Effective Feedback

An effective feedback process has five major elements:

1. Choose the time and place with care. Most employees prefer private one-on-one interactions be they positive or negative. Never give negative feedback in front of peers or in public; this is a major morale killer. Always set people at ease by telling them the purpose of the conversation.

2. Describe as succinctly as you can the behavior, situation or event; make it clear to people what you are talking about. Vagueness is a trust killer. Make sure you are prepared and be economical and focused in your comments. Blah, blah, blah usually leads to confusion and miscommunication. Just because you are the boss does not mean that you can talk at people on and on; this will probably be seen as disrespectful.

3. When giving feedback to improve performance perhaps the major omission by managers is a failure to concretely connect the event in question to its results. People need to understand that what they do or don’t do has effects in the workplace and a characteristic of poor performers is “I don’t get this.”

4. Probably the most important element is the tone you use in carrying out the conversation. It’s a general rule in human interaction that in most cases emotion trumps reason. Thus, it is essential that the interaction not be perceived as being punitive. Managers who are best at feedback appear low key, even casual in their approach, they see it as an everyday occurrence and they maintain a consistently neutral or positive emotional tone. Doing so precludes a defensive reaction and encourages response. When there is a negative response such managers do not allow themselves to be engaged in that manner and can usually cool down the interaction by showing interest and asking probing questions. It is never productive to get into verbal fisticuffs with an employee.

5. The final ingredient of good feedback is the understanding that you are trying to build an effective working relationship...