This is the part 2 of the Feedback blog which itself is a part of the series that I am writing on Process Facilitation Basics. My name is Imran and I am a former student of Hyper Island Karlskrona Sweden where I studies Learning Design and Facilitation. In the first part I discussed the basic points on Effective Feedback, the Aim of giving feedback and some important tips in giving feedback. Now In the second part I will discuss on the Types Of Feedback that I know off and I will explain them in a few lines. So lets start writing.
Just a small reminder that Feedback is about your behavior and its about what you do not about who you are. So keeping this in mind lets see the types of Feedback that I have read during my studies. These types will help you to give a better and effective Feedback to the other members of the group. The types are:
- Descriptive
- Performance Focused
- Clear and Direct
- Offered
- Owned
- Specific
- Balanced
- Timely and Regular
- Solution Focused
Descriptive
- Give an accurate description of the behavior you are talking about, and about what you’d like to see instead.
When you give a feedback to some one you need to describe it in detail and tell the person what you’d like to see instead. For example, I feel like you are not listening to me when you finish my sentences for me: You did that a few times when we were talking about the project plan, I’d prefer to finish what I am saying before you add your points.
NOT JUDGING OR LABELING:
- Don’t use labeling words to describe a person. Move your attention to what you are doing or saying – don’t judge their character or motives.
In giving Feedback you are not allowed to judge or label your team. Here are few examples of such a situation, You are autocratic (having absolute power). You are inflexible. etc.
Performance Focused
- Concentrate on things that can be changed, and link your feedback to the task or role.
Another thing to remember is to focus on the performance of the group work. Here is an example in a situation where you would like to say something on Performance. “It’s frustrating for me to lose valuable time with you: if you arrive late, we can’t discuss everything we aimed for. It’s important for us to get this right because the team needs a good decision from us.”
Remember Feedback is not NOT PERSON FOCUSED. It is not about personality, character and attitude.
- Don’t direct your comments to personality, character, attitude or things the person can’t change – like personal circumstances or something in the past.
Clear and Direct
Feedback is always clear and direct. You need to remember this point in your Feedback. Here are some points for you to see and adopt.
- Use plain, clear language.
- Choose phrase the person will understand.
- Be brief and to the point.
Successful feedback is easy to understand. Here are some examples on giving clear and direct feedback.
- It’s important for the whole team to understand the impact of wide-screen on our future development plans.
- I’ve noticed that you haven’t kept your team up to date on this. I’d like you to include wide-screen updates in all your team meetings.
Feedback is NOT VAGUE OR AMBIGUOUS:
- Don’t give clues, don’t make them guess.
Offered
People sometimes ignore this very important type of Feedback. Offering a Feedback is much more effective and convenient than imposing on a Feedback.
- Signal that you would like to give some feedback, and why you want to give it – and wait for the person to accept the offer.
An example of such way might be:
- Can I talk to you about the start of our meeting today?
- would you like to hear some feedback and my ideas?
Feedback is not Imposed
- Don’t launch into what you want to say, without invitation.
Owned
Always own your words and in case of Feedback it is much more important. If you give a Feedback to someone and later if that Feedback comes up in a discussion you cannot just deny or change words you need to own your previous words. So it is highly recommended to remember what you say in your Feedback.
- Speak for yourself – show that these words and feelings are your own.
Some ways to start while giving a Feedback might be like these: I notice; I would like; I don’t like. I feel worried about what you said.
NOT SIDE-STEPPED:
- Don’t mix up your thoughts and feelings with other people’s. You can’t be sure what others think – unless you ask them directly.
Specific
Your Feedback should be Specific.
- Be clear about the aspect of the person’s performance or behavior that you want to talk about.
Some example sentences might be started like these:
- When we started our meeting you seemed to interrupt quiet often when I was explaining the problem I had.
- I don’t feel listened to.
- Perhaps it would be more effective if I gave you the full picture first.
NOT GENERALIZED:
- Don’t talk every aspect of a person or the way they do their job.
An example of such sentences:
- As usual you’ve ignored what I have to say.
- You never listen.
Balanced
If you are going to give a negative Feedback always start with a positive Feedback.
- Include a positive message to balance points about less effective behavior.
For example you can try this:
- Your contribution was really useful – I like the way you gave lots of useful examples, but I didn’t find your summary at the end very clear. It would have been clearer for me if I had more dates and details.
NOT ONE-SIDED:
- Don’t start with a negative, or talk only about what you don’t like.
For example:
- You lost us all at the end, that was a waste of an opportunity.
Timely and Regular
Another thing to remember while giving Feedback is that it should be timely and most importantly do it on a regular basis.
- Talk to a person at an appropriate moment.
- Offer feedback often- as an everyday habit.
Here is the nice way to start your conversation
- Can I catch some time after the meeting? I’d like to talk to you about how it went.
NOT RARE:
- Don’t wait until the incident has gone stale.
- Don’t save your remarks to deliver all at once.
This is an example for irregular or untimely Feedback
- I’ve been wanting to tell you how badly I think you’ve handled this for some time…
Solution Focused
In the end I just want to point out this very crucial type of feedback. Your Feedback is always solution focused. If you want the person to do something than tell him a solution or help him find one in your Feedback.
- Show that you’re willing to give ideas about how the person can tackle the issues you have raised.
An example sentence can be:
- Because of the implications of the wide-screen developments on our future activities, it would be good for you to ensure the whole team understands the issue. Can we discuss some ideas about how we can make this work in practice…”
NOT PROBLEM FOCUSED:
- Don’t launch into what you want to say, without invitation.
So these are the types of Feedback that I know and I shared them with you along with some situations and example sentences. I also shared on what not to do in a certain situation. I hope this will help you in your projects and in your daily lives. Next I will discuss on some barriers, feedback skills and I-Message. Stay with me to read more about them in few days. Also SUBSCRIBE to get the latest posts in time.
I take leave now from you guys and see you in the next post.
//Imran