10 tips on Giving and Receiving Feedback
Why is feedback so important?
There are a number of benefits to giving feedback, for both the person receiving the feedback and for the person giving it. Some of the benefits include:
It gives people the opportunity to reflect on their actions and breeds an environment for learning.
It can strengthen relationships by fostering trust and setting up an open dialog between you and your employees.
It can help to improve the overall performance of an individual which in turn improves the overall team or organisation.
It can also increase morale and motivation by recognising and rewarding good performance, which can increase employee satisfaction.
Tips on giving feedback
Be specific
Don’t be general in your comments when giving feedback. Employee feedback should be clear and to the point. So, avoid making generalised evaluations about something and asking vague questions. It is also important to look at both positive work performance and areas that need improvement. You should be specific on what you’d like your employee to do and offer guidance on how they can apply the feedback. It may also help to focus on one issue at a time instead of multiple issues.
Private feedback
It is best never to criticise an individual publicly. Some people may prefer their feedback to be delivered in a private meeting. Or maybe consider offering employee feedback in the form of a written response. This can give you time to offer a more thoughtful answer. Praising or giving critique can be effective if you speak with the individual one-on-one instead of in a group or even a social setting. So, choose a good time when you can focus all your attention on the receiver and consider their needs.
Timing is everything
It is good practice to provide feedback as immediately or at least as close to when the particular event has occured to have the greatest impact. Saving feedback for formal conversations doesn’t give the employee the opportunity to learn, grow, and improve along the way. If you don’t give feedback close to the time, the employee will unknowingly keep making the same mistakes and by the time the quarterly performance review comes around, you’ll be confronted with a multitude of problems that could have been avoided if mentioned earlier.
As an employee, make a habit of asking for feedback often. This approach eliminates any surprises when you receive it and enables you to be more open to using the advice given to learn and improve. It is important to ask open-ended questions to those you trust and those who can truthfully evaluate your work performance.
Be objective
It is so important that you remain objective about a situation as you give a critique. It is also good practice to treat every member of your team with the same respect and commitment, so they all feel included in the workplace. You should also focus on factual information and justify your feedback, especially if it’s negative. Try not to base your assessment on subjective information and personal feelings and emotions.
Set up an action plan
Giving actionable advice is really important when giving negative feedback as it is purposeless to criticise work if you don’t say how to improve it. As you talk about work performance, you should set out specific goals that help both parties determine if expectations are being met. It is important to give clear directions for what you want to see using clear steps with actionable points. It is also useful to decide on a reasonable time frame to complete those steps to keep track of progress
Follow Up
It is essential that you follow up with your direct report and show appreciation when you see improvement along the way. This will show your genuine care for their success and can motivate them to keep up the standard of work. Set aside some time to discuss progress and set new goals as needed to offer your employees continuous support.
Following up may simply involve implementing the suggestions given to you, but it is always advisable to set up another meeting to discuss the feedback and provide updates on the changes that have been made.
Tips on receiving feedback
Be open
You should be receptive to new ideas and different opinions. You may learn something worthwhile. It is important to look at ways to change your actions and behaviours to improve and lead to better results.
Listen to the feedback given
Actively listening is essential to successfully understanding and implementing any feedback you are given. This means not interrupting and not focusing solely on your responses and being defensive. Listen actively by repeating key points so that you know you have interpreted the feedback correctly, it is important to understand what is being said to you. You should always ask questions for clarification if needed.
Reflect
Take the time to reflect and assess the given feedback and then decide what to do next. If you disagree with the feedback, consider asking others for their opinion as well.
Be thankful for the feedback
It is good practice to thank the person who has offered you feedback, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, to show them you not only listened and understood what they have said. You might also share some ideas for improvement to show that you plan to reflect on the feedback and work on implementing changes. This is also good for building your reputation as a person who is genuinely interested in receiving feedback in the future, which can help your development in the long run.
Overall, feedback is a necessary component of growth and development in both personal and professional situations. These tips will hopefully allow you to make these conversations a lot easier and more effective, leading to better communication and overall performance.
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