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Give feedback that is specific and actionable
Feedback should also be specific, meaning that the person receiving it should know how to improve. The most common cause of miscommunication between employer and employee is a lack of clarity in the feedback process.
“express feedback for good” : “Give feedback that is specific and actionable”
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. ORGANIZATION & METHODOLOGY
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Avoid using general comments like “good job”
Forcing your employees to spend time reading your feedback is a form of organizational disempowerment. Comments like “great job” or “you did a great job” are completely unnecessary, because they convey no useful information. Feedback is supposed to be directed at specific issues and problems that were encountered within the given situation. One of the worst things that you can do is to say “you did a great job” because it conveys nothing useful. You are basically saying: “it’s a great thing that happened, now go back to work.” There is absolutely no point in writing the review and sending it back unless you have additional comments that you want to make.
When you use comments like “great job,” “good job,” “good work,” etc. you are basically saying, “I want to make the process even more ineffective.” You simply use up the time of everyone who has to read your review and internalize all of your useless compliments. What is the point of making everybody spend even more time reading a useless comment? None, that’s what.
Consider how many people have to read every single review that you write (including your managers, peers and subordinates). Then consider how much time it takes to read useless comments. It’s a waste of time. This is why we recommend avoiding general comments like “good job” or “great job.” Instead, focus on the specific things that you have addressed in the review and on issues that you have made points about.
Explain the impact of the person’s actions on you or others
In order to provide effective feedback, it is important to explain why your employee’s performance is important to you or to the company as a whole. You can also use stories and examples that convey the impact of good or bad behavior on other employees, clients or customers. By explaining how specific actions affect others, you are getting away from any form of manipulation. People are more likely to want to do things that make others happy, so this will be a powerful tool in your feedback arsenal.
Title:Compliment the person’s behavior and explain why it is important
Last Updated: Jan 01, 2013, 03:00:17 PM] Restructure feedbacks by moving compliments up and explanations down. Encourage employees to talk about their great work.
Titles: “Thank you” and “Feedback” in the same article
The two titles functioned very differently in my experience. This is how this article was presented to me: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” OK … I’m an employee, but I also recognize that perhaps it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. You can tell the difference between feedback and a pat on the back. Do be careful not to confuse them with each other.
Titles: Especially for leaders, feedback should be a positive, actionable item
Thank the person for their efforts
The message that you send by thanking the employee for their efforts is an important one. When you express gratitude for what is done, it reinforces your words by showing that you respect the effort put in. It also shows that you are sincere and that you value the individual. This message is so important that we have put it as the primary part of the feedback.
You will also find that sending a thank you message after bad feedback, reinforces your words by showing that you value the employee and his situation even though he has been struggling. This is extremely important if you want to retain him and if he is looking for someone who offers support when times are tough.
You should refrain from sending blanket thank-you messages after any other kind of feedback. For example, if you want to mention that the employee has a great attitude and is always willing to go the extra mile, as a follow up to negative feedback on performance or results, you should use “solution phrases” that focus on specific actions.
For example:
Not appropriate: “Thank you for your support”
Follow up with them after they have had a chance to make changes
The purpose of feedback is to change behavior. It is important that you follow up with the person by making an adjustment or by eliciting an action from them. Feedback is useless unless it helps improve performance in the future.
Put actions in the person’s hands and ask them to follow up with you. This allows you to assess their response to the feedback and correct any miscommunication you may have had during the session.
Follow up with the person by:
Asking for an adjustment: “Mind if I give it one more go?” or “Can we try it this way?”.
Asking: “Are you putting it in place?” or “Did you put it in place?”
Asking if the team is meeting their goals. This allows for discussion about the desired outcomes and for a clear understanding about who is responsible for what.
Pointing out things that are not working as well as they should be: “You’re supposed to give me a briefing on…” or “I can’t remember how to do this. When should I be doing it?”
Pointing out signs of progress: “This is a nice improvement” or “I can see that you’re getting better.”
Asking about how the Feedback session went: “Was it helpful?” or “What did you think?”
