I have a really good working relationship with the other team member in my department. We use open and honest feedback with each other. The few times that we have had a communication breakdown we have just walked away giving each other time and space to calm down, then approached the issue again calmly and maturely. This process works the best for us.
I have learned the hard way that planning feedback is critical. I have made the mistake of giving feedback when emotions are still high. Very negative. I believe that feedback must be given within a time frame. When events are still fresh and will be remembered. Planning is critical on giving feedback. Facts and details are critical. Not opinions. Hard facts/details are hard to agrue against. If in the feedback sessions receiver disputes the facts/details, usually there is hard evidence to support this dispute. Breakdown in a feedback sessions usally occurs when emotions enter the feedback session, either by the receiver or giver. Usually the receiver, if he/she is not informed ahead of time about this session and purpose of feedback. My experience as the "receiver" is that I was basically blindsided by one feedback session. The purpose was explained during feedback session. No time to prepare (emotionally or with facts/details). Feedback session quickly got out of hand. No winners.
James,
You have hit the nail on the head! Planning and timing are two of the crucial elements of effective and positive feedback. I hope that course participants over time will read your post. It covers the key factors in the feedback process. Thank you!
I'm sure to reiterate the expectations regarding the task prior to providing the feedback. This ensures that the feedback is contextualized to the issue at hand, and closes the window for misinterpreatation.
I believe one of the major pitfalls that managers can make is to become too emotionally invested in the feedback. If a manager appears angry or disappointed, the employee will focus on the emotions rather than the actual substance behind the feedback.
When meeting with a student to discuss an issue which needs attention or correction, I feel it's always important to give that person a heads up as to the topic of discussion. I believe it helps that person to better prepare themselves for that topic which in turn hopefully eases any anxiety they would otherwise have experienced. A quiet meeting room is always important with no distractions, i.e., cell phones, etc., to pull attention away from the topic at hand. In addition to my own personal notes to stay on track, it's always helpful in providing my student with a "contract," if you will, where they, too, can keep notes of what is expected of them and how they can affect a positive change in whatever the circumstance, behavior, progress, etc. I always like to follow up a few weeks down the road with them as well.
Irwin,
This is a crucial point! The feedback process suggests that we first present our observations as opposed to feelings ("I observed that..." as opposed to "I feel that..." Once the receiver sees emotion, particularly negative, the feedback process shuts down. Thanks Irwin for bringing this to our attention!
Jay Hollowell
As an instructor, a lot of feedback to students has to be done in real-time. For example, if a student is working on an assignment in Excel, the sooner I show them how to correct a problem in a formula, the better. Other situations allow more time to meet with students individually.
The focus has to stay on the task or the behavior. I also try to emphasize to students that constructive feedback is to help them improve so they can perform the tasks more effectively in the future.
Giving specific positive feedback can help boost students' confidence in their abilities. However, if the positive comments are too vague, they have limited impact.
Feedback has to be clear to be beneficial. If the giver and the receiver are not understanding the same thing, then both parties will end up getting frustrated.
When giving feedback that may be difficult to digest I usually make notes to myself that reflect only the facts of the situation. I tend to be very direct but sandwich critical feedback between positive feedback. By having my notes handy I am sure to touch on all of the aspects that I need to so that another feedback session isn't necessary because I missed something. I realize now that direct feedback may not always work for all audiences and I need to tailor my feedback based on who I am talking to.
Keeping to the facts is important. I like the suggestion of making bullet list. Another thought is to keep the discussion short. Over talking the issue dilutes the message.
When giving feedback I usually use the "sandwich" approach. I start out positive, then give the situation that needs to be improved or changed, and then end with positive comments again. The trick as that they all have to relate and focus on the issue that needs improvement. They have to be clear as to the undesirable aspects and clarity of appropriate expectation.
Pitfalls in communication are diversion tactics by some people. They divert blame onto another reason or person. I have to refocus the diversion back to what specific responsibilities are theirs.
We have a checklist when giving feedback where notes can be taken. The pitfalls would be when the situation is not addressed on the sheet so appropriate changes need to be made to make sure that issue can be resolved. Another problem is people have differing views on how to rank incidents. Where one person may give a lot high scores, another may think it is too high and nothing is perfect so they do not give out any high scores so the feedback would be skewed.
Kimberly,
We used to call it "the hamburger" - meat in the middle, but softer (bread) on each side to begin and end with. :-)
Jay Hollowell
Samantha ,
Thanks for your comments! True, rankings that are quantitative and more definitive are still subjective and subject to both the perceptions of everyone involved. I always suggest that on any type of evaluation or ranking, the evaluator, in giving feedback, lists examples and observations prior to giving the numerical ranking rather than ranking first and then looking for examples to justify it.
Jay Hollowell
I need to make sure that even when giving negative feedback that there is always something positive that can help students realize their worth.
If it's negative feedback I'm providing, I first try to explain the issue to the employee and get them on board with correcting it. Highlighting the impact their individual performance has on the team or group is usually effective for this. If there is no buy-in to correct a behavior, they are likely to not be receptive to feedback. Once we've agreed action is necessary, I make suggestions and solicit other viewpoints from the employee. It's also important to set a specific timeframe for improvement to hold employees accountable.
As a Chef Instructor, immediate constructive feedback is key. I found that our millennial generation think constructive feedback is critisisim of themselves, not their work. It is very important that I regualary tell them, that the feedback is on their dish, and not a crtique of them personally.
When they bring up their dish for feedback, I have them critique it first - what went right, what went wrong, what changes would they make next time. Then it is important that I first tell them what they did correctly, then what is needed for improvement. If possible, I encourage them to go back and make the dish again. I get more "buy in" and students can acknowlege their progress.
