What feedback have you recently given/ received from your colleague as a part of your job?
How did you feel about that.? When professionals receive feedback, they sometimes feel self-protective as a reaction to the perceived “criticism”. Can this be avoided? Is there a right approach to provide feedback so that it is a constructive way of evolving and flourishing like a green bay tree?
Listen and watch a TED talk by cognitive psychologist LeeAnn Renninger, called ”The Secret to Giving Great Feedback.”
The main points to note is firstly the two different types of feedback givers and why both of these are equally problematic. The part of the brain called amygdala is scanning the messages all the time to make out if the message(feedback) entails a potential social threat so that the receiver moves backwards in retreat
Instead of that LeeAnn Renninger proposes a four-part formula that regulates feedback and delivers it successfully to the taker.
Formula Part 1: It is called “Micro-yes” question.
This is a short question that prepares the receiver of what is going to follow. example: “”Do you have five minutes to discuss how our last conversation went?’Firstly, it is a facilitating tool that establishes the context and secondly it it creates a moment of buy-in meaning the freedom to say yes or no; thus a sense of autonomy.
Formula Part 2: Giving data point.
The giver needs to create the sense of specificity; to use concrete examples and facts(data) instead of blur words that can be misleading. So instead of saying ”you are always late” you can say ”We were supposed to meet at 11 and you appeared at 12”.
Formula Part 3: Making an impact statement.
This is the result of the data point. The feedback giver elaborates how the data point has impacted them. So for example they can say ”Because you came an hour later, the client left the meeting room”. It gives you a sense of purpose and meaning and logic between the points, which is something the brain really craves.
Formula Part 4: It is just a question that makes all the difference.
Great feedback givers wrap their words with a question such as ”How do you see it’? or ”what’s you take-on ?”. In that way they create the feeling of commitment and not compliance. According to LeeAnn Renninger, there is another significant point to bear in mind. Great feedback givers also make active questions about themselves, that is pulling feedback. Pulling feedback can make you a continuous learner that knows something backwards and forwards, hence more intellectually powerful.
Here are a few phrases to introduce your feedback:
Picking the right moment
• You asked me to look at your report, is now a good moment to talk about it?
• Have you got a moment? I’d like to talk to you about …
• Can I have a word about …
• Are you interested in some feedback on …?
• Would you like a few pointers on your … ?
Mentioning the positives
• I thought … was very effective.
• In general, I think your presentation went very well.
• I really like the way you …
• I can see you’ve put a lot of work into …
• What I liked most about …
Describing negative points you observed
• When you presented last month’s figures, I noticed that …
• At several points during the presentation, I saw that you …
• When I read your report I didn’t quite understand …
• I saw that …
• I recognised that …
Explaining the (possible) impact
• This meant that I …
• For me this came across as being …
• This annoyed / surprised / confused me, because …
• I’m worried that this will lead to /result in …
• I think there’s a risk that …
Talking about improvements
• Have you got any ideas how could you do this differently in future?
• How do you suggest improving on this next time?
• What could you do to … ? • How else could you … ?
• Can you think of any alternatives … ?
• Have you considered…?
• What do you think about…?
Adapted from https://www.ted.com/talks/leeann_renninger_the_secret_to_giving_great_feedback by Efi Panagiotopoulou.