John Richardson offers this easy to digest outline for giving feedback. It’s valuable to people who need to guide others to be more effective.
There are three forms of feedback:
- Appreciation: Encouragement, praise, acknowledgment. Focus on the individual, not the individual’s performance.
- Coaching: Advice intended to improve someone’s performance in the future.
- Evaluation: Judging someone’s performance.
To improve feedback:
- Use appreciation, coaching, and evaluation. Not just one.
- Separate your view of people from your view of their behavior.
- Avoid dishonest praise.
- Don’t use it as a way to show off what you know.
- Ask whether the target wants it.
- Ask the target for his/her assessment of their performance.
- Involve the target. More of a conversation than a lecture.
- Indicate how you reached your conclusions. “I heard X, and that led me to think Y.
- Be specific. Instead of “Your reports aren’t substantive enough” or “I didn’t like your reports” say “You should keep the detailed qualitative analysis and should add recommendations for further quantitative study.”
- Use balanced feedback. “I really appreciated when you did X, but I am disappointed in your performance on Y.”
- Look for the positive in people and their performance. Be eager to praise (when praise is deserved). Beware of the culture of critique and cynicism.
- Timing is very important. Allow ample time to give and receive feedback; do not “shoe horn” it into inadequate time slots. AIso, if possible, give it along the way, not just at the very end of a process.
- The quality of honest, constructive feedback over time creates positive predispositions in the listener’s mind. Excessive praise or criticism can devalue future praise or criticism.