How to Effectively Deliver Feedback

People respond to feedback differently from one another which can make providing feedback difficult. If feedback is not delivered effectively it can reduce employee morale, negatively impact employee motivation, and worst case scenario, leave individuals feeling offended and disgruntled. Sometimes feedback sounds like accusations or advice sessions, so try to frame the feedback as an opportunity to grow and learn, making it more forward thinking. It is important to be empathetic and to make the feedback session as comfortable as possible, which may include an informal location to reduce some pressure that may stem from the conversation. Here are 3 key things to remember when delivering feedback:

Focus on the behaviour, not the personality
State the actual behaviour (e.g. I noticed that you have been late to work a couple times for the last few weeks). Then state your feeling, concern, or the implication of the behaviour (e.g. I’m worried that you may miss important information or run late to a client call). Conclude with what you want from the person, may be an action (e.g. can you please set up a meeting to discuss the situation and to see what I can do to support you). It is imperative to create a safe space where constructive criticism does not put the individual in a personally defensive state; a safe space which can be an opportunity for growth. This will reduce the feeling of being accused, make the feedback more constructive and open up a conversation with the employee.

Make the feedback session a 2-sided conversation:
One of the most common mistakes when giving feedback is making the conversation one-sided or lecture-based. When the employee doesn’t get a chance to speak, explain, or ask questions, the build-up of the seemingly unilateral conversation can create misconstrued narratives in their mind. Thus, resulting in solely retaining some of those areas of improvement where the perception of those areas are rather forms of attack and not genuine concern. This can make the feedback session ineffective and that is why it is key to ensure the employee gets the chance to talk, creating a open and safe dialogue to discuss the concerns at hand. Let the employee respond to the feedback and provide more colour on why that behaviour may be occurring. Then develop an action plan on how to make those improvements.

Ensure the feedback is actionable and follow up:
After areas for improvement are communicated, the employee should always leave the conversation with an idea of actionable items to take to achieve the required improvement(s). Depending on the conversation, you may want to directly state some actions, or give them autonomy to come up with their next steps, or do a bit of both. Since providing feedback is a continuous process, ensure that you follow up with the person to see how things are going, this will ensure they know you are there to support them.