacksessionshoulddiscussnomorethantwoissues.Anymorethanthatandyouriskthepersonfeelingattackedanddemoralized. Youshouldalsosticktobehaviorshecanactuallychangeorinfluence. TalkAboutPositivesToo Agoodruleistostartoffwithsomethingpositive.Thishelpsputthepersonatease.Itwillalsoallowherto"see"whatsuccesslookslikeandwhatstepssheneedstotakenexttimetogetitright. Trytoendonahighnote,too.Otherwise,shemaybeleftfeelingdespondentandworthless. Tip: Manypeopletendtooverdothisandendupsandwichingtheconstructivefeedbackbetweentoomanypositives.Thenthetakeawaymessagebecomes,"Gee,I'mdoingreallywell,"insteadof"I'mgoodatcommunicatingwithcustomers,butIneedtobringmyinterpersonalskillswithmyco-workersuptothatsamelevel." ProvideSpecificSuggestions Makesureyoubothknowwhatneedstobedonetoimprovethesituation.Themainmessageshouldbethatyoucareandwanttohelpthepersongrowanddevelop.Setgoalsandmakeplanstomonitorandevaluatehisprogress.UsetheSMART   acronymanddefinespecificstepsandmilestones,ortheGROWmodel   tomotivatehimtodeliverthechangethatyouwant. Tip: Youmaynotagreeoneverything,soitisagoodideatoaskthepersontogiveherperspective.Usephraseslike,"Whatisyourreactiontothis?"or"Isthisafairrepresentationofwhathappened?" Listenactivelytowhatshehastosayandtrytogethertooffersomesuggestionsforimprovement.Thiswayshehasanopportunitytoownthesolutionandwillbemorelikelytofollowthroughwithit.Toavoidsoundinglikeyou'repreaching,stayawayfromwordslike"good,""bad,""must,""needto,"etc. FollowUp Thewholepurposeoffeedbackistoimproveperformance.Youneedtomeasurewhetherornotthatishappeningandthenmakeadjustmentsasyougo.Besuretodocumentyourconversationsanddiscusswhatisworkingandwhatneedstobemodified. Tip: It'salsoimportantthatyouactivelyseekfeedbackfromyourboss,colleagues,andcustomers.SeeourarticleonGettingFeedback   formoreonthis. KeyPoints Feedbackisatwo-waystreet.Youneedtoknowhowtogiveiteffectivelyandhowtoreceiveitconstructively. Whenyoumakeaconsciouschoicetogiveandreceivefeedbackonaregularbasisyoudemonstratethatitisapowerfulmeansofpersonaldevelopmentandpositivechange. Doneproperly,feedbackneednotbeagonizing,demoralizingordaunting,andthemorepracticeyougetthebetteryouwillbecomeatit.Itmayneverbeyourfavoritemeansofcommunicatingwithyourteammembers,co-workersoryourboss,butitdoeshavethepotentialtomakeyourworkplaceamuchmoreproductiveandharmoniousplacetobe. Infographic Toseeourinfographicofapopularfeedbacktool,theCEDAR™FeedbackModel,clickontheimagebelow. Thissiteteachesyoutheskillsyouneedforahappyandsuccessfulcareer;andthisisjustoneofmany toolsandresourcesthatyou'llfindhereatMindTools.Subscribetoour freenewsletter,or jointheMindToolsClubandreallysuperchargeyourcareer! AddthisarticletoMyLearningPlan MarkarticleasComplete ShowRatings HideRatings Ratings Ratethisresource Freeloginneeded. Login / CreateLogin. FREEResourceBundleWhenYouJointheClub OurnewManagersMatterBundleprovidesyouwithfiveresourcesfocusedonkeepingyourskillsup-to-date.JoinMindToolsbeforeNovember3todownloaditforFREE! JoinMindTools JointheMindToolsClub SignupforourFREEnewsletter Comments(39) Overamonthago Yolandewrote Hiupsurgepersona, We'regladtohearyoufoundthearticleuseful.Wehavemanymoreresources-keepbrowsingandreading! Yolande MindToolsCoach Overamonthago upsurgepersonawrote "Goodarticle.Veryknowledgeableandinformative.Iwouldliketoreadnewarticlesrelatedtothis!IWouldalsolikeyoutoreadourarticlesrelatedpersonalitydevelopmentandmentalhealth Personalitydevelopmentandmore" Overamonthago BillTwrote HiSani, Thankyouforyourfeedback. BillT MindToolsTeam ViewAllComments PreviousArticle Previous NextArticle Next SubscribetoOurNewsletter Receivenewcareerskillseveryweek,plusgetourlatestoffersandafreedownloadablePersonalDevelopmentPlanworkbook. ReadourPrivacyPolicy SubscribetoOurNewsletter Receivenewcareerskillseveryweek,plusgetourlatestoffersandafreedownloadablePersonalDevelopmentPlanworkbook. ReadourPrivacyPolicy FREEResourceBundleWhenYouJoin OurnewManagersMatterBundleprovidesyouwithfiveresourcesfocusedonkeepingyourskillsup-to-date. FindOutMore 1DaytoGo! AllowYourTeamtoLearnFromHome Discover MindToolsforBusiness-empoweringeveryoneinyourorganizationtothriveatworkwithaccesstolearningwhentheyneedit.  