How many times in your career did you receive real constructive feedback ? I don’t know about you, but for me this kind of information was most of the time absent. Nevertheless, feedback is one of the most important communication methods you should master as a team lead, manager, team member, or just any other person.
In this article I will focus on “negative” feedback, also known as “corrective” or “constructive” feedback if this eases the pain for you.
There are a lot of benefits in giving constructive feedback. Despite all negative perceptions associated, you should never turn down the opportunity to receive this type of feedback !
- Constructive feedback can change your actions and behavior in a good way.
- Constructive feedback makes your blind spot smaller.
- Dealing with constructive feedback makes you more mature and contributes to your personal growth.
- Giving and receiving feedback is a substantial bnonus to the company’s culture, as it is an important way of communication.
If you want give or need to receive feedback, there are a number of steps you can follow in order to make the most of it.
For the giver
- Get prepared
Before giving constructive feedback, make sure you have thought over all aspects of your communication (what, when, where, why, how). - Ask for permission
Start your communication with a question if it is allowed to give him or her feedback. Doing this will make it look like the person is in control of the situation. Moreover, it will prepare the person’s brain that feedback is about to come in. - Describe what you have seen
When communicating the feedback, do use always I-sentences ! Avoid using You-wording to emphasize it concerns something you have noticed.
As an example: “I noticed the customer was disappointed” versus “You disappointed the customer“, will remove the stress, cause and possible blame from your communication partner. - Describe the impact
Explain why the action or behavior was perceived negatively. It can help when you express your or others’ feelings. - Suggest how to improve the situation
Always add one or more suggestions for improvement. Saying something is wrong becomes more complex when you also need to add some alternate and better solutions.
- Use silence
A period of silence is allowed. This gives the receiving person some time to process what was said. - Ask how the feedback was experienced
To end the conversation you can ask how the person perceived the feedback session.
For the receiver
- Open your mind
When somebody asks you to give you feedback, don’t put yourself in panic mode ! Put aside your ego and your biases. Try to prepare yourself that you are about to receive some extremely valuable knowledge and insight about yourself. Feedback will reduce your blind spots. - Active listening
Listen carefully what is being said. Use active listening techniques and ask questions is something not clear. - Thank the giver
Don’t forget to thank the giver for giving the feedback. This is important to build a culture of feedback in your company. Feedback is a gift, so you should express your gratitude, even if you are not in the mood. - Let it sink in.
After receiving the feedback, let it sink in. Avoid going into discussion right away, accept what said and think it over. - Respond to the feedback
After processing the feedback, go back to the receiver to tell him/her what you did with the received feedback. This closes the feedback loop.
Precise feedback
High quality feedback considers detailed descriptions and characteristics. So, when preparing and giving feedback, ensure the below attributes are met.
- Specific
Giving general feedback is just not good enough (e.g. “you screwed up“). Instead, use precise and detailed wording what you experienced (e.g. “I experienced the tone of your voice as loud and harsh that it must have scared away the customer”). Failing being clear and precise will leave the door open for confusion and ambiguous feelings. - Meaningful
Providing detailed experiences makes your feedback already meaningful. If you can relate it to personal or company goals on top of it, it will become even more meaningful. Remember to give feedback to work-related stuff only, never give feedback on people’s private life or personal matters ! - Objective
Be honest when giving feedback. Don’t play politics. Build your feedback upon your own experiences, not on the experiences of others. - Supporting
Giving feedback must have a positive effect on the receiver and/or the company at the end. - Actionable
You want a person to do or act differently, so ensure the feedback is actionable. Add examples of such actions for improvement to your message for clarification.
- Timely
Try to give your feedback relatively soon after you experience the behavior or actions. The situation is still fresh in memory and gives less opportunities for misinterpretations. This also means that you don’t need to wait giving feedback until the next midyear or year-end review !
Feedback methods
When feedback is not immediate, there are some interesting feedback techniques that you can try:
- The 360° feedback
A professional questionnaire filled in by your bosses, coworkers and peers that gives you an overall view about how you are perceived on multiple domains like leadership, performance, accuracy, and so on. - The sandwich technique
Tell something negative, but pack it in 2 positive wraps: say something good, then something bad and end with something good. This technique may be impopular because after a while people can already see the storm… - Stop, start, continue
Let people compose 3 feedback sentences, starting with “stop, start and continue”… In organized one on one sessions, these sentence are used to give feedback and can be further discussed.- “Stop interrupting people when they are speaking during our weekly meetings.”
- “Start showing interest by listening to what people are saying during…“
- “Continue (or do more) using your advisory skills to guide our junior….“
Categorieën:Team Lead, Team Service Desk
Service Desk Management 
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