Tips For Giving Effective Feedback

A Quick Guide for Giving Effective Feedback

Feedback can be a powerful way to develop others and improve efficiency on your team. When done well, it fosters trust, engagement, and growth. However, when done poorly, it can present the opposite effect and destroy working relationships. Effective feedback requires careful thought and intention. 

The most effective feedback occurs regularly and does not require formal meetings or reviews. Feedback can be given informally or formally, but if often most helpful when provided promptly. 

Feedback that fosters engagement is often frequent, focused, and future-oriented, according to a 2022 Gallup study. It also showed employees were more engaged and energized about their work when they received regular (weekly) feedback over annual feedback. 

To deliver effective feedback, we will cover some of the most important feedback practices and habits you can start today.

1. Active Listening

One of the first steps to growing your feedback competency is the ability to actively listen. Go into feedback with an openness to listen. 

When someone else is speaking, active listening requires the ability to 

1. set aside pre-conceived ideas of how the conversation needs or should go
2. what you want to say, and 
3. what responses you need to have ready. 

Practice giving more time and space for silence after speaking. Allow the other person more time to speak. Avoid interrupting and be mindful of the need to defend yourself. Summarize what you hear the other person saying and ask clarifying questions.

2. Regulating Your Own Emotions

Feedback conversations will only remain effective if you are able to regulate your emotions. Giving feedback and receiving can feel uncomfortable, provoke anxiety, and bring up a lot of emotions that some people don’t know how to manage.

• Take deep breaths and pauses when needed.
• Name what’s showing up and provide a solution:
  • “I’d like to process this and follow up later.”
  • “This is something we both feel really passionate about. Let’s take some time to think about it further and come back at a later date.”
  • “That’s an interesting idea, I need some time to think about that. Let’s return to this tomorrow so I can provide a better way to talk about this.”

3. Relate Feedback to Goals

Whenever possible, relate feedback to specific and relevant goals that can be measured. Consider if the feedback is going to help this person get closer to are farther from their desired goal(s). If goals haven’t been established, it’s never too late to start the conversation.

4. Shifting Your Mindset With Developmental Feedback 

Shift your perspective from person-centered problems to behavior-centered opportunities for growth. If there is a behavior you’d like the person to change, focus on it as an objective behavior and explore a potential solution with them. 

This view means the behavior is the problem, not the person. This presents an opportunity to explore what’s getting in the way of finding workable solutions. This helps diffuse defenses and enables you to see the person as a human who can change if given the opportunity, environment, and tools to succeed. 

5. Balance Positive and Developmental Feedback

Reinforce strengths by acknowledging what’s working. Be sure to notice and point out what someone has been doing well. Find ways to help them continue what’s working. If you catch someone doing something helpful, productive, impactful, positive, and the like, SAY SOMETHING when you see it.

Encourage growth by focusing on behaviors that can be improved. Use the 80/20 rule: 80% reinforcement of helpful behaviors and 20% constructive feedback.

6. Use a Clear and Constructive Framework

Feedback that is specific, tied to goals, and addresses impact can be beneficial. Use the SBI model to help frame your feedback in an easy-to-communicate and understand way.

SBIS Model (Situation-Behavior-Impact-Solution)

1. Situation: Describe the specific context.
2. Behavior: Focus on observed actions, not assumptions.
3. Impact: Explain the effect on the team, project, or organization.
4. Solution: Explore potential solutions.

Example:
In yesterday’s team meeting (situation), I noticed you were excited about sharing your responses to team member’s discussions. However, this lead to frequently interrupting team members several times (behavior), which made it hard for others to contribute and slowed down decision-making (impact). What might be some helpful ways for you to share your ideas without interrupting others? -or- What might be some ways to allow others to finish their thoughts and ideas before speaking up? (solution)

7. Step Into Coach Mode: Foster Dialogue and Ownership

Feedback conversations are not a one way street, and they should allow for two-way dialogue. You can do this by seeking clarification, asking for their perspective, and using open-ended questions. Be sure to focus on solutions and refrain from dwelling on the problem as if it’s something they need to figure out on their own.

Showing you care about the other person, their situation, and their success is one of the best ways to help someone grow. When your team succeeds, you succeed. Help the other person take ownership of their situation, but foster an environment of compassion, trust, safety, and thoughtfulness in how they can continue to learn, develop, and achieve goals.

Are you ready to give effective feedback?

Find out if you’re ready to give effective feedback. Download the free feedback checklist. Save it to your desktop or hang it in your office as a quick reference to check yourself before you open your mouth.