FindOutMore 1DaytoGo! RelatedResources FromMindTools 360-DegreeFeedback Signup Toprovidefeedback UserResearch We'realwaysstrivingtoimproveyourexperienceontheplatformandwe'dlovetohearyourfeedbackonsomenewandexistingdesigns. Signuphereandgetinvitedtoparticipateinouruserresearch! SponsoredLinks Toolkit LeadershipSkills(60) TeamManagement(310) StrategyTools(144) ProblemSolving(47) DecisionMaking(57) ProjectManagement(65) TimeManagement(64) StressManagement(76) CommunicationSkills(150) CreativityTools(29) LearningSkills(56) CareerSkills(212) MyLearningPlan AddArticletoMyPlan SaveMyPlan RecentlyAdded {{latestItems.length}} {{item.rm_title_short}} {{item.pgr_name}} MyLearningPlanPage FindOutMore CommunicationSkills StartHere CommunicationSkills-StartHere UnderstandingCommunicationSkills HowGoodAreYourCommunicationSkills? The7CsofCommunication 10CommonCommunicationMistakes HowApproachableAreYou? PlanningandStructuring TuneYourCommunication BeatingBusinessJargon CommunicationsPlanning Monroe'sMotivatedSequence TheRhetoricalTriangle DevelopingaCommunicationsCharter TheCommunicationStrategyFramework HowtoCommunicateOrganizationalUncertainty TheCommunicationCycle CreatingaValueProposition BusinessStorytelling Chunking DevelopingSurveys DevelopingGoodCustomerRelationships QuestioningTechniques KeepItSimple CommunicatinginPerson DavidGrove'sCleanLanguage MakingaPhoneCall TheLadderofAbstraction Gable'sFourResponsestoGoodNews TheSTREETCREDSModelForSavvyConversations TheCOINConversationModel MindfulListening HowtoMakeSmallTalk MakingaGreatFirstImpression ImpromptuSpeakingSkills HowtoBeaMoreEngagingSpeaker BuildingGoodWorkRelationships HowtoBeTactful BodyLanguage Mehrabian'sCommunicationModel Neuro-LinguisticProgramming(NLP) Assertiveness Developing"Character" HowGoodAreYourListeningSkills? ActiveListening EmpathicListening ThinkingonYourFeet WorkingWiththeMedia ConsultativeSelling Feedback HowGoodIsYourFeedback? GivingFeedback HowtoDeliverOn-the-SpotFeedback GettingFeedback GivingPraise 360-DegreeFeedback TheCEDAR™FeedbackModel TheFeedbackMatrix TheLosadaRatio ManagingComplaintsandFeedback Stop–KeepDoing–Start TheSituation-Behavior-ImpactFeedbackTool Meetings 8WaysToAddValuetoMeetings Skip-LevelMeetings WalkingMeetings HowtoGetYourVoiceHeardinMeetings RunningEffectiveMeetings WritingMeetingNotes RunningTeleconferences Planningan"AwayDay" TheRoleofaFacilitator DialogueMapping™ ManagingConflictinMeetings ManagingConferencesandEvents CompanyTownHallMeetings HowtoRunEffectiveVirtualMeetings IceBreakers VirtualIceBreakers PlanningaWorkshop Presentations Webinars HowGoodAreYourPresentationSkills? ThePresentationPlanningChecklist 10CommonPresentationMistakes BetterPublicSpeaking DeliveringGreatPresentations CreatingEffectivePresentationVisuals SpeakingtoanAudience ManagingPresentationNerves CraftinganElevatorPitch HowtoStructureaPresentation CommunicatinginWriting HowtoCiteandReference EmojiMeaningsatWork WritingSkills PunctuationBasics–Part1 PunctuationBasics–Part2 InvertedPyramidWriting WritingEffectiveEmails 10CommonEmailMistakes BusinessReports ParaphrasingandSummarizing HowtoUseChartsandGraphsEffectively AIDA:Attention-Interest-Desire-Action NineWaystoGettheBestFromTwitter HowtoUseLinkedInEffectively UsingInstantMessagingEffectively EightStrategiesforEffectiveEmail WritingaBlog Organograms WritingaPressRelease Negotiation,PersuasionandInfluence Baker's4StrategiesofInfluence EssentialNegotiationSkills Win-WinNegotiation NegotiatingaJobOffer IntegrativeNegotiation DistributiveBargaining HowtoHandleBrinkmanship "Yes"tothePerson,"No"totheTask PowersofPersuasion ThePersuasionToolsModel TheFiveCanonsofRhetoric TheInfluenceModel MinorityInfluenceStrategy HowStrongAreYourInfluencingSkills? Blanchard'sABCDModelofTrust EstablishingCredibility YuklandTracey'sInfluencers TheConflictLayerModel GeorgesandGuenzi'sCustomerTrustModel 10CommonNegotiationMistakes LewickiandHiam'sNegotiationMatrix DifficultCommunicationSituations TransactionalAnalysis Role-Playing DeliveringBadNews HowtoTellYourBossThey'reWrong WhentoSpeakUp OpeningClosedMinds UnfairCriticism CommunicatinginaCrisis LettingPeopleGo HowtoHandleSocialMediaCriticism HowtoSpotRealandFakeNews DealingWithUnhappyCustomers BellandHart'sEightCausesofConflict DealingWithUnreasonableRequests HowtoDealWithUnrealisticCustomers ConfidentialityintheWorkplace WorkingWithPeopleYouDon'tLike HowtoApologize DealingWithManipulativePeople UnderstandingOthersBetter TheJohariWindow PerceptualPositions HowtoMake"High-QualityConnections" ConceptAttainment BetariBox EmpathyatWork Self-Disclosure SubscribetoOurNewsletter Receivenewcareerskillseveryweek,plusgetourlatestoffersandafreedownloadablePersonalDevelopmentPlanworkbook. ReadourPrivacyPolicy SubscribetoOurNewsletter Receivenewcareerskillseveryweek,plusgetourlatestoffersandafreedownloadablePersonalDevelopmentPlanworkbook. ReadourPrivacyPolicy Processing Pleasewait...