The goal of giving feedback is to help someone perform at an outstanding level.
Most people have a fairly good sense of when they are doing well and when they are not – and yet, for people to really hear what you are saying, feedback must be delivered carefully and frequently.
Offering feedback is a skill – and it shouldn’t be surprising that it’s a skill that needs practice to get better.
Optimal feedback can be formulated in a single sentence:
I DO/DO NOT LIKE THIS
BECAUSE OF THIS REASON AND
HERE’S HOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO IMPROVE IT.
While this list isn’t exhaustive … your feedback should:
Premises
What’s your premise? Keep in mind the goal: performance at an outstanding level. Saying just that can help.
Timely
Feedback needs to be as close, temporally, to an issue as possible.
Regular
Feedback needs to be given all the time, not rarely.
Prepared
Write down the feedback you are going to give. This isn’t a script, but a guide.
Specific Problems
Tell someone exactly what requires improvement.
“I”
State your perspective. No labeling. “I think that” not “You should do.”
Limited
No more than two issues.
Specific Suggestions
Know how to improve the situation or at least the path towards possibly improving the situation.
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