Are you good at giving constructive feedback? If not, what stops you from assisting those who work for you to improve their performance or formally recognising their successes?
As managers we are often required to give feedback on other people’s thoughts, ideas and performance. If we have not received positive or constructive feedback ourselves in our working lives or personal lives we can often find it difficult to give appropriate feedback ourselves. Giving constructive feedback will not undermine the person giving the feedback in fact it usually enhances their position as a manager or mentor, whilst shouting, bemoaning, dismissing or disrespecting individuals will negatively affect the way a manager is perceived. So, how do you give constructive feedback?
- Prepare for the discussion and plan what you are going to communicate. Group the issues into positive, neutral and negative categories so that when you give feedback it well constructed, has clarity and good flow. Determine if you are going to address all the issues in one meeting or discuss the main issues in the first meeting and then address the others in a follow up meeting;
- Give positive feedback as soon as you can after the event – don’t leave feedback too long otherwise it will lose its benefit to the individual and the organisation. If the whole management team/workforce has contributed to success then give feedback to the whole team or workforce. If you always feedback only to the senior management team then you may find that the feedback does not actually cascade down to other colleagues. Consider giving global constructive feedback in team briefings, company newsletters or on wage slips;
- If you have to give negative feedback, don’t do it when you are angry or cross as it can quickly escalate into areas where you did not intend the discussion to go. Ideally give negative feedback on a one-to-one basis and never in front of fellow workers or in a public forum as this may well belittle the individual concerned, create negativity in the management team and encourage others to believe that such behaviour is acceptable within the organisation;
- When giving feedback make sure that all the comments that you make can be substantiated by fact, otherwise points that you raise could be challenged by those who do not accept the information or decision that you have made;
- Always start with something positive when you give feedback and address the key issues first, so be direct and don’t go around the houses to get to the main point of the discussion. The person will probably already think they know why you have asked to see them;
- Reinforce the key issues and ask the individual how they think they should be addressed, negotiate mutually agreeable solutions where possible;
- Ask the individual receiving feedback if they need you to clarify any points and if they understand what you require them to do; and
- Finally, end on a positive note!
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