Performance Feedback

Feedback is an essential communication tool in business performance management. The performance feedback process is ongoing between managers and employees. Performance feedback communicates the performance expected and performance exhibited and can be given two ways: through constructive feedback or through praise and criticism. Constructive feedback can praise good performance or correct poor performance and should always be tied to the performance standards.

Constructive feedback is information-specific, issue-focused, and based on observations and can be either positive or negative. Positive feedback is news or input to an employee about an effort well done. Negative feedback is news to an employee about an effort that needs improvement. Negative feedback doesn't mean a terrible performance, but rather a performance in which the outcomes delivered should be better.

Praise and criticism are both personal judgments about a performance effort or outcome, with praise being a favorable judgment and criticism, an unfavorable judgment. Information given is general and vague, focused on the person, and based on opinions or feelings.

The guidelines for giving constructive feedback fall into four categories: content, manner, timing, and frequency. Content is what you say in the constructive feedback. First identify the topic or issue that the feedback will be about and provide the specifics of what occurred. Manner is how you say the constructive feedback and an important element when giving feedback. When giving a feedback, be direct when delivering your message and get to the point, avoid "need to" phrases, which send implied messages that something that didn't go well, be sincere and avoid giving mixed messages by providing clarity on what occurred is the aim of feedback. When giving positive feedback, express appreciation but appreciation alone is a praise. When giving a negative express concern, a tone of concern communicates a sense of importance...