Feedback

Feedback and criticism are often usedas interchangeable words. However, it is useful to think of them as two distinct processes. The most important difference is that criticism is an opinion; feedback is aboutfacts.

Feedback / Criticism
Meant to improve performance in a positive way. / A way of unloading anger.
Carried out in a calm frame of mind. / Done when angry, upset, fearful, worried, exhilarated.
Focused on the performance. / Focused on the person.
Tough on the issues. / Tough on the person.
Specific: quotes detailed evidence. / Vague: makes generalisations look out for words like always, never.
Descriptive: gives facts. / Evaluative: gives opinions, look out for words like excellent, good, terrible, appalling.
Future focus: what I'd like to see you do in future is. / Past focus.
Look for solutions. / Looks for scapegoat.
Look beyond immediate incident to underlying causes. / The last person or incident in the chain gets the blame.
Two way. / One way.
Person giving the feedback owns their opinion, says ‘I think’. / Person giving the feedback attributes opinions to others: they or we think so and so.

Feedback for managing performance

Improved performance dependson effective feedback. Without feedback, a team member has no idea whether his or her performance is good or not and how it could improve. As a manager, giving skilful feedback is one of your most important tasks.

The most important tip

Catch people doing something rightGiving feedback costs nothing except minimal effort and skill on your part. It is more important to most people than financial reward.

To do this, you have to know the difference between feedback and appreciation.

Appreciation is thanking someone for his or her overall effort: “I really appreciate yourstaying late last night thank you.”

This is nice to have and better than saying nothing, but it is very different from proper feedback:

“Thank you forstaying late last night. Thank youas well for doing the incident report the way you did. Writing it so clearly meant that I could read it at a glance and pick out the key issues.”

This makes it clear that you want initiative, you value people who will be flexible about their hours, and that you like reports to be set out clearly and the key issues identified.

Giving effective feedback

  • Put the emphasis on the positive. Give positive and focused feedback all the time when you catch a team member doing something right - and do this about ten times more often than would probably naturally occur to you.
  • Do it immediately. This reinforces the behaviour you want to see andnips bad habits in the bud.
  • Focus on specifics and describe behaviour such as“the way you spoke to Mrs A’s relative by doing x or y was spot on because you ...”
  • Describe the impact of behaviour such as “I was glad you let me know so early about the changes in the plan because as a result I was able to let x or y know in goodtime”.
  • Do it when you are calm. Feedback is meant to be helpful.
  • Suggest what you would specifically prefer to see (if you have to give negative feedback) and offer useful suggestions for preventing similar mistakes in future.
  • Follow up quickly with more feedback when you see improvements.
  • Avoid premature critics because people may have different ways of getting to an equally valuable endpoint. Gather all the relevant facts before jumping to a conclusion. Temper a tendency to perfectionism by focusing on what is most important.
  • Give negative feedback in private. Positive feedback can sometimes be given in public, depending on the circumstances.
  • Always ask how the team member assesses him/herself.
  • Make sure that the team member has clearly understood what is expected by asking him/her to restate the expectations.
  • Make sure that there are no obstacles to improvement that are outside his or her control such as lack of resources, lack of authority, conflicting instructions, lack of time, lack of basic ability.
  • Involve the team member fully in:

diagnosing any problems

generating solutions

agreeing plans.

Ask for feedback on your own performance as a manager. If there is a problem performer, be certain in your own mind that you have considered the possibility that the problem is with you and not with the other person.

Checklist on receiving feedback

To give feedback, you have to know how to receive it. Don't be defensive or self justifying. Don't immediately confess 'guilt'.

Useful steps in receiving feedback

  1. Repeat and summarise the feedback: “So you mean I talk too fast and use too much jargon?”This shows that you have understood and gives the other person the chance to correct you if you have not understood.
  1. Ask for evidence: “When you say I talk too fast, can you give me a specific example?”
  1. Ask for ideas on how you could improve: “So could you tell me how you think I ought to say it?”
  1. Give your side of things:

“The reason I was so late was that I got caught in a bomb scare at Liverpool Street station;there were no trains on the Central Line for an hour I did ring the office but youranswer phone wasn't turned on and there was no one in the general office either.”

Adapted from a handout from Jenny Rogers, Management Futures